Korea Day 3: More Seongsu Shopping, Café Onion, Hannam-dong & Samgyetang

16 March 2026

You won’t believe where I went in my third day in Korea. Back to Seongsu! Even after spending most of the previous day there, I hadn’t finished exploring. I liked the neighbourhood so much that returning for another round was an easy decision.

STREET SNACK AT EOMUK NARA

First, breakfast at Eomuk Nara, a snack stall at Seongsu Station. There were so many people gathered around eating that I had to try it too! I ordered tteokbokki and skewered fish cakes, which made such a yummy start to the day. You could also help yourself to the warm fish-cake broth, which I really enjoyed sipping alongside the food.

A crowd gathered around Eomuk Nara at Seongsu Station. Naturally, I had to see what everyone was eating!

Tteokbokki and skewered fish cakes for breakfast. Don’t forget the warm broth, which you can help yourself to!

SECOND ROUND OF SHOPPING AT SEONGSU-DONG

One of the places I especially wanted to visit was the Miffy store. The whole place was adorable, and there was even a Seoul-exclusive Miffy keychain. As if I needed another reason to go shopping!

First stop: the Miffy store! Even the blue-and-white shopfront was adorable.

Miffy in Seoul, dressed for the occasion. Such a cute little welcome!

A whole wall of Miffy bag charms. Choosing just one was going to be a problem, so I had to get all the Seoul exclusive Miffy charms.

Knitted Miffys all dressed up, complete with tiny bags and accessories. The details!

I had to get one of the little illustrated pouches too.

Then it was time to tick off the shops I hadn’t managed to visit on my first round in Seongsu. Even after spending so much time there the day before, I still had places left on my shopping list!

Low Classic: one of the stops on my shopping list.

A cosy little corner within Low Classic with wooden beams, soft furnishings and sunlight streaming in.

The cutest house-shaped rolarola store.

The clothes are all so soft and feminine. The fitting room was quite small though.

Sienne was unfortunately not opened on the day I visited. Do check the opening hours before visiting!

A pink courtyard filled with little white figures. I'm not sure what this display is for, but there seems to be always something unexpected around the next corner in Seongsu!

On to 29CM HOME for a little homeware browsing.

A colourful display of playful little objects at GATHERING ROOM.

Mugs with bobbly handles and cheerful colours. Suddenly, I needed more cups at home.

Pastel bowls and plates neatly lined up. Plenty of temptation for the tableware lovers!

CAFÉ ONION

After shopping around Seongsu-dong, I stopped at Café Onion to rest my feet. With so many breads, cakes and pastries to choose from at Café Onion, I had a hard time deciding.

Rows of breads at Café Onion. Choosing what to eat was easily the hardest part of this café break!

The strawberry-topped pastries and cream-filled treats were super tempting too.

Eventually, I stopped overthinking and went for their signature pandoro, topped with a mountain of icing sugar. The bread had a lovely buttery richness, with a slightly firm exterior and a soft centre. The icing sugar added a nice sweetness, but there was rather too much for me, so I tipped some off and dipped the bread into it instead. A little more manageable that way!

Finally settled on the pandoro, complete with its snowy mountain of icing sugar. Time to rest my feet after all that shopping!

Café Onion Seongsu (어니언 성수)

Address: 8 Achasan-ro 9-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 8 am–10 pm; weekends and public holidays, 10 am–10 pm

SHOPPING CONTINUATION AT SEOUL FOREST SIDE OF SEONGSU

After my café break, I headed towards the Seoul Forest side of Seongsu for more shopping. The Seoul Forest side of Seongsu felt even more relaxed, with a slower pace that I really enjoyed. I loved browsing the shops here too. Compared with the streets I’d explored earlier, there seemed to be fewer familiar brands overlapping with Myeongdong and more little shops that were new to me. Naturally, that meant more shopping!

A café with a courtyard entrance that I passed by along my way to Seoul forest area.

There's also Matin Kim!

“Let’s eat chicken!” A giant chicken mural making its case for my next meal.

A bright pink Samo Ondoh storefront.

Bags, clothes and accessories beautifully laid out for a leisurely browse. I felt like the bags were a little pricey, but the design and quality are really good!

More display of handbags. I really liked all the bags at Lememe.

I loved the cream façade and deep red window frames at RAIVE.

Arched windows, red brick and an open doorway inviting a little browse at Loeuvre.

A peek through an arched shop window of Somewhere Butter.

Flowers above a colourful fruit display. Such a cheerful little detail to come across while wandering.

There were plenty of cafés around here too, including Rafre Fruit, which was on my list. But the estimated wait was over two hours, possibly close to three! Even with a queue number and the freedom to shop nearby, that felt a little too long. I decided to carry on browsing and return another day, closer to opening time.

Wandering down the quieter lanes on the Seoul Forest side of Seongsu. There were many café here too. Look at the poster for the bingsu!

A café with blue-striped awning and little outdoor tables. So pretty!

MORE SHOPPING AT HANNAM-DONG

Then it was on to Hannam-dong for even more shopping! I loved it here too. It felt quieter and less crowded during my visit, which made browsing really enjoyable. There were some familiar brands I’d already seen elsewhere, but also shops that were new to me.

The shops felt more spread out along sloping lanes, so there was a little more walking between stops. It’s worth arriving earlier too, as some boutiques close around 7 or 8 pm. Seongsu felt like it had more to keep me shopping, but I really enjoyed Hannam-dong’s calmer atmosphere.

GOBONG SAMGYETANG

Dinner was at Gobong Samgyetang, which I’d seen recommended online. Its inclusion in the 2017 Michelin Guide Seoul also caught my attention, so I decided to give it a try.

I ordered the sanghwang samgyetang (상황삼계탕), their ginseng chicken soup made with sanghwang mushrooms, which is an ingredient traditionally used in Korean herbal medicine. I hadn’t read up much beforehand, so the broth took me by surprise. It was so thick! The chicken was really tender, and I really enjoyed the meat together with the glutinous rice. I think I still prefer a thinner broth for my samgyetang though.

Gobong Samgyetang (고봉삼계탕 명동점)

Address: 2F, 21 Myeongdong 7-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Opening hours: Daily, 9 am–10 pm

ALL IN ALL...

Between Miffy goodies, pretty boutiques and a snowy mountain of pandoro, it was another satisfying day of wandering and shopping. I especially enjoyed the quieter streets around Seoul Forest and Hannam-dong, where I could take my time browsing. Dinner at Gobong Samgyetang rounded things off with something new to try. A thicker broth than I’d usually choose, but that tender chicken was a lovely way to end the day.

Love,

Shu