Pro Soy Crab Sinsa • 프로간장게장 신사본점

Pro Soy Crab Sinsa (프로간장게장 신사본점) is one of the most famous crab and seafood restaurants in Seoul that’s well-known for their Ganjang-Gejang 간장게장 (soy sauce marinated crabs). They use premium grade blue crabs that are caught fresh from the west sea of Korea and marinated them with their own special sauce made from fresh ingredients. Since the opening of this first flagship location in 1980, Pro Soy Crab is considered one of the pioneer of marinated crabs restaurants in Seoul.

If you have watched your fair share of Korean variety shows and K-dramas, you probably have seen a Ganjang-Gejang eating scenes on your screen before. And I bet most of you are probably curious if those soy sauce marinated crabs are really as good as how these Korean idols, actors and actresses who are eating them made them look like to be. At least in my case, me and my friends were definitely really curious, especially since every single one of them always boast on how good, expensive and special Ganjang-Gejang is. And that is how me and my friend found ourselves going to one of the most famous Ganjang-Gejang restaurants in Seoul to try these crabs for ourselves.

Pro Soy Crab Sinsa (프로간장게장 신사본점) is located 153 meters from Sinsa Station (신사역), a short 2-minute walk from Exit 4 and close to the famous Garosugil (가로수길). The restaurant occupies 5 floors of a tall building and accommodates about 320 seats for visiting patrons. My friend and I went for a visit on a Wednesday for lunch. As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, we were quickly seated at one of the empty booths and were given the menu book to look through while one of the staff placed six different banchans and two bowls of seaweed soup on the table. After we placed our order, all the food came up pretty quick so the service was really swift at this restaurant.

Sliced Live Octopus 산낙지 ₩30,000 | 8.5/10

Sliced Live Octopus with Sesame Oil and Salt

The octopus was fresh and seasoned nicely. It wasn’t fishy and the texture was soft and chewy. I also really like the fragrant sesame dipping oil that was served with it. If you haven’t had this before, the moving octopus pieces might look scary. But honestly, after you put it in your mouth and start chewing, you’ll get over the sensation of the pieces sucking and sticking to your tongue pretty fast. Just make sure you dip the octopus in the sesame oil and chew thoroughly. If you haven’t had this before and want to try a good one, I’d recommend this place to try since this is one of the better sliced live octopus that I’ve had in Seoul. 

Soy Sauce Marinated Blue Crabs 간장게장 ₩78,000 | 8/10

2 Female Crabs (Medium Size)

Their famous Ganjang-Gejang (Soy Sauce Marinated Blue Crabs) was actually pretty good. The crabs were definitely fresh with a good amount of meat and roe in them. They were also marinated and seasoned well, with the salty soy sauce flavor being up front and prominent in every single bite. You’ll definitely have to eat the crab meat with rice and/or banchans to balanced out the flavor if you don’t want it to taste too salty. Also worth noting, if you are not a big fan of seafood or sensitive to fishiness or brininess taste of seafood, this might not be your cup of tea. There was a good amount of fishiness and brininess that I tasted when eating the crabs so if you’re really sensitive, you might not like this dish. 

Sweet and Spicy Marinated Blue Crabs 양념게장 ₩82,000 | 9/10

2 Female Crabs (Medium Size)

For their Yangnyeom-Gejang (Sweet and Spicy Marinated Blue Crabs), I actually like this more than I like the Ganjang-Gejang. The yangnyeom sauce was really seasoned well. It was a bit spicy for me but it’s still manageable when I ate it with rice. I also think since the flavor of the yangnyeom sauce is a bit punchier than the ganjang sauce, the yangnyeom sauce did a better job at masking that fishiness taste from the crab meat. I actually didn’t really taste the fishiness at all on this one. So my recommendation is for you who’s more sensitive to that seafood fishiness taste, definitely try the Yangnyeom-Gejang instead. I think you’ll enjoy this one more than the Ganjang-Gejang.

Crab Roe Bibimbap 게알비빔밥 ₩25,000 | 8.5/10

Bibimbap made with steamed rice, fresh crab meat, crab roe, egg yolk, seaweed seasoning, sesame, sesame oil

We also ordered the Crab Roe Bibimbap to eat with the crabs and this was also pretty good. The bibimbap itself wasn’t strongly seasoned. You mix the crab roe, egg yolk, seaweed and the rice together and you’ll get a creamy bowl of rice that’s actually a perfect pair for the stronger flavored marinated crab meat. Eating them together in a bite certainly cut the saltiness and spiciness from the marination sauce and gave a more balanced flavors. Wrap it in the seaweed sheet if you want to add a little crunch to your bite.

Overall, would I recommend this place? If you’re looking for a good place to try a good Ganjang-Gejang, Yangnyeom-Gejang or Live Octopus, then yes. I think this place is worth trying, especially if you’re visiting Seoul and you want to try Korean food that is not Korean BBQ or meat. Pro Soy Crab Sinsa (프로간장게장 신사본점) does serve fresh blue crabs that taste good. And judging by the number of photos and signatures of Korean public figures that are hanged on the wall around the restaurants, I believe the locals also love this place. Whether the crabs are really as good as how these Korean idols, actors and actresses who are eating them on screen made them look like to be or not, I’ll let you be the judge of that.

 

Pro Soy Crab Sinsa • 프로간장게장 신사본점

Address: 서울 서초구 강남대로97길 7 지하1.2층, 지상1층(잠원동)
Telephone: 02-543-4126
Hours: Everyday 10:00-23:00

Instagram: @prosoycrab
Menu

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Lick Sip • 릭십

Lick Sip (릭십) is a small cafe bar in Hannam-dong that just opened last spring in April 2024. Their menu consist of coffee, non-coffee, alcoholic drinks as well limited options of baked goods and desserts. Although cafe serving booze is not uncommon in Seoul, their Tipsy Treats selections are definitely one of the more unique menu I’ve seen that made me want to visit this place.

Their Tipsy Treats includes Boozy Ice Cream with flavors such as:
🍨 Milk + Bourbon (밀크 + 버번)
🍨 Milk + Amaretto + Rum (밀크 + 아마레토 + 럼)
🍨 Chocolate + Single Malt (초콜릿 + 싱글몰트)
🍨 Yogurt + Makgeolli (요거트 + 막걸리)

They also have Boozy Drinks like Baileys Latte (베일리 라떼), Baileys Chocolate Latte (베일리 초코 라떼), Wine Smoothie (와인 스무디), Whiskey Affogato (위스키 아포가토), and Coconut Smoothie with Rum (코코넛 스무디 + 럼).

There are about 15 seatings inside the cafe, six of them are shared on a communal table and the rest are split into paired seatings around the space. There are also about 12 outdoor seatings that are available if you choose to sit outside. 

I visited this cafe during my last trip to Seoul in spring, a month after their grand opening. It was a Sunday afternoon so the place was pretty packed. But me and my friend managed to get a seat on one of the small outdoor table. The weather was really nice so sitting outside was actually perfect to enjoy the afternoon breeze and to people watch a little bit. 

Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea (얼그레이 밀크티) ₩6,500 | 8/10

I ordered the Iced Earl Grey Milk Tea and it was solid. Not too sweet and the tea is pretty fragrant. 

Einspänner (아인슈페너) ₩6,500 | 8/10

My friend ordered the Einspänner and she said it was good. The coffee is bitter and the cream is sweet creating a good balance when you sipped the drink.

Noise level inside the cafe when I was visiting was pretty high. The music was playing pretty loud inside the cafe but since we sat outside, it was actually still pretty enjoyable for me. Since I didn’t end up trying their Tipsy Treats, definitely want to go back again to this place to try one of their Boozy Ice Cream or Boozy Drinks. 

 

Lick Sip • 릭십

Address: 서울 용산구 이태원로54길 16-5 1층
Telephone: 0507-1390-7841
Hours:
Closed on Mondays
Tue & Wed 18:00-24:00
Thursday 12:00-24:00
Friday & Sat 12:00-01:00
Sunday 13:00-19:00

Instagram: @licksip_official
Naver Map

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Hongs Zzuggumi Hongdae • 홍스쭈꾸미 홍대본점

Hongs Zzuggumi Hongdae (홍스쭈꾸미 홍대본점) is a restaurant in Hongdae that specializes in spicy stir-fried webfoot/baby octopus or jjukkumi how the Koreans say it. Their special red sauce is made out of natural ingredients with over 20 kinds of seasonings. The restaurant is actually pretty popular among Asian tourists and at some point was pretty hyped up among Indonesians as one of the must visit restaurants in Seoul as well. 

Although I’ve been hearing a lot of good reviews about the place from my friends who already went, it actually took me this long to finally visit the place. Mainly because I don’t eat spicy food well so I kind of need somebody who does and likes baby octopus to go with to help me finish my food just in case I can’t handle the spiciness. The time finally came last fall when my cousin was visiting Seoul. She’s a big fan of octopus, can eat spicy food better than I do and actually had Hongs Zzuggumi on her want-to-try-restaurants list. 

So we went with a couple of friends who were on the trip with her. It was a Saturday night and we arrived at the restaurant around 8:15 pm. There was a line, not a long one but there seemed to be 2-3 groups ahead of us. We waited about 20 minutes before our name was called and got seated right after.

There are only 4 items on the menu and it all feature their signature Spicy Stir-Fried Jjukkumi (쭈꾸미). We ordered the one with the pork belly and requested less spicy for the spiciness level.

Service was pretty quick at this restaurant because not too long after we placed our order, the pan filled with thinly sliced pork belly, rice cakes, green onions, cabbage and the jjukkumi in the middle was served on our table along with four different kinds of banchan. After the pan was starting to get hot and the red sauce was bubbling, the server came back to mixed everything for us until it was all nicely cooked. 

Stir-Fried Webfoot Octopus + Pork Belly (쭈삼겹 + 볶음밥 ) ₩32,000 | 9/10

*Portions in picture is 2 servings for 2 people. Each portion costs ₩16,000 and comes with the Armani fried rice.

After tasting my first jjukkumi, I get what the hype is all about. It is gooood. The size of the baby octopus wasn’t too big or too small, a perfect size for a nice bite. The meat was tender and springy. And their special spicy gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste) sauce was super good. It’s spicy and salty with a hint of sweetness in the sauce. The flavor was pretty bold and it’s really nice having it with warm rice. The pork belly (samgyeopsal) was also really good. I think the fat of the pork belly also added another layer of flavor to the jjukkumi and the sauce. Such a great combo. 

The less spicy version was actually still a little spicy for me. Even so, the spiciness was manageable and I could eat it without feeling that I’m being tortured by the heat of the sauce. But I did do my usual work around for eating spicy food though which is to wait until the food is not too hot before taking a bite and eat it with rice. I found that it helps me to enjoy spicy food a little better.

One other special menu that Hongs Zzuggumi has is their Armani Fried Rice. They had signs outside and inside the restaurant with writings like ‘If you order jjukkumi, you’ll have a free Armani Fried Rice’ and ‘Jjukkumi Armani Service’. For English speakers, the meaning of these sentences may be a little confusing. At least I was confused when I first read it and it took me a minute to understand what they mean. The ‘service’ they wrote doesn’t mean the usual action of helping or doing work for someone. But instead, in Korea, when you get something on the house, they usually call it ‘service’. So I guess what they’re trying to say is you get Armani Fried Rice on the house if you order jjukkumi. 

When we’re almost done with our jjukkumi, we asked the staff for the fried rice. They took away the pan and came back with the fried rice already covering the whole pan. Once I saw the fried rice, I get why they call it Armani. The word Armani itself was a little bit random (for me) and doesn’t sound like a Korean word (it reminded me of the famous Italian brand though). But (cmiiw) I think it’s a play on words between ‘al’ (알) which means egg in Korean and ‘mani’ (많이) which means many/a lot. Because living up to its name, the fried rice was covered with copious amount of (fish) eggs. 

Armani Fried Rice is essentially fried rice covered with Hongs Zzuggumi’s special red sauce, seaweed and fish eggs. And it was gooood. One of my favorite thing was feeling the crunch of the fish eggs popping in my mouth in every spoonful of fried rice, making me go back for more every single time even though I’m already full. 

One tip, since the staff usually waited until you (almost) finished everything on the pan before serving the fried rice, if you want to eat the fried rice with the jjukkumi and samgyeopsal, set them aside on your plate to empty the pan so you can ask for the fried rice right away. I did that on my second visit and it was so good eating them with the fried rice. 

Another thing worth mentioning is on my previous visits during dinner rush, there seemed to always be a line for a table and most of the tables in the restaurant are for smaller groups (3-4 people). So if you want to avoid waiting for too long, I’d suggest to come a little earlier, split into smaller groups if you’re traveling with a big group or maybe try coming during lunch time where they serve Lunch Specials from 11:30-16:00. 

After my first visit, Hongs Zzuggumi has been one of the restaurants I’d recommend to my friends when they ask me where to eat when they’re in Seoul. If you haven’t tried this place already, now I’m recommending it to you too.

 

Hongs Zzuggumi Hongdae • 홍스쭈꾸미 홍대본점

Address: 서울 마포구 어울마당로 146
Telephone: 0507-1407-7943
Hours: Everyday 11:00 - 02:00

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Addictea • 에딕티

Addictea (에딕티) is a bubble tea franchise known for its variety of milk and fruit teas. They have their own unique flavoring, roasting and blending techniques for their tea leaves which help to retain the aroma of the tea leaves longer, giving a more fragrant tea as a result. They also one of the few bubble tea spot in Seoul that brew their tea to order, making the flavor of their tea more vibrant with a pleasant aroma. 

The brand (which then operated under a different name) is originally from Fujian, China but expanded their business overseas to Brisbane, Australia in 2016. Two years later, Addictea was officially established in Queensland, Australia. In 2019, they did Addictea’s overseas expansion with the opening of their first store in Seoul and later in Wuhan, China in 2022.

Addictea is one of my new find last fall that has become one of my favorite bubble tea spot in Seoul. Believe it or not, finding a good bubble tea spot in Seoul was actually pretty hard for me in the past. Not that I eat boba a lot (I usually don’t even order the boba), but usually bubble tea places have different type of milk teas that I like compared to the ones that are served in cafes in Seoul. 

I’ve drunk a lot of milk teas in many, many cafes in Seoul but the choice of the milk tea is usually very limited since majority of them are focused more on the coffee menu. Most cafes usually only have the choice of (black) milk tea or green tea latte. Some places will have earl grey milk tea, green milk tea or Assam milk tea. On rare occasions, I’d find places that sell black sesame latte. But that’s pretty much it. 

Not until these past couple of years I started seeing some asian bubble tea brands opening shops in Seoul and I can’t even tell you how happy I am that it’s slightly easier for me now to find boba places in the city. 

Addictea is actually one that I really like. They have a couple of milk tea options like Genmaicha, Roasted Green Tea, Ostmathus and Jasmine Green Milk Tea that I usually find back home (or back in South East Asia). My favorite menu is their Genmaicha with Milk (현미 밀크티). Their tea is really fragrant (the brew-to-order tea does make a difference imho) and overall it’s not too sweet (I usually order 75% sugar and the sweetness is just right for me). One time, I took a couple of my friends to this place and we ordered a couple of different ones. After tasting what we ordered, we all agree that the milk teas are good but the Genmaicha is the best one. So I definitely recommend you to try the Genmaicha with Milk if you come to this place. 

Addictea Hongdae (에딕티 홍대점) is one of the location that I’ve been to before. This location is pretty big with seatings available in the store. It’s located next to Halal Guys and below BHC Chicken in Hongdae. A little bit of disclaimer, these pictures of the shop were taken when I went to visit back in May 2024. Today I tried to search their name on Naver Map and it didn’t show up so I’m not sure if the place is still open or if they already moved somewhere else. But on their Instagram bio, Hongdae is still listed as one of the locations (maybe they just closed recently, I’m not sure). So, there’s that. 

The location that I went to the first time was actually Addictea Myeongdong (에딕티 명동점). The store is smaller than the Hongdae location but there are limited seatings inside for about nine people, mostly small tables for two. I usually do take-outs from this location since the place is pretty small. This place is definitely still open and appears on Naver map.

They also have another location Addictea Hoegi (에딕티 경희대점) near Hoegi Station (회기역) in Dongdaemun (동대문구) area if you’re around that neighborhood.

*Photos below are from Addictea Myeongdong (에딕티 명동점).

 

Addictea Hongdae • 에딕티 홍대점

Address: 서울 마포구 홍익로6길 10
Hours: 13:00-22:00 (Last Order 21:55)

 

Addictea Myeongdong • 에딕티 명동점

Address: 서울 중구 명동4길 15 1층
Telephone: 0507-1393-6699
Hours: Everyday 12:00-21:30

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Ido Gomtang • 이도곰탕 계동 직영점

Ido Gomtang (이도곰탕 계동 직영점) is a Korean restaurant that specializes in Korean beef soup (한우곰탕). If you’re not familiar with this particular Korean dish, gomtang (곰탕)—or beef bone soup—is a Korean hearty soup made by slowly simmering various beef parts on a low flame. The result is clear beef broth with a rich and hearty taste and served with thinly sliced beef and rice. Gomtang is commonly eaten with kimchi and kkakdugi (깍두기 or cubed radish kimchi).

The secret recipe that Ido Gomtang uses is supposedly made by a Doctor of Oriental Medicine who was the 18th grandchild of King Sejong and has been passed on through three generations (at least that’s what’s written on the ‘About Page’ of the restaurant on Naver). As a result, the soup of their signature Hanwoo Gomtang (한우 곰탕) is a clean and rich broth with deep flavors.

Located 175 meters away from the famous Cafe Onion Anguk, Ido Gomtang’s entrance is quite hidden from the main Gye-dong street. But after you turn left on the alleyway where it’s located, you’ll immediately see the entrance to the restaurant in front of you (see the last photo of this post).

The interior of the restaurant is pretty simple and modern. The kind of place that office workers frequent for a quick, no frills, healthy lunch where they can just come, get their food quickly and go back to their busy day. And I’ve actually encountered many people from this certain group during the multiple times I was there. 

Their menu is pretty straight forward too. There are only 3 items on the board:

1. Gomtang (곰탕) :  Thinly sliced beef served in clear beef broth with chopped onions.
   Regular Gomtang with Rice (곰탕) ₩13,000
   Large Gomtang with Rice (특곰탕) ₩16,000
   Regular Gomtang with Rice Noodles (쌀면곰탕) ₩13,000
   Large Gomtang with Rice Noodles (특쌀면곰탕) ₩16,000
   

2. Beef Suyuk (수육) ₩49,000 — Thin boiled beef slices served with mushrooms, chives, and Napa cabbage in a pot of broth. Served with a side of the Spicy Raw Pollack Salad (명태회무침).

3. Spicy Raw Pollack Salad (명태회무침) ₩9,000

*There has been a ₩1,000 increase in price for each menu since I took the photo below.

Gomtang (곰탕) ₩13,000 | 9/10

The menu that I always order is the regular gomtang. The regular portion is pretty generous and enough to fill my stomach for one meal. The broth of the gomtang is light yet savory with that deep beef flavor you get from boiling beef for a long period of time. It’s very comforting with subtle hints of the chopped onions mixed in the soup. 

Unlike seolleongtang (설렁탕 Korean Ox Bone Soup) which you have to seasoned the soup yourself before eating it, gomtang’s soup is already seasoned when served. It’s more like galbitang (갈비탕 Beef Short Ribs Soup) but without the hassle of taking the meat off of the bones. And Ido Gomtang’s soup is always nicely seasoned and served pipping hot with soft and tender sliced meat and well-cooked rice. They also provide you with dipping sauce and wasabi on the side for you to dip your meat into (and yes, you should dip it if you want to add another layer of flavor into the dish).

Also, a little bit of disclaimer, if you came from Southeast Asian countries, the flavor of gomtang might not be as strong or bold as soups in your country since Southeast Asian food tend to have bolder seasoning and flavor profile in my opinion.

Their kimchi and kkakdugi are also really good. They are on the spicier side for my personal taste, but the flavors are wonderful and they give a nice acidity to the bite when eaten with the gomtang.

Ido Gomtang Gyedong is probably one of the restaurant I visit quite often every time I’m in Seoul. Due to its location, I usually ended up frequenting this place when I have to meet up with family or friends who are visiting Seoul for the first time since it’s close to Anguk Station (안국역) and Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을, a popular tourist spot for first-time visitors in Seoul). This restaurant has also become one of my go to place every time anybody ask me for a restaurant recommendation around Bukchon Hanok Village. And pretty much everybody—both adults and kids—who I’ve taken or recommended this place to said they like the gomtang. If you go with a big group, I would also recommend the suyuk since it’s also delicious.

If you’re looking for a simple, hearty and comforting meal around Anguk Station, Cafe Onion Anguk or Bukchon Hanok Village, I would definitely recommend you to check this place out. 

 

Ido Gomtang (이도곰탕 계동 직영점)

Address: 서울 종로구 계동길 33-8
Telephone: 02-762-0524
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-22:00 | Sat & Sun 10:00-21:00

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