You must agree that much of the tourism to Korea is a result of Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, making waves in other countries. A large and highly influential part of Hallyu is K-Pop and the mega sensation BTS. This weekend, my friend and I spent a day in Gangnam visiting a few BTS-centered attractions. Here are a few!
1. 유정 식당 (Yoojung Sikdang): 서울 강남구 도산대로28길 14
– BTS’s favorite restaurant when they were trainees
Only a 5-minute walk from the bus stop, this restaurant was our quick and easy lunch stop. The colorful BTS posters and pictures taped onto the glass windows will immediately catch your eye; there is no way you will miss this restaurant. The BTS decorations continued inside of the restaurant. Every corner of the walls, floor to ceiling, was covered in official album posters, tour banners, cupsleeve event decorations, signed pieces of paper, photocards, and even posters signed by BTS themselves! There were even decorations on the ceiling.
The owners were extremely friendly and the food was delicious! If you’re worried about ordering in Korean, no worries! The workers here spoke fluent English and I even overheard one of them speaking in Japanese. When we first sat down, an employee asked if we were ARMY and gave us photos of our favorite members. He was super sweet and kept coming back to our table to deliver new pictures.
It was our first meal of the day so although the pork belly looked amazing, we chose to order bibimbap and soft tofu soup as it wouldn’t be as heavy. The bibimbap was extremely flavorful and had the perfect balance of spicy while not being TOO spicy. The soft tofu stew was very hearty, I can see why BTS enjoyed coming here!
2. Old BigHit Building: 서울특별시 강남구 논현동 10-31번지 청구빌딩
This stop was one of my favorite places I’ve been to in Korea so far. It was so surreal seeing the building BTS started in and comparing it to the giant HYBE building they are in now. We probably spent 30 minutes or so standing around the building, reading all of the notes and letters fans wrote for the members, and taking pictures. It was crazy seeing how many fans from all around the world came to Korea because of BTS and how the group’s music has impacted so many people. If you are an ARMY, the old BigHit building is definitely a must-go location for your trip to Seoul. Please keep in mind that the building is currently in use as an office so be respectful of the people who work there!
3. Hyuga Cafe: 서울특별시 강남구 논현로119길 16 우성빌리지 뒷담길(유나이티드제약사인근)
– BTS’s old dorm turned into a cafe
We wrapped up our BTS tour in Gangnam by going to Hyuga Cafe, the building that used to be one of BTS’s dorms turned into a cafe. The overall aesthetic of the cafe was super nice and relaxing. There was a garden area outside but unfortunately, it wasn’t open when we went due to the rain. We got a few pastries but weren’t able to try the salt bread because it was sold out. My favorite was the chocolate croissant! The entire croissant was coated in semi-sweet chocolate, which is the superior chocolate in my opinion.
They had an entire wall in the main dining area dedicated to post-it notes and gifts for BTS. It was really beautiful to see how colorful the wall was and, similar to the BigHit building, how big of an impact BTS’s music has made on people’s lives.
Each member’s room was also turned into dining areas for cafe visitors with posters and pictures of each member depending on whose room it used to be. I really enjoyed it here! The vibes of the cafe were great and the drinks/food that we got were also very delicious. I would highly recommend it and I’ll definitely be back to try the salt bread!
