Although some say the Soongsil University area isn't the best place to find hip and trendy restaurants, the area still has a variety of eateries that's been loved by students and locals.

Many restaurants can be found near the university's back gates and in front of the Soongsil University Station. With the university's main gate right in front of the station, students don't have to go on a long journey to find a restaurant but are only required to walk a few minutes.

If you are visiting the area and don't know what to get for lunch or dinner, here are some recommendations from the Korea JoongAng Daily.


Gochudong

Located between the university's main and back gates, Gochudong is a small restaurant that serves various types of udon, or Japanese noodles.

Its signature dish is the eponymous gochudong, served with noodles that are hand-pulled by the restaurant owner every day. The noodles are different from the usual udon noodles, which are a bit thin like pasta noodles but still have a pleasantly chewy texture. The fish cake gochudong is the same dish but with an additional fish cake skewer put on top.

Its bukkake udon, or cold noodle with broth, is a good choice for hot days. The dish is served chilled with soy-based broth and toppings such as soft-boiled eggs, dried bonito flakes and tenkasu, or small bits of deep-fried flour batter. A slice of lime comes with the dish, which adds a bit of sourness to the broth and makes it even perfect for the summer.

All noodles sold at the restaurant have a spicy flavor, but customers can ask the restaurant to take out the spice entirely. Adding a bit of heat is possible, with the restaurant giving customers additional spicy seasoning to add to the broth if they wish.

Sangdo-ro 399, Dongjak District, southern Seoul
Business hours: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
0507-1476-4004


Hwangsaegol Sonkalguksu

Located also near the university's main gate but requiring a two to three-minute walk, Hwangsaegol Sonkalguksu is a restaurant with a long history. Staying open in the area since 1998, the restaurant is a place that has satisfied the taste buds of students and locals alike.

As the name of the restaurant suggests, it offers kalguksu, or knife-cut noodles, dishes. Customers can choose among seafood, dumpling or spicy kalguksu, and they all come with the restaurant's famous deep and flavorful broth.

But that's not the only dish on the menu. Another dish that a lot of diners order is the dak hamari, or whole chicken soup. The dish comes with heaps of chicken and napa cabbage, with the cabbage seasoned to be a bit savory to add to the flavor. Since dak hanmari is served in big proportions, make sure everyone in your party has enough room in their stomachs before ordering the dish.

Customers can also choose to add extra kalguksu noodles, dumplings or rice cakes to the dish, with each topping also being generous in amount.

74, Sangdo-ro 37-gil, Dongjak District, southern Seoul
Business hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
0507-1494-5961


889 Sangdo

There are many pork belly restaurants in the Soongsil University area, but 889 Sangdo is the place to go if you want a fancy Korean BBQ experience.

Customers are given a small charcoal grill of their own and allowed to grill cuts of high-quality meat by themselves. The beef set consists of cuts of meat such as chuck flap, oyster blade and rib cuts, which are best if placed on the grill only for a short time on each side to be cooked medium rare. There is also the pork set that comes with pork jowl and picnic roast, along with other options, such as skewer sets, for customers to choose from.

The restaurant provides a variety of condiments for customers to enjoy their meat with. Classic options such as wasabi, salt, soy sauce and whole grain mustard are offered, but special ones such as injeolmi powder, or bean powder, which has a pleasant nutty taste, are also available.

Sangdo-ro 61-gil 4, Dongjak District, southern Seoul
Business hours: Monday to Saturday 5 p.m. to midnight
0507-1319-5203



Sangdo Gopchang

Located right in front of Soongsil University Station and the university's main gate, Sangdo Gopchang is a restaurant where a lot of students go for a fulfilling meal and even have a drink with their friends.

There are various types of beef innards on the menu, such as gopchang, or small intestine, and makchang, or entrails. Although beef innards might be a menu that's difficult to try for some people, the restaurant does its best to get rid of any strong scents by flambeing it with soju.

Gopchang tends to be quite fatty, and the restaurant provides sides such as cold bean sprout soup and chives that are lightly seasoned in red pepper powder to help cleanse your palate along the way. Customers also get sides of potatoes, onions, green onion and tofu to grill on the plate when ordering various gopchang dishes.

Sangdo-ro 357, Dongjak District, southern Seoul
Business hours: Monday to Saturday 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
02-821-3802


BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]