Where to Eat in Seoul, by Meal Rather Than by District

Four conventions do most of the work, and none of them requires Korean.

Banchan — the small side dishes that arrive unasked — are free, refillable and part of the meal rather than a starter. Asking for more of the kimchi is ordinary behaviour, not an imposition.

Many dishes are priced for two. Stews, barbecue portions and chicken dishes often carry a two-portion minimum, which is why solo diners gravitate to noodle counters and gimbap shops, where single servings are the norm.

Water is free and self-service, usually from a dispenser by the door with steel cups stacked beside it. Nobody brings it to the table.

And payment happens at the counter by the door rather than at the table. You get up, take the bill with you, and pay on the way out. Tipping does not exist, in restaurants or anywhere else — more on that.

A short list that covers the range without repeating itself.

Bindaetteok and mayak gimbap at a market counter, for the oldest and cheapest version of Seoul eating. Samgyeopsal — pork belly grilled at the table with lettuce, garlic and ssamjang — for the standard Korean dinner, and the one meal everyone remembers. Kalguksu, hand-cut noodles in anchovy broth, for a cheap winter lunch. Dakhanmari, a whole chicken boiled at the table in a broth you finish with noodles, for a group. And gamjatang or budae jjigae late at night, the stews that exist because people needed to eat after drinking.

One of these should be eaten in a place with no English menu, which is easier than it sounds: point at the neighbouring table, or use the photographs on the wall. Vegetarians have a harder time and their own page.

Ignore Google reviews, which are thin in Korea, and use Naver Map, which is where Koreans actually rate restaurants. The ratings are dense, recent and unforgiving.

The simplest heuristic works better than any app: at 12:30 on a weekday, walk into the place with office workers queueing and skip the one with empty tables beside it. Korean lunch behaviour is a reliable signal, because the same people eat in the same streets every day.

For a district-level answer, the pattern is consistent. Hongdae is cheapest, Gangnam dearest, Itaewon most international, Ikseon-dong most designed, and the markets are where the city's oldest food survives. Prices in Myeongdong sit above the neighbourhood average because the customers are visitors — a hundred metres off the main lane, the same dish drops by a third.