Where:
Visionary Michelin-starred dining in Seoul, South Korea

Visionary Michelin-starred dining in Seoul, South Korea

by Anne Shirley
Show on the map
2 comments

Table of contents

  • 1. Gaon
  • 2. Mosu
  • 3. Kwonsooksoo
  • 4. Soigné
  • 5. Mingles
  • Cultural phenomenon
Show on the map

The largest megalopolis of South Korea and its capital, Seoul, has been designated ‌an Alpha city for its high quality of life. It is surrounded by natural hilly landscapes that form the Seoul City Wall which is made up of four central mountains – Bugaksan, Namsan, Naksan, and Inwangsan. Most of the hills have been untouched by human intervention and hence have become a favorite hiking trail for locals and foreigners alike.

Besides its natural wonders, Seoul is home to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Changdeok Palace, Hwaseong Fortress, Jongmyo Shrine, Namhansanseong, and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Dining culture in this city is not just about massive servings of savory broths, barbeque, and comfort food, but it is about crowded tables, side dishes, flavourful kimchi, and friendly service. You can enjoy some of the best street food or treat yourself to fine dining eateries. So here is our list of the best Michelin-starred restaurants to visit in Seoul.

1. Gaon
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Gaon
#5905 of 113465 restaurants in Seoul, South Korea
317 Dosan-daero, Sinsa-dong, Seoul, South Korea
Closed until 5:30PM

Gaon is one of the two restaurants in Seoul that have received three Michelin stars. True to its name, Gaon (meaning “center”) has been the benchmark of Seoul's fine dining scene since 2004. Chef Byoung Jin Kim has been the restaurant’s artistic mastermind for the past 17 years. He expertly crafts dishes from local seasonal ingredients to create deep flavors with finesse. The interiors of Gaon are designed to reflect traditional Korean aesthetics with an elegant dining room, simple wooden furniture, and handcrafted crockery – which is a combination of natural form and noble ancestral glazing techniques.

The kitchen serves a tasting menu that represents surasang (a royal court cuisine) that was served to the royals of the Chosun dynasty. You can relish amazing traditional dishes such as kimchi, grilled tilefish, curled mallow soybean soup, boiled snow crab, fish bone soup, striploin steak with pickled vegetables, and mussels with radish rice. In desserts, you can enjoy rice and soya milk ice cream with mandarin jelly and a chestnut cookie. They also offer a selection of teas such as lotus root to accompany your meal.

Tasting menu – 320000 KRW

2. Mosu
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
MOSU Seoul
#7344 of 113465 restaurants in Seoul, South Korea
4 Hoenamu-ro 41-gil, Seoul, South Korea
Closed until 12PM

Mosu is Seoul’s latest three-star Michelin restaurant located north of Han river. The name of the establishment is the Korean pronunciation of the word cosmos – a flower that Chef Sung Anh remembers from his childhood days. The restaurant serves traditional local food with a Californian twist, as Chef Anh has been working extensively in San Francisco and originally started this restaurant there before moving to Seoul. It is housed in a high-end personal residence that features an open kitchen, a dining room on two levels, and a rooftop garden.

The eatery's airy ambiance is made up of high ceilings with lots of wooden furniture and no tablecloths. The kitchen only serves a tasting menu made from the freshest local ingredients with ingenious cooking techniques that can be experienced in their signature dish, Burdock bark. It features a single chip that is prepared by coating a burdock root with syrup and dehydrating it repeatedly to render it crispy. Some of the other dishes that can be enjoyed here are roasted sesame tofu in dashi, toasted acorn noodles, and turbot with fermented vegetables. To have an elevated dining experience at Mosu, opt for their wine pairing that perfectly complements the menu.

Lunch tasting menu – 180000 KRW
Dinner tasting menu – 320000 KRW
Wine pairing – 240000 KRW

3. Kwonsooksoo
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
KwonSookSoo
#450 of 113465 restaurants in Seoul, South Korea
37 Apgujeong-ro 80-gil, Seoul, South Korea
Closed until 12PM

Kwonsooksoo restaurant is the ideal place to experience a combination of traditional and fine dining in Seoul. It provides a creative and modern take on authentic Korean cuisine that is also evident in its name (“Sooksoo” is an old word for professional cooking). Under the leadership of owner and chef, Kwon Woo Joong, the two-starred Michelin establishment transforms the simplest ingredients into something special. Chef Kwon scours the country to find ingredients that best represent each of the seasons and creates wholesome dishes with them.

The ambiance of Kwonsooksoo is casual and informal with muted colors in the dining room and lots of natural light. The kitchen features a lunch and dinner tasting menu that is inspired by time-honored methods of cooking. Some of the exquisite dishes you can savor at this restaurant are steamed crab with scallops and eggs, fried courgette blossom with stuffed shrimp in a pine nut sauce, bean curd soup with truffles, mussel pot rice with wild mushroom, and wet-aged Korean beef striploin steak with kimchi. In desserts, you can relish sweet delicacies such as yogurt with applemint, melon, and candied sliced ginger, and burdock ice cream with hazelnut and bronze fennel.

Lunch tasting menu – 170000 KRW
Dinner tasting menu – 280000 KRW

4. Soigné
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Soigné
#5670 of 113465 restaurants in Seoul, South Korea
Sinsa-dong, SINSA SQUARE, 2F, Seoul, South Korea
Closed until 12PM

Meaning well-groomed in French, Soigné is Chef Jun Lee’s first restaurant serving contemporary cuisine of Korean dishes inspired by French, American, and European flair. It is a two-Michelin-starred establishment that elegantly encapsulates the entire diverse vibe of Seoul through food. The dining space possesses a modern decor complete with a horseshoe design facing an open kitchen so that every table gets a clear view of the fascinating action unfolding.

Soigné is not only the name of the restaurant but also the nickname of Chef Lee: it was bestowed on him by his French chef-professor at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. Lee’s sense of neatness and impeccable obsession for perfection which started in school is reflected in the seasonal tasting menu presented at Soigné. Guests can clearly see the global influences in specialty dishes like Iberico pork with shishito pepper purée served in bone broth, sweet shrimp with asparagus, grilled beef in garlic sauce accompanied by morel mushroom, and abalone with miyeok-guk (seaweed soup). For the full gastronomic immersion, try their suggested wine pairings to elevate your meal.

Tasting menu – 270000 KRW
Standard wine pairing – 180000 KRW
Signature wine pairing – 240000 KRW

5. Mingles
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Photo from Restaurant Guru
Mingles
#2946 of 113465 restaurants in Seoul, South Korea
Dosan-daero 67-gil, 19 힐탑빌딩 2층, Seoul, South Korea
Closed until 12PM

Mingles is one of the most interesting modern restaurants in Seoul located in the Gangnam district. True to its name, Mingles utilizes Spanish, Japanese, and French cooking styles in Korean cuisine. The kitchen is run under the leadership of Chef Kang Min Goo, who has a reputation for having a keen eye for detail. The decor of the restaurant is simple, clean, and organized with wooden flooring, furniture, and window panels.

The kitchen uses seasonal ingredients and recipes that have been passed down through palace kitchens for hundreds of years and creates impressive combinations of dishes that are appealing to the modern diner. At this two-star Michelin restaurant, you can savor Korean beef barbeque with Jerusalem artichoke, chicken skewers with black vinegar glaze, charcoal grilled lobster with pear rice, fried hairtail fish with smoked eel, and smoked abalone with sea cucumber. Do try their olive and white chocolate mousse and creme brûlée with pecan puff in desserts.

Lunch tasting menu –190000 KRW
Wine/alcohol pairing – 90000 KRW
Dinner tasting menu –320000 KRW
Wine/alcohol pairing – 130000 KRW

Cultural phenomenon  

Korean culture is all the rage right now. From Oscar-winning films to catchy K-pop music, South Korea’s aesthetic is inspiring the world. Seoul is the best place to experience this cultural phenomenon and one of the most spectacular capitals to visit. It is a dynamic city that is fashion and technology-forward but also deeply rooted in tradition. Here, you can find sprawling urban parks alongside centuries-old architecture.

Have you been to South Korea already? Share your experience with our community in the comment section below.

Show on the map
Add your comment

2 comments

M
MaverickJade (Guest) 5 months ago Request content removal

Seoul, South Korea is not just about natural landscapes and traditional food, but it is also home to some of the world's best Michelin-starred restaurants. Among them, Gaon stands out for its exquisite royal court cuisine and traditional Korean aesthetics. Its chef crafts deep flavors with finesse and creates dishes from the freshest local seasonal ingredients. The restaurant's elegant dining room, wooden furniture, and handcrafted crockery offer a fine dining experience like no other. If you're looking for a taste of Korea's rich culinary heritage, Gaon is the place to be!

0 0 | Reply
Show replies (1)arrow
Show more (-4)arrow