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Ripoff restaurants in Itaewon
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roadwork



Joined: 24 Nov 2008
Location: Goin' up the country

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 3:56 pm    Post subject: Ripoff restaurants in Itaewon Reply with quote

Last weekend I checked out a couple of places mentioned and lauded on this board only to find my wallet emptied and my stomach unsatisfied.

1. The Austrian place by Gecko's. Meili? 9500 won for a pastrami and cheese sandwich, no chips, no pickles, and it was smaller than a 6 inch sub.

2. Smokey's Saloon. I paid 15,000 won for a burger (no fries) and a coke. 10% VAT tax there. Plus I had to endure watching all the Korean couples eat their burgers with a knife and fork and feed each other.

Can anyone recommend places NOT to go? I should just stick with the 3 Alley Pub and not try anything else
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alex83



Joined: 03 May 2007

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I had to recommend a place NOT TO GO, it would be Pancho's.

In a nutshell: overpriced, inauthentic (even for Korea) and poor service to boot.

All the dishes we had ranged in quality from mediocre to just terrible. And the margarita pitchers my friends ordered cost in the W45,000 range! WTF? Margaritas weren't even good from what I was told.

They did have a fun duo of a cute korean girl and older latino guy doing live music (mainly in Spanish). That was the ONLY highlight.

On the other side of the coin, the absolute best restaurant in Itaewon (in my opinion) is Santorini. I haven't been to Greece, but this place would easily pass as a GOOD Greek restaurant back home for me (Toronto).
Go with 2-3 friends and get the meat platter. Trust me.
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itaewonguy



Joined: 25 Mar 2003

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:09 pm    Post subject: Re: Ripoff restaurants in Itaewon Reply with quote

roadwork wrote:


1. The Austrian place by Gecko's. Meili? 9500 won for a pastrami and cheese sandwich, no chips, no pickles, and it was smaller than a 6 inch sub.


I know, I walked in there one day looking for a sandwich I heard they were supposed to be good, saw the price 10.000won for a sandwich, saw the bread! and thought! NAAA! a subway with a coke is half price!
or a kebab and a coke is halfprice..
I make better sandwiches at home so I flagged it..

Quote:
2. Smokey's Saloon. I paid 15,000 won for a burger (no fries) and a coke. 10% VAT tax there. Plus I had to endure watching all the Korean couples eat their burgers with a knife and fork and feed each other.


smokey's is the most famous burger restaurant in seoul! well so I have been told.. when ever I walk past there there are people lining up to get in.
you advertise in some gourmet magazine, pay the writer to review your place and next minute you are the greatest hamburger joint in korea..
I havent tried it, but If its anything like krazeburger or those places, I will pass, a koreans version of a burger and a wester version Is not the same.

and for the koreans feeding it each other with a fork! NO THANKS!
that place is small enough all you could hear are people chewing with their mouths open .. FLAG!!
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jkelly80



Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Location: you boys like mexico?

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Smokey's is really good IMO, but you're paying about 170% above what you should, given the no fries deal. and the fries they have are pretty crappy.

I maintain the best burger I've had relative to price in this 나라 is still Burger King. The man or woman who can open a Wendy's in Korea will be swimming in won for the rest of their life.
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fortysixyou



Joined: 08 Jun 2006

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pretty much the only places I WILL eat in Itaewon are:

Gecko's
Quizno's
Subway (inferior to Quizno's)
the kebab dude down by Quizno's
The little Indian place up on Hooker Hill.


Everything else I've tried there has been a ripoff. If I want a burger and I'm in Itaewon, I'd hit up Gecko's.
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climber159



Joined: 02 Sep 2007

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Add to the list of rip-offs the new burger joint/cafe called Sunny Days (near McDonalds). I ordered the BBQ chicken sandwich. It came on a nice big bun that was twice the size of the piece of chicken. And, the fries could have been bought at McDonalds.

Jacoby's in Habongchon seemed pretty good. It's not exactly cheap, but they do give you satisfying portions. Their service seems to be lacking a bit, but considering the alternatives it comes out way ahead.
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espoir



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Location: Incheon, South Korea

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jkelly80 wrote:
Smokey's is really good IMO, but you're paying about 170% above what you should, given the no fries deal. and the fries they have are pretty crappy.

I maintain the best burger I've had relative to price in this 나라 is still Burger King. The man or woman who can open a Wendy's in Korea will be swimming in won for the rest of their life.


I couldnt agree more!!!! I would kill at least half of my students for a Baconator!!
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Jane



Joined: 01 Feb 2003

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Two of my favorite places in Itaewon are:

Petra Kebabs: on the Hamilton hotel side as if you are walking in the Hangangin direction. Cheap and has the best fallafel in Seoul (beats all the other kebab shops) (5,000won for fallafel sand. and drink)

Gecko's Garden: higher priced but decent food. In the alley behind KFC.

3 Alleys has okay food too...it's decent although a bit pricey.


Other than these places, I don't really eat in Itaewon.


Last edited by Jane on Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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i



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Location: Seoul

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There used to be a lot of Wendy's here, but they went under. Same with Taco Bell and many other places the western mind would think would do good here. Who can fathom the Korean mind when those places go under and Lotteria thrives?
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madoka



Joined: 27 Mar 2008

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

jkelly80 wrote:
The man or woman who can open a Wendy's in Korea will be swimming in won for the rest of their life.


There were quite a number of Wendy's in Korea starting in 1984-1998. I went to the one in Jamsil quite a bit back in the day. As you can tell by the current absence of Wendy's, your business sense is lacking.
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i_teach_esl



Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Location: baebang, asan/cheonan

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i love the cheeseburger at suji's and every burger i've tried at smokys, but agree with the concensus: so expensive.

my favorite place: there is a mom & pop filipino joint in the alley next to sujis. you'll see a sign and philipino flag from the sidewalk looking into the alley. the sign says they do passport photos.

ive been there 4 times, if i lived in itaewon, i'd go everyday. 6,000 won for a meal: chicken/pork adobo, caldertta, dinaguan, menudo, im salivating on my keyboard right now.
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Dharma_Blue



Joined: 11 Oct 2008

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would like to add one more to the list of overpriced, mediocre restaruants in Itaewon: that Greeek place behind the Hamilton Hotel.
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seoulsucker



Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: The Land of the Hesitant Cutoff

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i wrote:
Same with Taco Bell and many other places the western mind would think would do good here.


That was 15 years ago.

20 years ago, no one in Korea was ordering pizza. Now you can't swing a dead cat by the tail without hitting a pizza joint, even in rural provinces.

In the 5 years I've been here I've seen the number of mexican restaurants increase 1000%. I think this country is ripe for Taco Bell.
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Nierlisse



Joined: 11 Oct 2008
Location: South Korea

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My husband and I really liked the Seoul Pub (I think that was the name). We each had a cheeseburger and it came with fries too, for 8k won. Considering we haven't eaten a real burger in 6 weeks (not counting the time we tried to make some at home) it was heaven. It may not be the best burger place around, but we didn't care at the time. We just wanted a damn burger. Plus the atmosphere was similar to the types of bars/pubs we liked to go to back home, so it was kind of nice to sit in there for an hour and relax and have a beer. Almost like being home for a while.
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dean_burrito



Joined: 12 Jun 2007

PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I gotta stick up for Smokey's. They've never let me down. Real cheddar cheese and jalapenos. Ooh, so good. It is a little pricey but sometimes it is exactly what I need the day after eating live octopus or whatever strange Korean food my school or neighbors has invited me out to eat.
Nashville burger isn't bad. No thrills but no filler either. 7 or 8k including fries.
My favorite in Itaewon is probably the kebabs though. Nice price and nice taste.
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