Guide to Seoul's Stylish Neighborhoods Part 1
2 Weeks of Main Character Energy—Where Style Queens Brunch & Shop
Seoul in winter was my runway—two weeks of main character energy, like a fashionista at fashion week or a K-drama girlboss, juggling hair appointments, nail touch-ups, skin clinic glow-ups, intimate brunches, and endless shopping sprees. From Seongsu’s buzzing pop-ups to Hannam’s boutique allure (think Tokyo’s Daikanyama meets New York’s Williamsburg), I lived my Seoul diaries sipping lattes in cozy nooks and scoring the chicest handbags.
I’m breaking my guides down into parts, starting with the hippest shopping districts where trends are born. Below, I’m spilling my fave neighborhoods and highlights—your stylish unnie’s Seoul starter pack.
Paid subscribers snag the ultimate perk: an extensive Google Map of unique gems that goes beyond my adventure. Dive into Seoul’s trendiest corners with me, and check the map for extra curated gems I couldn’t fit here.
Part 2’s coming soon —peek more on my Instagram and TikTok.
Seoul Forest
Picture this: you’re pedaling through Seoul Forest, wind in your hair with autumn leaves or blossoms drifting down like a scene from a K-drama romance. After that dreamy bike ride, don’t bolt straight for Seongsu’s buzzing east side pop-ups—those viral darlings can wait. Instead, stroll through Seoul Forest Cafe Street, where the streets unfold like a secret love letter, quaint and charming. You’ll spot murals, matcha tea rooms overlooking the park, and stylish city girlies brunching outside. Below are some west side gems that most non-locals miss. Full access and more spots await on the Google Map.
Shops:
Samo Ondoh — Trendy playful Gen-Z contemporary bags with vibrant colors.
Archivepke Atelier — Minimalist craft leather handbags and shoes with sleek designs.
Loeuvre Flagship Store — French inspired timeless clothing with elegant cuts.
MUUT — Underrated fashionable glasses that does prescription and lens tint.
Somewhere Butter — Cozy soft daily clothing similar to Brandy Melville.
Narrative Object — Beautiful earthy tone ceramic home goods.
Bakeries & Cafes:
OMOT — Contemporary tea omakase in a beautiful tea bar.
Green Lab / Matchacha — A cafe where you can sign up for yoga class and drink matcha with an amazing view of the forest.
Plad — Minimalist coffee shop with an amazing view of the forest.
Clementine — The most beautiful flower shop cafe—it’s giving spring.
Teddy’s Oven — A yellow cottage core cafe with teddy themed baked goods.
Permeant Bake Shop — Must-visit bakery with flaky savory pastries.
Lowide Coffee Bakery — A delicious coffee and bread cafe—it’s giving me Art District Los Angeles.
Lowide Coffee Bakery
Brunch:
Dooop — Trendy brunch spot where all the IT girlies are spotted—doubles as a wine bar at night.
Nampo — Fresh seafood Korean fusion lunch spot—get the ssambap.
Secondaire or Around Day — Two brunch spots with the fluffiest French toast I’ve ever seen.
Seongsu
Seongsu’s east side, stretching from Ttukseom to Seongsu station, is TikTok’s latest obsession—and it can be overwhelming. Weekends turn into a frenzy, so skip the chaos of the Tamburins and Nudake here (Go to Haus Dosan for all three business and does it better if you’re tempted). Instead, weave through these streets where cafes and brands hum with understated chic. I scoped out this buzzing stretch to spotlight stops worth your time—less hype, more vibe. These are my highlights, no fluff. Full guide of more things on Google Map!
Shops:
Studio Vannes — Kitch and uniquely fun home goods.
Margesherwood — Known for trendy contemporary baguette handbags.
OSOI — My favorite Korean handbag brand. Snagged a circle dot bag!
Stand Oil — Iconic leather bags known for fun chubby yet structured designs.
Marhen J — Modern edgy vegan handbags.
Matin Kim — Militaristic edgy clothing.
Ader Error — Hypebeast streetwear with multiple locations.
Musinsa Standard — Think the H&M and Zara of Korea with multiple locations.
Mo-Na-Ha — High-quality clothing embracing simplicity and shapes; loved the comfy gray trousers.
AMORE Seongsu — A must-visit store like a museum for AMORE products. Bonus they do skin color matching.
Dasique — Cute feminine makeup store with a cafe inside, known for soft shades of red and pink tones.
Fwee — A fun lip pot store where you create a lip pot keychain after purchase.
Whipped — Skincare brand known for body butter collections; make your own cleanser at Whipped House.
.Note Perfume Workshop — Create your own perfume shop.
Kinfolk — Perfume launch of the magazine editorial, blending Danish design, Korean beauty, and French fragrance.
29CM — Curated showroom featuring cool pop-ups and brands.
Point of View — High-end stationery store with a 3-floor dark academia vibe.
Cafes:
Cafe Onion — Bigger than the Bukchon location with more savory breads—a Seoul must visit for first timers.
Standard Bread — Rustic bakery with fluffy baked bread and infamous tissue layered bread.
Standard Bread Jayeondo Salt Bread — Known for the best salt bread. No wonder there is always a line for this!
Foreplan — Cafe with a unique architecture wall, opened by architects.
Dior Seongsu — Inside the glass store, a quiet Dior cafe to escape the buzzing streets with enchanting winter decor of seahorses and mythical creatures.
Cafe Dior @Seongsu
Restaurants:
Japan is not the only place that has quality sushi. Korea has a plethora of omakase restaurants and lunch is typically a fraction of the cost! My picks for $40 USD omakase and sushi spots are listed on the Google Maps. Here’s a fun sashimi restaurant that I went:
Musaek — Sashimi bar with “DIY sushi hand roll” lunch and dry-aged sashimi, served with salts and sauces. The restaurant name means no color and it looks like we are painting our fish and hand roll!
Bonus: LDC Seoul and Common Ground — Nearby plazas with unique businesses; Common Ground’s blue crates feature local artists’ work like handmade jewelry and reworked vintage items.
Gangnam (Dosan & Cheongdam)
Gangnam is the epitome of Seoul’s modernity and affluence with high-end retail shops, skin clinics and luxury hotels—Cheongdam and Apgujeong) are its beating heart. The areas I’ll be highlighting are in Cheongdam and Dosan (within Apgujeong). Bars and other spots outside of this list will be pinned on the Google Map.
Shops:
Haus Dosan — The hippest spot in Dosan with Gentle Monster, Tamburins, and cafe Nudake; known for cool pop-ups. When we went, Gentle Monster had a pop-up event for it’s newest collaboration and we got DVD covers of ourselves in video game form!
Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul — An architectural masterpiece by Frank Gehry with a museum and dining experience in sleek style.
Obsura Store — Think SSENSE but a real store filled with curated streetwear brands and urban edge.
Sulwhasoo — The flagship store of the infamous skincare brand in a tall glass building will two spas and a gallery of its product history
Southcape — Sportswear clothing brand with a cafe inside.
Sinoon Flagship Store — A glass cottage core house filled with cozy feminine clothing and soft charm.
Restaurants:
KwonSookSoo — Two-star Michelin dining experience focused on traditional Korean cuisine with fermented flavors like kimchi and soy sauce; includes an optional kitchen tour.
Jungsik — Two-star Michelin and sister to the three-star New York spot; whimsical Korean fusion with playful plates.
Jungsik Hojokban — rending Korean fusion spot from LA and NYC with NY galbi and pork jowl in bold style.
Hanmiok — The first to develop ‘Chadolgujeolpan,’ a traditional Korean dish with melty beef brisket and fluffy egg in a pot lid setup.
Vinology — A wine bar blending New York, Italy, and Seoul vibes with smooth ambiance.
Cafes & Brunch:
Ardere — Woodfire brunch in a modern dining setting with carrot croissants and octopus carpaccio.
Cafe Sha Sun Cheak (Apgujeong) — Dessert haven with cakes like black sesame, pumpkin cream cheese, and mugwort.
Swarovski Flagship Store Dosan Park — Swarovski’s cafe with playful, colorful decor.
Dalmatian Apgujeong — The hottest brunch spot for city girlies with outdoor seating by a fountain of floating flowers.
Schedule — A girl’s birthday brunch favorite with picturesque ambiance decorated with chandeliers and a water fountain.
Cafe Dior — Pricey coffee in an enchanting space, perfect to get some caffiene energy before a shopping spree.
Cafe Dior @Seongsu
Hannam
Hannam located in Yongsan district is Seoul’s Soho-meets-Beverly Hills, where K-pop stars, influencers, and business elite wine and dine in tranquil luxury. Yongsan’s a megamix of international flair, and while Itaewon gets the hype, Hannam shines as Gangnam’s sophisticated sister—refined taste without the flash. Here are my highlights, and as always full access and more spots await on the Google Map.
Shops:
Blue Elephant Hannam Exclusive — This is the exclusive location out of all the Blue Elephant glass wear shops. The quality of the exclusive styles are significantly better than the other locations and still more affordable than Gentle Monster.
Borntostandout — A bold red building that you can’t miss from outside. It’s a perfume store and an extravagant gallery with a dark musky scent theme and edgy flair.
Nonfiction — Fragrance and beauty shop with calming scents; Gaiac Flower stands out for hand cream and daily wear with serene notes. I stocked up on the Table Guest room spray and candles to bring out this feeling of intention with my home guest and self.
Unvanish — Small showroom with strong, powerful scents tied to sex and love in a home-like setup.
Glowny — Known as the Korean Brandy Melville with California leisure fashion and laid-back style.
Marithe Francois Girbaud — Blends Essentials and Polo Ralph Lauren vibes with breathable semi-wool sweaters for cool comfort. The bear sweaters are too adorable to pass up on!
Nylora — The Alo Yoga of Korea for yoga and athleisure wear with sleek design.
Rola Rola — Cute feminine clothing in a picturesque cottage like setup. They have bag charm making station for a personal touch.
Atelier Nain — Effortless daily clothing mixing Zara’s edge with J. Crew and Banana Republic tailored cuts.
Lookast — Small boutique with chic boucle coats and blazers. Also in Seongsu district.
MO-NO-HA Hannam — High-quality clothing with simplicity and shapes, plus homewares and a gallery at this location with curated stillness.
D&Department — Japan’s funky, tasteful home goods store with a standout stationery section of notebooks and planners.
Amuse Showroom — Vegan makeup brand known for bright pink lip products.
Mardi Mercredi — Hype-beast spot like Aime Leon Dore. The dachshund dog sweaters are adorable.
Cafes:
Anthracite Coffee — Hip industrial third-wave cafe for young hipster meetups with strong brews.
Atelier Pond — Golden European atelier like cafe with financiers and caramel bars in warm tones.
Book Park Lounge — Gorgeous book cafe with walls of books and floor-to-ceiling windows for a cozy vibe. There’s a musical theater in the same complex!
Galleries:
Leeum Museum of Art — Must-visit for art lovers and first-timers in Seoul with broad appeal.
Pace Gallery — Infamous gallery with multiple global locations; check the website for featured artists and sleek curation.
Restaurants & Bars:
Gucci Osteria Seoul da Massimo — Michelin-rated restaurant with maximalist decor; a luxe dining spot.
Pussyfoot Salon — Roaring 20s and train-themed bar with sophisticated cocktails.
Process ITW — Multi-building complex with hip pop-ups, a cafe, and a bar.
Privilege Bar — Bonus place South of Hannam is this snazzy rooftop whisky bar with a breathtaking view!
Bonus: More in Yongsan:
Outside of Hannam and Itaewon are more notable areas to visit that has been the trend of a cultural crossroads with world-class cuisine and unforgettable experiences.
Nuldam Space — Cafe where you write wax-sealed letters to yourself or a lover; all vegan with a rooftop Namsan Tower view and calm energy. There is another location by the Gyeongbokgung Palace as well.
Nuldam Space
Haebangchon Sinheung Market — Industrial alleyway turned hip with cafes and eateries; stylish couples flock here with decorated charm.
Yongsan Park Area — If you are passing by Yongsan Park, check out the Amorepacific HQ where it’s a museum and you can get your skin analysis (make reservation a head of time). Then get some cute acorn pastries in a storybook like cafe Dotori Yongsan or slip some espresso at Mercury Espresso Bar.
Dontori Yongsan // Amorepacific HQ // Mercury Espresso Bar
That’s the wrap on Seongsu, Seoul Forest, Gangnam, Yongsan, and Hannam—my chic Seoul starters. Part 2’s brewing with more neighborhoods, so keep your lattes close. Remember, paid subscribers will have exclusive access to my Google Map for extra curated gems like more rooftop cafes in Haebangchon to view the Namsan Tower that I couldn’t squeeze in here.
Taking notes for my trip 😝
🔥 love this