Hidden Gems In The Hip Hannam District In Seoul

Hannam district, or Hannam-dong, has quickly become a hot spot hangout for the locals looking for intricately well designed restaurants and cafes alongside some artistic and musical venues to inspire. The neighborhood near Itaewon can be enjoyed from morning until night and should be.

The district has always had airs of international inspirations what with the roads lined with embassies, but with the influx of music performance spaces along with the ever popular art museums in the area and now surrounded by chic cafes and local design and lifestyle shops, this is a classy hip place to hang out a bit different from the younger boozy streets of Itaewon just up the road and a bit more low key than the flashy Cheongdam District across the river.

There are plenty of hidden spots to find in this district in central Seoul, Korea. Here are some that you should go seeking for inspiration and fun.

• Where To Stay
• What To Do
  • Leeum Samsung Museum Of Art (리움미술관)
  • PACE Gallery (페이스갤러리)
  • Golden Piece (골든피스)
  • Hyundai Card’s: The Music Library + Understage
  • Royyal Dog Mural
  • Blue Square (블루스퀘어)
• Cafes To Visit
  • Anthracite (앤트러사이트 한남점)
  • OSULLOC Tea House (오설록티하우스 한남점)
  • Passion 5 (패션5)
• Where To Eat
  • LTP Hannam (LTP 한남)
  • Downtowner (다운타우너 한남)
  • Jackson Blvd (잭슨피자 한남점)
  • Chakra (챠크라 한남점)
  • La Ferme (라페름)
  • Soseoul Hannam (소설한남)

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Where To Stay

Hannam-dong and the nearby Itaewon district make a great area to stay in if you want to have a lot of foreign food options nearby. It’s also pretty central so if you’re planning on splitting your time between Gangnam and Apgujeong and the historic areas in Jongno-gu like Bukchon Hanok Village and the palaces, it’s a great option.

Grand Hyatt

Imperial Palace Boutique

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What To Do

From smart design inside and outside of buildings to fun neon signs and more, here is where to go to make the most of a day in the Hannam District of Seoul if you reach it via Hangangjin Subway Station. Don’t forget to look up while you walk because numerous buildings in the area really have some beautiful design techniques you’ll only notice gazing up while you walk. 

Fun Fact: Hannam-dong got its name from the area’s proximity to the Han River and Namsan Tower.

Leeum Samsung Museum Of Art (리움미술관)

This museum tucked away up an alley in Hannam-dong has been open since 2004 and provides traditional Korean art collections as well as international modern and contemporary art showcases as well. The museum also features a child education and culture center so it’s a stop for solo visionaries, families and wandering couples too. One of the highlights of the museum is a spiral staircase with Choi Jeong-Hwa’s Alchemy hanging from the ceiling above the fourth floor all the way down to the lobby on the first floor.

The museum is comprised of three buildings and can provide hours of inspiration. This is one of the most popular museums in the area and should not be missed! The Leeum Samsung Museum of Art is a beautiful architectural spot in Hannam-dong and there are others around the city to check out. If you like interesting architecture, here are some more cool architectural spots to see in Seoul.

• Address: 60-16 Itaewon-ro 55-gil, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울시 용산구 이태원로 55길 60-16)
• Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm

PACE Gallery (페이스갤러리)

PACE is an international art gallery that focuses on contemporary artists both local and international. Since its founding by Arne Glimcher in 1960, Pace has developed a distinguished legacy as an artist-first gallery that mounts seminal historical and contemporary exhibitions. Today, Pace has eight locations worldwide including this location in Hannam-dong Seoul.

• Address: 267 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이태원로 267)
• Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 6:00pm

Golden Piece (골든피스)

Stop into Golden Piece, a chic and upscale vendor of yakgwa, a traditional Korean dessert. Yakgwa (약과), a deep-fried, wheat based Korean confectionary made with honey, cheonju, sesame oil, and ginger juice, traditionally seen during jesa and other festive periods in Korea has seen huge popularity, both the traditional version and new snack style options that have been released on trend. Having become extremely popular thanks to the Halmennial Trend in Korea, you can only get some of their yakgwa, if you reserve in advance.

• Address: 25 Hannam-daero, 27-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울시 용산구 한남대로 27길 25)
• Hours: Every day: 12:00pm ~ 6:00pm

Hyundai Card’s: The Music Library + Understage

The architecture of this building screams to pedestrians to see what the heck is going on. The structure has a HUGE mural and the mural continues up to a container box ceiling. There’s a huge empty space in the center to look out over the Hannam-dong district and then the other side is Hyundai Card’s Music Library and Understage.

This library contains over 10,000 records, 3,000 books and every issue of Rolling Stone magazine ever published since 1967. From controversial records to rarities and new releases, this library literally has it all. Members of the public are welcome to step inside the unique building and listen until their ears and hearts are content.

• Address: 246 Itaewon-ro, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울시 용산구 이태원로 246)

Royyal Dog Mural

Royyal Dog whose real name is Changyang Shim is a Korean street artist who works all around Seoul as well as cities abroad. He often paints foreigners in Hanboks showcasing a beautiful appreciation of multiculturalism. There is one in the Hannam-dong area and is easy to find if you’re looking down the right alley. Don’t miss it!

• Address: 25 Daesagwan-ro 31-gil (대사관로31길 25)

Blue Square (블루스퀘어)

If you’re looking for a little inspiration that you can take home with you, stop into Blue Square’s beautiful book store called Book Park. Book Park is a bookstore, coffee shop, and art gallery on the fourth floor. There are areas to sit down and read, and a children’s zone with kid friendly chairs too. Blue Square is a culture complex built by the Interpark Group and features a musical theater that seats 1, 766 people as well as a concert hall that seats 1,373. If you’re looking for a show or musical, definitely come here and see what’s on.

• Address: 294 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 294 (한남동))
• Hours: 10:00am ~ 11:00pm

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Cafes To Visit

Anthracite (앤트러사이트 한남점)

This small roastery cafe goes full throttle into the industrial exposed cement aesthetic. Downstairs, customers place their order and can look through the glass walls into the back to see the roastery in action with a Probat and Gothot roaster emitting all kinds of smells and clouds. Upstairs, an open space with a high ceiling and large clear windows letting tons of light in to a space where chairs and tables surround an indoor green garden.

Definitely visit the cafe and then visit each floor below for inspiration for a minimal lifestyle. Anthracite Coffee has a number of cafes in Seoul that are each unique. Definitely try to visit all of the Anthracite cafes if you have the time.

• Address: 738-20 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울시 용산구 이태원로 738-20)
• Hours: Weekdays: 9:00am ~ 11:00pm; Weekend: 10:00am ~ 11:00pm

OSULLOC Tea House (오설록티하우스 한남점)

If you visit PACE Gallery mentioned above, then don’t miss a stop in the especially interesting and beautiful OSULLOC Tea House. OSULLOC is the representative Korean tea brand specializing in green tea and their cafes are beautiful. This particular cafe is decorated with black lava rock walls making nis especially chic.

• Address: 267 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이태원로 267)
• Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am ~ 10:00pm

Passion 5 (패션5)

This building looks big and dark as you walk by so if you’re not sure if you should go in, take this as a sign that you should. Inside you’ll find a cafe that is really more of a high end pâtissier. There are high-quality cakes, bread, and good coffee.

• Address: 272 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이태원로 272)
• Hours: Every day: 7:30am ~ 10:00pm

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Where To Eat

Hannam-dong is a great place to meet friends and have lunch or dinner. There are a ton of restaurants to choose from that specialize is more western style eats and treats. Get ready to eat eat eat!

LTP Hannam (LTP 한남)

Looking for the perfect brunch spot? This is absolutely it! OMG this was amazingly delicious. Make sure you get the brunch set because it is so worth it. You could also go later in the day and I’m sure their other food is just as divine, but this brunch set was soooo good.

• Address: 7 Itaewon-ro 45-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이태원로45길 7)
• Hours: Every day: 11:00am ~ 9:00pm

Downtowner (다운타우너 한남)

This straight up no fuss no muss eat your burger and like it joint knows how to serve up fresh high quality meat on buns. While the interior of the restaurant has been given a modern industrial aesthetic with a 90s style neon sign, it isn’t overdone or too in your face cool.

Downtowner’s avocado burger is the star of the menu and deservedly so. It’s mighty delicious. Check it out, but get their early to avoid the lines. FYI, if you don’t want to wait in person, you can also order Downtowner hamburgers via Shuttle and eat them right at home.

• Address: 683-63 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울시 용산구 이태원로 683-63)
• Hours: Every day: 11:30am ~ 9:30pm

Jackson Blvd (잭슨피자 한남점)

Jackson Blvd would best be summed up by the neon sign that hangs inside reading “people disappoint, pizza is eternal”. They serve up substantial salads with delicious dressings, regular crusted pizzas with just the right mix of toppings and deep dish pizzas too.

Craft beer combined with some pretty can’t be beat prices on pies means this place should be everyone’s lunch or dinner stop if you’re looking for a slice of heaven in Hannam-dong.

• Address: 46 Dokseodang-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 독서당로 46)
• Hours: Every day: 11:00am ~ 10:00pm

Chakra (챠크라 한남점)

This authentic Indian restaurant is just steps from the Indian Embassy in Seoul. Customers can find not only North Indian cuisine like most Indian restaurants in the city, but they can also find South indian dishes too. Get your Indian fix here for sure.

• Address: 83 Dokseodang-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 독서당로 83)
• Hours: Every day: 12:00pm ~ 9:00pm (Break time: 3:00pm ~ 5:00pm)

La Ferme (라페름)

The spot I’ve gone for lunch the past three or four times I’ve been in the Hannam area now. La Ferme is healthy and so delicious and filling. It’s the perfect spot for a bite to eat surrounded with plants and rustic accents for a very homey and cozy vibe. The dishes are high in healthy eats and packed with goodness. 

• Address: 32 Itaewon-ro 54-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 이태원로54길 32)
• Hours: Every day: 11:30am ~ 8:30pm (Break time: 3:00pm ~ 4:00pm)

Soseoul Hannam (소설한남)

Soseoul is a contemporary Korean restaurant that serves dishes made with local ingredients. The interior is simple and modern and the minimalist interior means the dishes really stand out when they are served.

• Address: 21-18 Hannam-daero 20-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (서울 용산구 한남대로20길 21-18)
• Hours: Tuesday – Sunday: 12:00pm ~ 10:00pm (Break time: 3:00pm ~ 6:00pm)

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