seoul travel

47 Avenue Tea House at Insadong

Insadong is a cultural district that gives off a very rustic and old-school vibe. Located within the Jogno-gu district, it is popular among tourists as it is a walking distance to other tourist attractions such as Cheonggyecheon Stream and Gyeongbokgung Palace. In fact, you can head over to Insadong first to rent a set of hanbok so that you can role-play as court lady back in Joseon Dynasty as you tour around the compound of the palace. You also earn a free entry to any of the palaces if you wear hanbok. After you’re done visiting the palace and head back to return the hanbok, you can continue to explore Insadong.

The traditional ambience makes it good for an afternoon stroll. On weekend, the main street is closed from traffic (2pm to 10pm on Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sunday). The main street is Insadong-gil, which is connected to twisting alleys on both side, so don’t forget to explore those alleys too! Within these narrow alleys are hanbok galleries, traditional restaurants, tea houses, and cafes. Insadong is also a great place to do all your traditional souvenir shopping – metal chopsticks, magnets, hanbok, colourful table cloth and brightly coloured korean gift bag!

To take a break and rest from all the walking, I recommend 47 Avenue Tea House.

47 avenue tea house insadong hanok teahouse

It is located at the alley on the right, a few minutes walk away from Exit 6 of Anguk Station. Look out for its stand at one of the junction- you won’t miss it!

47 avenue tea house insadong hanok teahouse

walking into the tea house, you will feel like you have been transported back to the past as the tea house is located in a hanok (korean traditional house). It has traditional, rustic background and lush greenery, which let you up your Instagram game 😉

The serenity of the place definitely makes it a good place to sit back, relax and enjoy an afternoon snack.

47 Avenue Tea House in Insadong (Hanok teahouse)

Sneak peek of tea and snacks available

Customers have the choice to for modern setting of chairs and table or traditional setting of sitting on the floor. As the floor was heated and it was a cold winter, we opted to sit on the floor. It was soooooo warm. And also because it seems apt to enjoy traditional tea in a hanok whilst seating on the floor.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

The interior is really pretty, isn’t it?

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Even the toilet is pretty with dressing table!

I was taken aback not just by the interior design and deco of the tea house, but by this row of huge glass jars too! The tea served here are homemade and prepared in-house at the tea house itself.

47 Avenue Tea House in Insadong (Hanok teahouse)

47 Avenue Tea House in Insadong (Hanok teahouse)
Once we got our table, we were ready to order. Lets take a look at the menu!

We had 1 of set meal 1 as we wanted to try yakgwa, Korean traditional honey cookie. We also ordered 2 additional glasses of tea and the rice cake.

47 Avenue Tea House in Insadong (Hanok teahouse)

The drinks for the set meal were served in a really huge cup! And the 2 additional teas were served in a bowl.

47 Avenue Tea House in Insadong (Hanok teahouse)

The cup is almost as big as my face!

We also heard the traditional tea served have health benefit. The warm tea also feels so good on a cold, winter.

47 Avenue Tea House in Insadong (Hanok teahouse)

My family took our time with the snack, laze around looking out of the window and just taking in the tranquility and enjoying the moment 🙂

The 47 Avenue traditional tea house is definitely a cosy place for a short respite and I recommend to anyone visiting Insadong to try this experience.

5 Halal restaurants in Seoul, Korea

Here’s a list of the Halal/ Muslim-friendly restaurants in Seoul for our recent trip to South Korea.

1. EID – 이드 Halal Korean Food (IG)

2. Makan (IG)

3. Yang Good Halal BBQ (IG)

4. Busan Jib (IG)

5. Grilled Fish Alley at Dongdaemun

There are plenty of Halal restaurants at Itaewon, but the one went to are Eid and Makan restaurant both are the more popular ones and run by locals that we had to give it a try!

1. Eid Restaurant

IMG_20171203_193633.jpg

Address: 67, Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Contact: +82 070 8899 8210
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11.30 am – 9.00 pm (Close on Moday)
Directions
How to get to Eid Restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul:

direction to eid restaurant seoul korea

Direction to Eid Restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul (Korea)

Exit 3 of Itaewon station. Continue to walk straight as you step out of the exit and turn right at the first junction. Then, turn left at the third alley/ road.

It is about 15 min walk and uphill for most parts. It might not be convenient to have it every day, especially with luggage or with elderly.

Menu:
When we arrived for dinner, there were limited items on the menu. Only 4 dishes displayed on the ipad, but nonetheless, the meals were delicous!

Tips: Make reservation, especially if you will be arriving at lunch or dinner time as the space is quite small.

IMG_20171203_192304.jpg

and especially during winter as you would want to wait outside in the cold night, like we did.

IMG_20171203_191238.jpg

2. Makan Restaurant Korean Halal Food

IMG-20171211-WA0113.jpg

Address: 52, Usadan-ro 10 gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea 140-911
Contact: +82 2-6012-2231
Opening Hours: Mon, Wednesday to Sunday: 10.30 am to 10 pm (Close on Tuesday)
Directions
Similar to Eid Restaurant, it is about 10 to 15 min walk from Exit 3 of Itaewon station.

Direction to Makan Restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul (Korea)

Direction to Makan Restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul (Korea)

IMG_20171204_133021.jpgIMG_20171204_133014.jpg

Menu

IMG_20171204_122931IMG_20171204_123027IMG_20171204_123034

IMG_20171204_122924

Menu for Makan Restaurant Korean Halal Food

They also have a new outlet around the area too.
Details below:
Makan 2: 1Floor C-Dong 39,Usadan-ro 10 gil, Youngsan-gu ,Seoul,Korea
Tel: +82 2 6406 2231

Tips: Make reservation, especially if you will be arriving at lunch or dinner time as the space is quite small.

3. Yang Good Halal BBQ

SAM_8491.JPG

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

The only halal Korean bbq in Seoul

Address: Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeon-ro, 95 gil, 15
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday: 4.00 pm to 12.00 am (Closed on Sunday)
Directions:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb6u7Dth1RS/?taken-by=yanggood

Detailed instruction on how to get there can be found here: Cafe Naver: Yang Good.

Menu
SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

4. Busan Jib

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESSAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Address: 11-4, 8 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-guSeoul, South Korea
Contact: +82 2-777-8660
Opening Hours: 10.00 am to 10.30 pm daily
Directions

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Exit 6 or 7 of Myeongdong Station. With Uniqlo on your right and Nature Republic on your left, walk straight ahead. It is about 3 to 5 min walk. Walk closer to the buildings on the right. You will walk past F21 and Zara. Keep walking straight until you see Apple Frisbee Shop. Turn right into the alley just before the Apple Frisbee shop. The alley is also opposite ABC mart.

direction to busan jib in myeongdong

Direction to Busan Jib from Myeongdong Station

Menu

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESSAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURESSAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

5. Grilled Fish Alley

This grilled fish alley is at Dongdaemun Market area.

Directions: Walk straight from exit 8 of Dongdaemun Station. Walk straight ahead with JW Marriot Hotel on your right and the stream on your left. Keep walking straight and then turn right into the market area. Turn left at the first alley.

 

 

how to get to Grilled Fish Alley in Dongdaemun

How to get to Grilled Fish Alley in Dongdaemun

how to get to Grilled Fish Alley in Dongdaemun

turn into the alley opposite this building

how to get to Grilled Fish Alley in Dongdaemun

Start of grilled fish alley

We went to the first shop on the left.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

And here’s the menu and the dishes we had.

Restaurant and Grilled Fish Alley in Dongdaemun

Restaurant and Grilled Fish Alley in Dongdaemun