Walking Seoul. October 2024. Hannam and Itaewon. A "gastrowalk".
Tarts, coffee, socks, mosque, sun, river, falafel, beer - Seoul...
The suburbs of Hannam and Itaewon belong to the same district, Yongsan-gu, which is located near downtown Seoul between Mapo-gu and Seocho-gu. Same district, but these two neighborhoods or “dong” in Korean are very different. Hannam is sometimes called the Beverley Hills of Seoul due to the abundance of luxury real estate and celebrities residing around whereas Itaewon, the former base of the US 2nd infantry division (until 2018), is the most ethnically diverse area in Seoul where exotic bars and western-style restaurants go by their businesses not far from Seoul Central Mosque.
Since both locations are next to each other, I decided to walk both starting at Hannam.
HANNAM.
Getting there. Hanganjin metro station (closer to Itaewon), or Hannam station (near the Hang River).
Embassies, Leeum Museum of Art, international food, expensive housing offering views of Hang River. I came here in the early morning to wander around while the crowds which would frequent the area or reside in are probably still sleeping. I did not follow any particular route, but one can just walk from Hanganjin station towards Hannam station ending at the riverbank while on the way dropping into one of those coffee shops I mentioned below.
First of all, as I was craving for some good coffee and Aussie style breakfast, I dropped into Summer Lane Cafe (opens 7.30 am!).
Yes, smashed avocado on rye bread with salmon and poached egg (so-so) and coffee (which was GREAT).
Then wandering sunlit streets, still nearly empty at 9 am. Predictable… French wines and German beers on offer.
Churches, whisky and bakeries.
As I live in Japan and have no easy access to a proper bread, I always step into a few bakeries whenever I am overseas and if I suspect they are good. One such place is Tartine Bakery in Hannam. Born in US, this chain now has branches in San-Francisco, LA and..,Seoul. If you look at the picture closely, you can notice that on the right side there is a craft beer pub, nice combination.
I have actually contacted the owners in US with a request to open an outlet in Tokyo or better in Yokohama, as it is closer to me. I am sure they would succeed here.
If you feel like something sweet, I recommend banana cream tart, richly delicious.
The bakery is very close to Hannam metro station, near Hang River. It is only 10 am, so I allow myself to buy a tart.
Next, I am walking towards the Embassy of Slovenia, there is a nice small park nearby with a bench facing the river. After a short break I am heading to central Hannam on the way passing Peer Coffee Bar. Chit chat with barista. The young man speaks good English, and he studied his coffee craft in Melbourne.
“Well, let me test and taste your skills.”
“A table (rather a bench) outside has a view of Namsan…”
“Why not!”.
After the Peer I walk towards my next destination, the suburb of Itaewon.
Residential complex UN Village is on the way. I read that some local “celebrities” live here. Wow, if I had that money, I would live somewhere closer to the sea, but guess they need to be in Seoul.
More interesting though is this “museum”. I regret now I did not check if it was just a great marketing idea for a shop name.
ITAEWON.
When I first visited Seoul in 2005, I remember this area as a place where I could custom order or buy good leather jackets, comfy socks and visit a plethora of bars filled with GI and foreign tourists while still being able to enjoy street food inside plastic-covered “booth diners” (locals call it “pocha”). Plastic was used to protect from wind, rain and preserve heat in winter. At that time, many Seoul residents avoided Itaewon as it had seedy reputation.
The game has changed a lot since. Itaewon still has its strong “foreign” touch, but it is more stylish and gentrified.
I am walking in the direction of Seoul Central Mosque (Seoul Masjid), nearby is Usadan-ro, the Islamic enclave in Seoul where you can find many halal restaurants.
Interestingly, on the way I walked through a very large and totally dead suburb. I think there is going to be one huge development here. I will try to visit next year, very curious what is it going to be as the “dead zone” is gigantic.
It felt a bit weird, so I was relieved to see the signs of life near the Mosque.
And good smells from eateries.
Main street here, Itaewon-ro, reminds me Sukhumvit of Bangkok a bit.
Decorations with flowers is something new. Maybe they have been here for a while, but I have not visited Itaewon for a few years.
Now I could see a lot more of Turkish restaurants near the Hamilton Hotel where I used to stay a few times. I bought ayran and falafel roll in one of them before wandering to side streets. They have not changed much - same low-key drink and eat places.
Interestingly, these kinds of rustic places are located on the left side of Itaewon-ro (if you are heading from Itaewon station towards Noksapyeong station). More upmarket ones are on the opposite right side, on a small elevation.
Oh, yes, and the socks vendors are still here!
Well, it is over 4 pm. I am having a great day. So, it is time to enhance the greatness somewhere with a schooner.
Chillhops Pub is very close to Noksapyeong metro station.
The best choice was Hazy IPA!
Had a good chat with expats from US at the next table. All in all, great place.
It looked like at 7 pm Itaewon was just warming up for a busy Saturday night.
For me I am heading back to my hotel, as it has been a long day, and I usually sleep at 10.
It was one of those great wandering days remembering the past, embracing the now and new and thinking of the future.
Some more Seoul “stories”.