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South Korea

Seoul

Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries in Seoul from the En Primeur Club guide.

Accolades in Seoul

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Seoul, South Korea
Our guide to Seoul counts 40 Michelin-starred restaurants and 52 Michelin stars in total. Modern Korean fine dining leads the cuisine list, and the recurring format in that tier is the tasting menu, built on fermented sauces such as jang and on seasonal produce. The same guide counts 32 exceptional wine programs, citywide, including restaurant cellars anchored in Burgundy and Bordeaux and natural-wine bars with extensive wine lists. French, Japanese, Cantonese, and vegan kitchens also hold stars in the guide. The largest neighborhood total in our guide is 83 venues, and that neighborhood gathers starred Korean kitchens and Clos de Yong, a classic wine bar. Wine Spectator awards are separate citywide figures: 22 Best of Award of Excellence and 9 Award of Excellence. Samseong-dong and Sajik-dong also hold starred restaurants in the guide. Wine bars in the guide pour natural wine, Burgundy, and Champagne, and most of that wine-bar list carries a Star Wine List award.

Wine Spectator lists at starred restaurants

Mingles and Evett, Restaurant Allen in Samseong-dong, and Solbam in Sajik-dong each hold a Michelin star award and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Evett's program reaches 2,170 selections, anchored in Burgundy and Bordeaux, and Restaurant Allen holds 1,400 bottles weighted toward France and Italy.

  • Mingles

    Mingles holds three Michelin stars and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Chef Mingoo Kang's modern Korean menu is served as a tasting menu and a set menu, built around traditional fermented sauces, jang, and seasonal ingredients. The wine program is exceptional and sommelier-led, with an extensive list that includes natural wine. Asia's Best Restaurants placed Mingles at No. 4 in 2026.

  • Evett

    Evett holds two Michelin stars and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Chef Joseph Lidgerwood's tasting menu reworks Korean ingredients with fermentation, including handcrafted meju, and seasonal foraging. The exceptional wine program reaches 2,170 selections, anchored in Burgundy and Bordeaux, and the drinks include a sake program. World's Best Wine Lists Awards named Evett a category winner in 2025.

  • Restaurant Allen

    Restaurant Allen in Samseong-dong holds two Michelin stars and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Chef Allen Suh's tasting menu uses seasonal Korean ingredients and French technique. The exceptional wine program is a 1,400-bottle cellar weighted toward France and Italy. Star Wine List has ranked that cellar number one.

  • Solbam

    Solbam in Sajik-dong holds one Michelin star and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Chef Eom Tae-jun combines Korean cooking with French techniques in a tasting menu and prix fixe. The wine program is exceptional and sommelier-led, with an extensive list. Asia's Best Restaurants placed Solbam at No. 55 in 2026.

Tasting menus

Tasting menus in our guide include Jungsik and Kwonsooksoo, La Yeon, and Onjium. Jungsik, La Yeon, and Onjium also offer a set menu, and Kwonsooksoo's format is a tasting menu.

  • Jungsik

    Jungsik holds two Michelin stars and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Chef Yim Jung-sik's New Korean cooking is served as a tasting menu and a set menu, reworking dishes such as gimbap and bibimbap. The wine list is extensive and sommelier-led. Asia's Best Restaurants placed Jungsik at No. 87 in 2026.

  • Kwonsooksoo

    Kwonsooksoo holds two Michelin stars. Chef Kwon Woo-joong's tasting menu reworks traditional Korean dishes. The ingredients are rare and seasonal, and the sauces are fermented in the kitchen. The list is extensive. Asia's Best Restaurants placed Kwonsooksoo at No. 98 in 2026.

  • La Yeon

    La Yeon holds two Michelin stars and serves high-end traditional Korean food as a tasting menu and a set menu. The Shilla Seoul houses the restaurant on its 23rd floor, and chef Sung-Il Kim works in the court-cuisine tradition. The wine program is exceptional, with an extensive sommelier-led list.

  • Onjium

    Onjium holds one Michelin star. The restaurant is also a research institute focused on Korean royal court cuisine, and chef Cho Eun-hee serves that cooking as a tasting menu and a set menu, using seasonal ingredients. Asia's Best Restaurants placed Onjium at No. 14 in 2026.

Wine bars

Bar Big Lights, Geumnam Vin in Jangchung-dong, and Mutin pour natural wine, and Clos de Yong focuses on Burgundy and Champagne. Geumnam Vin also serves seasonal Korean hansik, and its natural list changes weekly.

  • Bar Big Lights

    In 2017 Bar Big Lights became Seoul's first natural wine bar. The wine program is exceptional: an extensive list of natural wine. The kitchen is a wood-fired Neo-French bistro using seasonal ingredients. Star Wine List recognized the bar in 2026.

  • Clos de Yong

    Yonghee Kim, a pioneering Korean sommelier, runs Clos de Yong. His focus is Burgundy and Champagne, and he has decades of experience. The bar also pours natural wine. The wine program is exceptional. Star Wine List recognized Clos de Yong in 2026.

  • Geumnam Vin

    Geumnam Vin in Jangchung-dong, a pioneering natural wine bar in Seoul, pairs a natural wine list with seasonal Korean hansik. The selection holds approximately 40 natural wines and changes weekly. The wine program is exceptional. Star Wine List recognized Geumnam Vin in 2026.

  • Mutin

    Mutin is a natural wine bar with over 100 natural wine selections. The wine program is exceptional. Pairings at the bar use local, seasonal, and organic food, and the room is set up with a high-fidelity music system.

One-star kitchens and Les Copains

The largest neighborhood total in our guide is 83 venues. VINHO, GiwaKang, Goryori Ken, and Les Copains sit in that neighborhood, and Les Copains offers over 1,200 wines.

  • VINHO

    VINHO holds one Michelin star and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. The modern Korean menu is offered as a prix fixe and a la carte, and the exceptional wine program is sommelier-led with an extensive list. La Liste scored VINHO at 76 points in 2026, and Star Wine List recognized it in the same year.

  • GiwaKang

    GiwaKang holds one Michelin star and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. Kang Min-chul serves modern Korean cooking as a tasting menu, a prix fixe, and a la carte. Sommelier Jeongin Lee leads an exceptional wine program with an extensive list. Lee's background includes a kitchen with two Michelin stars.

  • Goryori Ken

    Goryori Ken holds one Michelin star (2025). Chef Kim Geon cooks Japanese dishes in season, with Western influences, at the counter in an omakase format. The drinks lean on sake from small Japanese breweries. The wine program is exceptional and sommelier-led. La Liste gives the kitchen 79 points for 2026.

  • Les Copains

    Les Copains is a wine bar, and the sommeliers who run it have won awards. The list holds over 1,200 wines. It holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, and the wine program is exceptional. Star Wine List recognized Les Copains across three years through 2026.

Planning FAQ

Which neighborhood has the largest number of venues in your Seoul guide?

The largest neighborhood total in our guide is 83 venues. Venues in that neighborhood include Mingles, Evett, Jungsik, Kwonsooksoo, VINHO, GiwaKang, Clos de Yong, and Les Copains, which offers over 1,200 wines.

How many Michelin-starred restaurants are in your Seoul guide?

Our guide counts 40 Michelin-starred restaurants in Seoul and 52 Michelin stars in total. Both figures are citywide. Starred restaurants in the guide include Mingles, Evett, Jungsik, La Yeon, Onjium, and Restaurant Allen in Samseong-dong.

Where are the tasting menus in your Seoul guide?

Restaurant Allen and Eatanic Garden in Samseong-dong, Solbam in Sajik-dong, Bicena in Jamsil-dong, y'east in Doseon-dong, and 7th Door in Noyu-dong serve tasting menus in our guide. Jungsik, Kwonsooksoo, Mingles, La Yeon, and Onjium also serve tasting menus. Omakase on the tasting-menu list includes Sosuheon, Muni, Goryori Ken, and HANE.

Which places in your Seoul guide hold Wine Spectator awards?

Restaurants holding a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence include Mingles, Evett, Jungsik, Soigné, Restaurant Allen in Samseong-dong, and Solbam in Sajik-dong. Samwon Garden holds an Award of Excellence. Citywide, our guide counts 22 Best of Award of Excellence and 9 Award of Excellence awards.

What wine list styles stand out in your Seoul guide?

Large restaurant cellars at Evett and Restaurant Allen, and natural-wine bars at Bar Big Lights and Geumnam Vin, are the wine list styles in our guide. Evett's program reaches 2,170 selections, anchored in Burgundy and Bordeaux. Restaurant Allen in Samseong-dong holds 1,400 bottles weighted toward France and Italy. Bar Big Lights pours from an extensive list of natural wine, and Geumnam Vin in Jangchung-dong holds approximately 40 natural wines on a list that changes weekly.

By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards

Seoul

Where to eat in Seoul

Selected entries from the current guide for Seoul.

Evett restaurant in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

Evett

A two-Michelin-star restaurant in Gangnam's Yeoksam district, Evett represents the sharper end of Seoul's foreign-chef-led fine dining scene. Joseph Lidgerwood's Australian perspective on Korean ingredients produces a menu that sits outside both Western tasting-menu convention and traditional hansik formality. A wine program spanning 2,170 selections, with Burgundy and Bordeaux as its anchors, places it among the more seriously stocked cellars in the city.

Seoul, South Korea
Restaurant Allen restaurant in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

Restaurant Allen

Restaurant Allen holds two Michelin stars and consecutive Star Wine List number-one rankings for 2025 and 2026, placing it among Seoul's most decorated contemporary addresses. Located in Gangnam's Teheran-ro corridor, it pairs a seasonal, regionally grounded menu with a 1,400-bottle cellar weighted toward France and Italy. The format moves fluidly between formal tasting and convivial snack-and-wine drinking, making it one of the few starred rooms in the city that sustains both registers convincingly.

Seoul, South Korea
KANG MINCHUL Restaurant restaurant in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

KANG MINCHUL Restaurant

Tucked into an intimate setting where reservations are coveted, KANG MINCHUL Restaurant distills the essence of French gastronomy through the personal lens of Chef Kang Min-chul. Influenced by time with master chefs yet unmistakably his own, his tasting menus unfold like a kaleidoscope—precise, artful courses that balance delicacy with depth, classic technique with modern clarity. Expect meticulously sourced ingredients, shimmering sauces, and textures that whisper and crackle in turn, all choreographed with serene confidence. For informed travelers, this is a rarefied encounter: a discreet room, hushed service, and a culinary philosophy that transforms dinner into a memorable, quietly luminous experience.

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul

Where to stay in Seoul

Selected entries from the current guide for Seoul.

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul hotel in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul occupies a 29-story glass-and-steel tower in Jongno District, steps from Gyeongbokgung Palace and Cheonggyecheon Stream. Rated 95.5 points on La Liste's Top Hotels 2026 and named South Korea's Leading Luxury Hotel at the 2025 World Travel Awards, it holds 317 rooms, eight food and beverage outlets, and a wellness floor that draws as many local guests as international travelers. Rates from approximately $641 per night.

Seoul, South Korea
Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas hotel in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas

Positioned at the intersection of Gangnam's commercial core and Bongeunsa Temple's ancient grounds, Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas occupies a rare address in Seoul's most exclusive district. Part of the IHG portfolio and a Country Winner for Luxury Lifestyle Hotel, it anchors the Korea World Trade Center complex alongside its sister property, connecting guests to Coex Mall, multiple dining formats, and a full amenity stack spanning casino, spa, and golf driving range.

Seoul, South Korea
Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences hotel in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences

Seoul's luxury hotel market is concentrated in Gangnam and Jongno, but Sofitel Ambassador Seoul sits in Songpa District overlooking Seokchon Lake, pairing French-inflected interiors with four distinct dining outlets. The property holds 403 hotel rooms and 160 serviced residences, with Club Millésime access on the 32nd floor and a spa programme rooted in French skincare brands. It operates as Korea's first Sofitel-branded hotel under Accor.

Seoul, South Korea
GLAD Hotel Yeouido hotel in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

GLAD Hotel Yeouido

GLAD Hotel Yeouido holds a Michelin Selected distinction in the 2025 Michelin Hotels guide, placing it among Seoul's editorially recognised accommodation options in the Yeouido financial district. The property sits at 16 Uisadang-daero, a corridor that connects Korea's legislative and business infrastructure, making it a natural base for travellers whose schedules track the rhythms of Yeongdeungpo-gu rather than the tourist circuits of central Seoul.

Seoul, South Korea
L'Escape Hotel Seoul hotel in Seoul

Seoul, South Korea

L'Escape Hotel Seoul

Positioned in Myeongdong, Seoul's most active shopping corridor, L'Escape Hotel brings a commission by French architect Jacques Garcia to the Jung District: 204 rooms styled after 19th-century Parisian aristocracy, flower installations rotated quarterly by London florist Tony Marklew, and a library reserved exclusively for suite guests. The result is a design-led property that operates at deliberate distance from Seoul's international chain tier.

Seoul, South Korea

Seoul

Where to go for a drink in Seoul

Selected entries from the current guide for Seoul.

Seoul

Which wineries to visit in Seoul

Selected entries from the current guide for Seoul.

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