Fictional K-drama restaurants we’d visit, from Jeongje in ‘Tastefully Yours’ to Hungry Wok in ‘Wok of Love’
From the hidden gem Jeongje in Tastefully Yours to the trendy DanBam in Itaewon Class and the humble Geumeundong’s in When Life Gives You Tangerines, fictional restaurants in K-dramas often feel just as real and memorable as the characters themselves. They do more than serve food: they’re places of healing, heartache and hope. They also witness confessions, celebrations, breakdowns and breakthroughs.
Whether it’s a Michelin-trained chef turning around a failing Chinese restaurant in Wok of Love, or a father lovingly preparing gimbap every morning for his daughter in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, these fictional food spots have captured our imagination (and appetite).
Here are some of the most iconic restaurants in K-drama history we’d book a table at—if only they existed.
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DanBam in ‘Itaewon Class’
Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) serves passion and perseverance alongside sundubu-jjigae. (Photo: screenshot from ‘Itaewon Class’ / Netflix)
Signature dish: sundubu-jjigae
Come for the vibes, stay for the sundubu-jjigae. DanBam’s prime location and Jo Yi-seo’s (Kim Da-mi) clever marketing draw in Seoul’s trend-conscious diners. And it doesn’t hurt that Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon)—the brooding owner and part-time chef—is easy on the eyes. The crew is effortlessly cool, too.
But the real star in DanBam is the soft tofu stew. A recipe passed down from Sae-ro-yi’s father and perfected in DanBam’s kitchen, this sundubu-jjigae is bold, fiery and packs a punch strong enough to bring rivals to their knees and topple the competition.
See also: 7 Best Park Seo-Joon Shows to Watch: Itaewon Class, Fight For My Way and More
Geumeundong’s in ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’
Tucked away in Jeju, Geumeundong’s signature squid soup is more than a meal—it’s a taste of local tradition. (Photo: screenshot from ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ / Netflix)
Signature dish: squid soup
Geumeundong’s, a small restaurant owned by local couple Oh Ae-sun (Moon So-ri) and Yang Gwan-sik (Park Hae-joon), serves the kind of delicious, traditional, home-cooked comfort food diners would go out of their way for.
The humble restaurant may have had a rough start, but this hidden gem, located in a remote corner of Jeju, has quickly become the island’s busiest dining spot. People can’t get enough of their signature squid soup, made with freshly caught squid cooked in a rich and flavourful broth. Often imitated but never matched, the deeply nourishing dish is squid soup for the soul.
Bok Chicken in ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’
Find someone who looks at you the way Kim Bok-joo looks at Bok Chicken fried chicken. (Photo: screenshot from ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’ / Netflix)
Signature dish: Korean fried chicken
Located near a bustling university campus, Bok Chicken is a reliable and affordable family-run joint owned by Kim Bok-joo’s (Lee Sung-kyung) straight-talking father. The restaurant isn’t fancy, but that’s exactly its charm.
With its modest and unpretentious interiors and handwritten signs, it’s a beloved greasy spoon frequented by students and office workers on a budget, looking to satisfy their craving for hot, delicious and crispy Korean fried chicken done right.
Woo Young-woo Gimbap in ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’
Named after beloved daughter and regular, Woo Young-woo, this charming gimbap shop serves simple, heartfelt dishes that feel just like home. (Photo: screenshot from ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ / Netflix)
Signature dish: Woo Young-woo gimbap
A bright, neat and cosy little spot, Woo Young-woo Gimbap—and its signature dish—is named after the owner’s daughter. Located in a quiet neighbourhood, it sits along a stretch of quaint shops and cafés.
The menu, which leans toward traditional Korean dishes like gimbap and bibimbap, may be simple, but it’s far from basic. Everything here is made with love and care, especially the gimbap, which is Woo Young-woo’s favourite breakfast. The food is humble, familiar and unassuming—comfort food at its best.
Jeongje in ‘Tastefully Yours’
In ‘Tastefully Yours’, chef Mo Yeon-joo (Go Min-si) crafts poetic, seasonal plates that are unforgettable. (Photo: IMDb)
Signature dish: seasonal specials
Low-key and unpretentious, Jeongje is a hidden, one-table fine dining restaurant tucked away in a nondescript countryside alley. Owned and operated by Mo Yeon-joo (Go Min-si), a young and passionate chef with an intuitive feel for flavour, the focus here is on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
There’s no fixed menu—only a thoughtfully curated selection that changes with the chef’s moods and the best ingredients available that day. Jeongje serves the kind of food that stirs up memories, warms the soul and wins awards. It’s no wonder rival restaurants are desperate to steal her recipes—and acclaim.
Don’t miss: All the reasons why you need to watch the latest K-drama ‘Tastefully Yours’
Hungry Wok in ‘Wok of Love’
Chef Seo Poong (Lee Jun-ho) brings the heat—and heart—to Hungry Wok, where every bowl of jjajangmyeon is a soulful, made-to-order masterpiece. (Photo: screenshot from ‘Wok of Love’ / Netflix)
Signature dish: jjajangmyeon
Housed in a Chinese restaurant on the brink of closing down, Hungry Wok gets a fresh start thanks to chef Seo Poong (Lee Jun-ho), a disgraced former hotel chef with Michelin-starred credentials and serious wok skills.
It’s no fancy hotel restaurant, but like some of the best Chinese restaurants out there, it’s got plenty of soul and flavour. The star of the menu is the jjajangmyeon: rich, glossy black bean sauce over perfectly hand-pulled noodles. Deeply savoury, slightly sweet and made to order, it’s the dish that wins over loyal customers and even old enemies.
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