Restaurant Allen

Is Restaurant Allen Worth Booking in Seoul?

Yes — if you can get a table. Restaurant Allen holds two Michelin stars as of both 2024 and 2025, earned La Liste recognition at 85 points in 2025 and 86 points in 2026, took the Star Wine List #1 ranking two consecutive years running. That combination of culinary and wine credentials in a single address is rare in Gangnam, the restaurant justifies the ₩₩₩₩ price tag for diners who treat wine as seriously as food. If you are coming only for the kitchen and find wine lists irrelevant to your decision, you should still book — but the full value is unlocked when you let Wine Director Soohyeon Heo guide the pairing.

What Restaurant Allen Actually Is

Chef and owner Allen Suh runs a contemporary, seasonal restaurant on the second floor of a building on Teheran-ro in Gangnam-gu, one of Seoul's densest concentrations of fine dining. The format bridges two modes that rarely coexist this comfortably: a proper Michelin-level tasting experience alongside a snacks-and-wine register that functions more like a high-end wine bar. That dual identity is not a compromise. It is what makes Allen different from neighbours like Jungsik or Eatanic Garden, where the format is strictly one thing.

The cuisine is classified as regional and seasonal contemporary. Lunch and dinner service are both available, which gives you more scheduling flexibility than many comparably decorated addresses in the city. The kitchen works within a ₩₩₩₩ price bracket for food, that places a typical two-course meal at ₩66,000 or above before drinks.

The wine list deserves direct attention. With 425 selections and an inventory of 1,400 bottles, it is one of the more substantial cellars you will find at a restaurant of this size in Seoul. Strengths are concentrated in France, specifically Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, plus Italy and California. Pricing sits at the $$$ tier, meaning a meaningful number of bottles exceed ₩100,000 (roughly $100 USD equivalent at list pricing). The corkage fee is set at $110, which positions bringing your own wine as a serious calculation rather than a casual option. If you are planning a celebratory bottle from your own cellar, factor that in. If you are relying on the restaurant's list, the depth is there to support a long evening.

The Private Dining and Group Experience

Restaurant Allen's positioning as a venue that handles both business deal-making and social dining deliberately is relevant if you are considering it for a group or a private occasion. The Star Wine List recognition specifically calls out its ability to serve both registers, friendship and business, without the room feeling calibrated exclusively for one. That said, specific private dining room details, seat counts, group booking terms are not published in available data. If a private room is a deciding factor for your booking, contact the restaurant directly before committing. What the awards record suggests is a front-of-house operation, General Manager Kihyun Kim, experienced enough to manage refined group occasions without friction.

If you have visited once and sat in the main room, a return visit built around the wine-focused snacks format rather than a full tasting progression is worth considering. It is a different pace at the same address, the 425-bottle list gives Soohyeon Heo enough material to construct a genuinely varied flight across an evening. For a comparable wine-led group experience elsewhere in Seoul, Solbam and Exquisine are worth evaluating, but neither carries the same dual Star Wine List and Michelin combination.

Booking Reality

Pearl rates availability here as Near Impossible. Plan well in advance, several weeks at minimum, potentially longer for weekend dinners or special occasions. If your dates are fixed, treat Restaurant Allen as the first booking you make, not the last.

For context on how booking difficulty compares across Seoul's fine dining tier, Goryori Ken and Kwon Sook Soo operate in the same difficulty range. If Allen is fully booked during your window, those are reasonable alternatives to consider alongside the venues in our full Seoul restaurants guide.

Know Before You Go

• Address: E205 E. 2F, 231 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• Price (food): ₩₩₩₩, typical two-course meal ₩66,000+
• Price (wine): $$$, many bottles above ₩100,000; corkage ₩110 USD equivalent
• Wine list size: 425 selections, 1,400 bottles in inventory
• Wine strengths: France (Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux), Italy, California
• Service: Lunch and dinner
• Awards: Michelin 2 Stars (2024, 2025); Star Wine List #1 (2025, 2026); La Liste 85pts (2025), 86pts (2026)
• Booking difficulty: Near Impossible, book as far in advance as possible
• Chef: Allen Suh (owner); Wine Director: Soohyeon Heo; GM: Kihyun Kim

Pearl Picks Nearby

If you are building a Seoul itinerary around a meal here, our Seoul hotels guide, Seoul bars guide, and Seoul experiences guide cover the supporting cast. For wine-focused dining beyond Seoul, Mori in Busan is worth noting. For international contemporaries operating at a similar pitch, contemporary tasting menus with serious wine programs, César in New York City and Alo in Toronto offer useful benchmarks on what this format looks like at its finest in other cities. Within Korea, Double T Dining in Gangneung and Market Café in Incheon round out the regional picture. Further afield in the country, Baegyangsa Temple in Jangseong-gun and The Flying Hog in Seogwipo represent very different registers of Korean dining worth knowing about. See our Seoul wineries guide if wine touring is part of your trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Restaurant Allen worth the price?

Yes, on balance. Two Michelin stars held across two consecutive cycles, a Star Wine List #1 ranking twice over, La Liste scores that increased year-on-year signal consistent quality at the ₩₩₩₩ tier. The food pricing alone (₩66,000+ for a two-course baseline) is in line with what two-star dining commands across comparable Asian cities. Add the wine program and the full cost rises meaningfully, but you are paying for one of Seoul's most decorated food-and-wine pairings under one roof. If price is the primary concern and Michelin two-star credentials are not a deciding factor for you, L'Amitié at ₩₩₩ offers a more accessible entry point.

Is the tasting menu worth it at Restaurant Allen?

The two-star Michelin recognition and La Liste standing confirm the kitchen is operating at a level that justifies a tasting format. Allen Suh's regional and seasonal approach means the menu shifts with the calendar, which rewards repeat visits and makes a return booking through different seasons a reasonable plan rather than a repetitive one. The dual format, snacks-and-wine alongside full tasting, means if you have already done the full progression, a shorter wine-led visit is a credible next step rather than a lesser experience.

What should I order at Restaurant Allen?

Specific dishes are not published in available data, menu items change seasonally. What the record does support: the kitchen is classified as regional and seasonal contemporary, so the menu tracks what is leading in a given period. Trust the format, a tasting progression here is designed to show the kitchen's range. On the wine side, let Soohyeon Heo steer. With 425 selections skewed toward Burgundy, Champagne, Bordeaux, a sommelier-led pairing is the strongest use of the cellar.

What should I wear to Restaurant Allen?

No dress code is published, but the combination of two Michelin stars, ₩₩₩₩ pricing, a Gangnam address operating in Seoul's leading fine dining tier points clearly toward smart dress as a baseline. Business-casual to formal is the safe range. This is not a room where casual wear fits the register of the experience or the price point.

Can I eat at the bar at Restaurant Allen?

Restaurant Allen's format explicitly includes a snacks-and-wine mode alongside the full dining experience, which suggests a less formal seating option exists. The Star Wine List recognition notes this specifically. Whether that translates to counter or bar seating with walk-in availability is not confirmed in current data, contact the restaurant directly if that format is what you want. Given the Near Impossible booking difficulty, do not assume any configuration is available without a reservation.