World cuisine in 샤로수길 (Sharosugil)
Sharosu-gil is a popular attraction loved by Seoul National University students. Many people have a good time on Sharosu-gil, and what cannot be left out here is a variety of restaurants. As a diversity ranger, I would like to introduce world cuisine restaurants that you can enjoy on Sharosu-gil.
1. Publico Taco (Mexican cuisine)
Publico Taco is a restaurant that sells Mexican dishes such as tacos, quesadilla, burritos bowls, nachos, and fries. When you enter the restaurant, Mexican-style skull paintings that remind you of the movie ‘Coco’ and ‘Day of the Dead’ welcome guests. Taco, a must-order menu at Publico Taco, is one of Mexico’s representative cuisine. Taco refers to wrapping various ingredients such as avocado, meat, etc in tortilla. Publico Taco has a total of five taco menus: Carne Asada, Carnitas, Chorizo, Chicken, and Shrimp Taco. Among them, the most famous menu is Carne Asada Taco. Containing grilled beef, salsa Verde, and guacamole, makes its appearance green. It is loved a lot because you can feel the natural taste of Mexico with an exotic visual.
Next, quesadilla is derived from the Spanish word queso, which means cheese. To make a quesadilla, you can put various ingredients in tortillas, then folded in half to form a half-moon shape. You can enjoy the rich flavor of cheese, including chicken, shrimp, and spinach and mushroom. Finally, burrito bowls are a food only with burrito ingredients. Burrito is a popular Mexican food made with beans and meat in tortillas. It is also famous for healthy food in Korea. There are avocado burritos for vegetarians as well as beef and pork, so it would be good for vegan people to visit! For those who want to enjoy Mexican food on Sharosu-gil, I strongly recommend Publico Taco!
Menu: shrimp tacos 10,000 won, other tacos 9,000 won
Chicken quesadilla 12,000 won, shrimp, spinach & mushroom quesadilla 13,000 won.
Burrito bowl, Avocado burrito bowl 15,000 won
2. Bun cha Hanoi (Vietnamese cuisine)
Bun Cha Hanoi’ is a Vietnamese restaurant loved by many SNU students. Bun cha Hanoi’s representative menus are bun cha, rice noodles, and banh mi. Unlike rice noodles, there are still many people who don’t know Bun Cha and Banh Mi. Bun cha is a food that dips rice noodles, charcoal-grilled pork, and vegetables together in a sweet and sour Nuoc Mam(Vietnamese traditional fish sauce). You may not be used to dipping pork in sauce, but once you eat it, it will be unforgettable. The refreshing sauce neutralizes the greasiness of pork and makes you want to keep it in your mouth. Banh mi is a Vietnamese baguette bread sandwich. It is a food made by the influx of French food culture during colonial era, and it contains all the charm of the East and West. At first glance, it looks similar to a French sandwich, but Banh mi contains pork, shrimp wonton, vegetables, and sauces such as soy sauce and Nuoc Mam inside the baguette bread. Banh mi is Vietnam’s representative street food, which is a great simple and delicious dish. Rice noodles here are also special, and the most popular menu is spicy gopchang rice noodles. Chewy gopchang and spicy soup make a perfect harmony, so many people love the menu. For those who want to enjoy delicious Vietnamese food at reasonable prices, I strongly recommend Bun Cha Hanoi!
Menu: Saigon baguette(Banh mi) 6,500 won
Bun cha Hanoi 14,000 won
Hanoi rice noodles 9,500 won
Spicy gopchang rice noodles 13,000 won
Crab meat shrimp fried rice 8,500 won
3. Seeat yangsik (Itailian & Korean Crossover)
The next is the Italian restaurant, “Seeat yangsik”. There are many Italian restaurants on Sharosu-gil. However, Seeat yangsik is a hidden restaurant that many students do not know. The atmosphere is cozy and the price is reasonable, so it is also a favorite restaurant for students who want to enjoy Italian food. Also, what’s special about the place is that you can enjoy a cross-over of Korean and Italian cuisine.
‘Spicy ttukbaegi pasta’ is one of the most popular menus in Seeat yangsik. Ttukbaegi is a traditional Korean bowl for soup. What is special about this place is that it puts pasta in the Ttukbaegi. Tomato based pasta is somewhat spicy, so you’d better try it with the chicken rice. ‘Salted octopus(nakjijeot) rose pasta’ is also a representative menu of Seeat yangsik. Salted octopus(nakjijeot) is a type of salted seafood and it refers to a traditional Korean food in which octopus is pickled in salt and seasoning. Salted octopus and rose pasta don’t seem to go well together. However, when you actually try it, the combination of salty taste of salted octopus and the savory taste of rose pasta is fantastic. It can be said to be a meeting of the East and the West. Also, don’t forget the chop steak and pizza! I recommend Seeat yangsik for those who want to enjoy a crossover of Korean and Italian food in a cozy restaurant.
Menu: Spicy ttukbaegi pot pasta (+ chicken rice) 13,000 won
Salted octopus rose pasta 10,000 won
omelet pilaf 9,000 won
Chop steak 14,000 won
Gorgonzola pizza 12,000 won
4. Tendon Yotsuya (Japanese cuisine)
Tendon Yotsuya is the most famous Japanese restaurant in Sharosu-gil. Sometimes you have to wait for more than an hour. However, it is a restaurant worth waiting for an hour. The main menu of Tendong Yotsuya is Tendong. Ten-dong means rice with various fries, which is a combination of “Tenppura,” a Japanese word for fried food, and “Dong,” a word for rice with toppings. There are various fries on Tendong; such as shrimp, sweet pumpkin, squid, eggplant, lotus root, pepper, conger eel, hot spring egg, seaweed, etc. You can see that small bowl is placed on top, covering fries. Since the fries are large, you should some of them on the small bowl and then try one by one. Another special feature is hot spring egg(onsen-tamago). The basic way to eat is to pop the egg on top of the rice and mix it. Fries are little bit greasy, so it’s important to eat it with soy sauce and wasabi. People from other countries also enjoy fried food, but Japanese are the only people who eats fried food with rice. Therefore, if you visit Tendon Yotsuya, you can enjoy a taste that you’ve never experienced. You can choose a variety of menus depending on the type of fried food that goes on the rice. If you want a simple and basic taste, you can choose the basic Tendon. If you want a luxurious table, you can choose the Special Tendon, which is covered with various fried foods. With Japanese highball, it will be the best Japanese dish ever. For those who want to try Japanese food other than ramen and sushi, you must visit Tendon Yotsuya!
Menu: Tendon Yotsuya 8,000 won
Special tendon 15,000 won Ebijo tendong 12,000 won
Tokujo tendong 13,000 won
Abalone Tendon 12,000 won
5. Jeju Sangheoi 제주상회 (Korean cuisine)
Jeju Sangheoi is a restaurant where you can eat traditional Jeju food. Since ancient times, Jeju Island has been away from the Korean Peninsula, so it has developed a unique food culture. The must-try menu at the Jeju Sangheoi is ‘meat noodles’. Meat noodles are literally noodles with ‘bossam’ meat in beef bone soup. The meat on top of the noodles is called Dombe meat. Dombe means a cutting board in Jeju dialect. Therefore, Dombe meat means slicing lightly steamed pork on a cutting board, making it easy to eat. Dombe meat is really soft and light that it is not greasy at all, even if you eat it with beef bone soup. ‘Moum soup’ is a traditional Jeju cuisine that boils Jeju’s seaweed “mojaban” with beef bone soup. Since Jeju is an island, seafood dishes are famous in Jeju. Moum soup is also one of them. It is delicious soup which you can taste both the freshness of seafood and the savory taste of beef bone soup. In addition, spicy noodles with Dombe meat and Jeju-style glutinous rice sundae are also famous menus in Jeju Sangheoi. Actually, I tried meat noodles in Jeju Island. In my opinion, the meat noodles of Jeju Sangheoi is the best meat noodle I’ve ever tried. Come to the Jeju Sangheoi and taste Jeju Island!
Menu: Meat noodles, 8,500 won
Meat gukbap (Korean traditional soup and rice) 8,500 won
Spicy noodles with dombe meat 8,500 won
Dombe meat 25,000 won
Moum soup 8,000 won
Jeju sticky rice sundae 13,000 won
6. OTSAL (Indian Cuisine)
‘Otsal’ is an authentic Indian restaurant. Otsal is the name of the god of wealth in North India, and it has the meaning of “to make hungry people full.” Employees are also wearing traditional Indian clothes, so you feel like you’re really in India. Otsal has various menus. You can enjoy tandoori special menus such as tandoori chicken, tandoori shrimp, and tandoori nan, as well as various curry specials such as lamb corma, seafood vindaloo, parakpanir, seafood curry pizza, seafood curry pasta, and Indian rice.
Tandoori is a word derived from Tandoor, a word for anger, and refers to a dish cooked in Tandoor. Tandoor is used as an oven or grill in India and it cooks food with indirect heat. The representative menu here is tandoori chicken. There are also various curries from lamb curry to seafood curry. There are even curry pizza and pasta! Besides tandoori and curry, there is something you shouldn’t miss. It’s lassi. Lassi is a traditional Indian drink made with yogurt extract and fruit. It is good for health and beautiful skin, so women often like it. If you want to fully enjoy Indian dishes, you have to drink fresh lassi after you eat main dishes. Like this, Otsal is a restaurant where you can enjoy the scent of India. I strongly recommend Otsal for those who want to experience “real” Indian cuisine.
Menu: Tandoori chicken (1 chicken) 19,000 won
Butter Chicken Curry 11,000 won
tandoori king prawns(5ea) 27,000 won
Rachaparata 3,500 won
Lassi 4,000 won
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As the COVID-19 vaccination rate is increasing and the restrictions are being lifted, I strongly recommend you to enjoy many restaurants in Sharosu-gil while you’re in SNU! Also, please leave your favorite restaurant on the comment section down below!