Two streets best represent these areas: Sinsa’s Karosu Street and Apgujeong’s Rodeo Street. You’ll find stores here selling all the latest trendy luxury goods as well as bonded imported goods. Similarities exist between Karosu St., with its youthful, casual vibe, and Rodeo St., with its trendy boutiques and pampering massage salons, but each has its own distinctive character.

Whereas Gangbuk is the place for experiencing the traditional side of Korea, Shinsa and Apgujeong offer an experience of the fashions and up-and-coming trends in Korea. These areas are far ahead of the curve even when it comes to food, with restaurants serving the most popular dishes from around the world and unique Korean fusion creations, luxurious Korean table d’hôte restaurants, and even modernized makkholi specialty shops. These are dynamic areas which transform quickly in response to new trends.

1. Dureguksu (Korean : Guksu)

The restaurant has lots of frequent customers because of their tasty food, generous portions, and good service.  Thin noodles are served in a meat broth with a generous helping of shitake mushrooms and thinly sliced meat.  After six o’clock, only casseroles with vegetables are available.
- address: 626-79 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-3444-1421

2. Gaehwaok (Korean : Bulgogi) 

This restaurant serves bulgogi (marinated thinly shredded beef), as well as an interesting selection of Korean cuisine.  Although not spacious, the interior is notably tidy.  Besides their excellent bulgogi, healthy grilled vegetables, rolled kimchi, and noodles with Korean soybean paste are among the delectable flavours being offered. All of the food is attractively served in brass and earthenware.
- address: 661-18 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-549-1459

3. Gamjabau (Korean)

At this restaurant, you can enjoy the healthy cuisine of Gangwon province.  They include seven or eight side dishes or wild seaweed brought over from Gangwon.  Also, their doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew) is made with homemade fermented soybean paste.
- address: 621-4 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-517-1160

4. Gangnam Ttarogukbap (Korean : Ttarogukbap) 

Over the past 20 years, this restaurant has maintained the traditional taste of the one dish on their menu, seonjittaro gukbap (beef tripe and rice soup)  The soup is served with generous helpings of soybean sprouts, green onions, and beef, and the thick broth, made from green onions and beef, is light-tasting and refreshing.
- address: 21-1 Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-543-2527

5. Gangnam-myeonok (Korean : Naeongmyeon) 

Hoenaengmyeon (buckwheat vermicelli served with raw fish (sashimi) and chilli pepper dressing, and galbijjim (steamed marinated beef shor rib) is very popular. The steamed beef ribs, which are braised in sugar and soy sauce for a long time, is somewhat sweet. In addition, dumpling soup or beef rib broth is also excellent.
- address: 588-9 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-3446-5539

6. Gimssine (Korean : Budae-jjigae) 

This restaurant is famous for its budae-jjigae (sausage stew) and samgyeopsal (pork belly).   In addition, they serve a variety of dishes, such as beef ribs, outside skirt, bacon, sausage, and yeongyang dolsotbap (boiled rice mixed with nutritious ingredients in a hot stone pot).
- address: 627-6 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-545-5290

7. Hanseong Kalguksu (Korean : Kalguksu) 

This famous noodle restaurant in Gangnam has a proud 20-year history.  Overall, the food here is neatly-presented and clean-tasting.  Once the weather gets colder, the savoury pancakes made with fresh oysters are fantastic.  The kalguksu (noodle soup) served in a broth from beef leg bones is worth trying. This is a good place to have a drink because there is a good selection of side dishes, such as jeyuk (spicy beef with vegetables), bindaetteok (a Korean-style pancakes) and guljeon (savory pancakes with oysters).
- address: 62-13 Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-544-0540

8. Modern Bapsang (Korean) 

Enjoy Korean food in a modern atmosphere. This restaurant serves a variety of dishes, including stews and boiled rice with assorted mixtures like bibimbap (white rice topped with sauteed and seasoned vegetables which is mixed with chili pepper paste), Korean pancakes, and bulgogi (marinated thinly shredded beef). Other popular choices from the menu are  jeyuk-bossam (spicy pork with kimchi), North Korean-style dumplings, and tangpyeongchae (mung bean jelly mixed with veggies and beef).  They also have braised kimchi and Jeju mackerel, and braised silvery scabbard fish with dried radish leaves.
- address: 545-20 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-546-6782

9. Mongno (Korean : Mandu)

This restaurant specializes in a style of Korean dumplings made famous in Pyeongyang. Large Pyeongyang dumplings are cooked in a clear beef broth made from slowly boiled beef bones. The soup is a hearty and clear. We can also recommend the Korean pancakes made with mung-bean or various other noodle or rice dishes.
- address: 578-4 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-548-7500

10. Mongnyeon-sikdang (Korean)

Magnolia has been selling Nurungji for better than 20 years. Nurungji is a Korean favorite. It’s cooked and crunchy rice that’s been browned at the bottom of a hot pot or earthenware bowl. Magnolia sells several different kinds of it and it is very popular here. Some of their offerings come with 20 different side dishes to enjoy and lunch time is a great time to drop by for a taste.
- address: 65-17 Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-548-6688

11. Moonjar (Korean : Makgeolli)

This bar serves makgeolli (Korean rice wine). Because of the interior’s chic and modern ambiance, this bar is especially popular with women. They offer a wide variety of makgeolli, and their clean-tasting bossam (boiled pork with kimchi wraps) makes an excellent accompaniment.
- address: 644-19 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-541-6118 

12. Nochi (Korean)

Here, you’ll find Korean cuisine reinterpreted with a modern sensibility and served on ceramics made by famous potters.  They recommend dishes like grilled nagyeopsal muchim (grilled beef topped with seasoned Korean leeks) and hong pyeonnyuk (spicy sliced pork belly with kimchi and seasoned bean sprouts) and desserts like Nochi hotteok (special Korean pancakes) and Nochi danpanmuk (special jellied red bean paste).  The interior is décorated to look something like a traditional Korean-style, but modern building techniques have been used.  The low prices are another merit of this restaurant.
- address: 653-10 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-515-6531

13. Proganjanggejang (Korean : Ganjang-gejang)

This restaurant’s delicious gejang (raw crab marinated in soy sauce) is made daily with fresh blue crabs brought in directly from Chungnam in Seosan and marinated for about 5 days.  In addition, their agwijjim (steamed blackmouth angler fish) is also popular.
- address: 27-1 Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu,Seoul
- phone: 02-543-4126  
- website: www.prosoycrab.com/

14. School Food (Korean)

This small, casual restaurant has a stylish atmosphere like a cafe and serves topokki (rice cakes in hot sauce), sundae (Korean-style blood sausages), and gimbap (seaweed rolls).  As the name suggests, they serve food that was popular among Koreans in their school days.
- address: 541-15 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-511-7127  
- website: www.schoolfood.co.kr/

15. Seomaene (Korean : Mandu)

This is a famous place to have Pyongyang-style dumplings.  The filling is bean sprouts and pork, giving the dumplings a neat taste.   In addition, they are well-known for their pork bossam (steamed pork wrapped in lettuce) and  tangpyeongchae, a Korean royal court cuisine made with mung bean starch jelly, mung bean sprouts, watercress, red pepper, and seaweed.
- address: 609-1 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-548-0090

16. Sinsa-myeonok (Korean : Hamheung Naengmyeon)

The specialty of this restaurant is hamheung naengmyeon, a spicy and rather sweet dish made with thin, hand-made noodles. But others are enthusiastic about the bibim naengmyeon, cold noodles in a spicy and sweet chili sauce. The dumplings and bulgogi (marinated thin-sliced beef) are also worth trying.
- address: 630-30 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-518-7228

17. Ttebujjang (Korean : Hangjeongsal) 

This restaurant is famous for oak-charcoal barbecue, and pork back neck is the most popular item on the menu.  The chewy texture and low price attract customers.  After a meal of meat, a bowl of refreshing noodles with kimchi is a nice way to finish.
- address: 644-21 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-514-8770

18. Urigangsan (Korean)

This restaurant offers Jeolla province-style baekban, a traditional Korean meal of rice, soup, and various side dishes.  The owner, who comes from Youngwang, Jeolla province, offers 25 different side dishes typical of Jeolla regional cooking.  The restaurant is frequented by local office workers as well as people who have heard of it by word of mouth, so it is always packed, particularly at lunch or dinnertime.
- address: 512-21 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-541-0773

19. Yeongdong Seolleongtang (Korean : Seolleongtang) 

This restaurant has been developing their expertise at cooking for 30 years.  Their best dish is seolleongtang, a milky-white soup made by slowly simmering oxtails and bones. The only other dish on the menu is suyuk (steamed meat). If you’re trying to eat less fat or are on a diet, you can order a lighter version of seolleongtang that contains less fat.
- address: 10-53 Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-543-4716

20. Yumyeonggug Yangpyeong Haejangguk (Korean : Seonji-haejangguk) 

This is restaurant is well-known among people who go out drinking because they include generous helpings of beef tripe, lungs, and coagulated ox blood in their spicy and refreshing haejangguk (soup of napa cabbage, congealed ox blood, and vegetables in a hearty beef broth).  The haejangguk comes with side dishes, like pickled cucumbers and kkakdugi (radish kimchi), which are also delicious.
- address: 13-3 Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
- phone: 02-511-6061