Korean Job Discussion Forums

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

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

alex83 · Joined: 03 May 2007

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.

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

jkelly80 · Joined: 13 Jun 2007 Location: you boys like mexico?

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.

fortysixyou · Joined: 08 Jun 2006

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.

climber159 · Joined: 02 Sep 2007

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.

espoir · Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Location: Incheon, South Korea

Jane · Joined: 01 Feb 2003

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.

i · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Location: Seoul

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?

madoka · Joined: 27 Mar 2008

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

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.

Dharma_Blue · Joined: 11 Oct 2008

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

seoulsucker · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:51 pm Post subject:

Nierlisse · Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Location: South Korea

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.

dean_burrito · Joined: 12 Jun 2007

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.