Restaurant in Seoul, South Korea
Eight seats, seasonal focus, worth booking.
A Michelin-starred eight-seat counter in Gangnam where Chef Kim Geon builds seasonal contemporary menus in full view of every guest. La Liste-recognised at 79 points in both 2025 and 2026, Goryori Ken delivers serious cooking in a deliberately unassuming room. One of Seoul's harder bookings — and worth the effort, particularly for solo diners and second visits.
Book Goryori Ken if you want a Michelin-starred counter experience in Seoul that feels nothing like a formal tasting room. Chef Kim Geon's eight-seat bar in Gangnam delivers seasonal contemporary cooking at a price point that sits well below what comparable counter restaurants charge in Tokyo or Hong Kong. The format — watching a single chef work through highly seasonal ingredients at close range — rewards repeat visits more than first-timer restaurant tourism. If you have been once, come back for what is on the counter now, not the dish you remember.
Goryori Ken occupies a second-floor space on Eonju-ro 152-gil in Gangnam, with the kind of unassuming exterior that makes first-timers double-check the address. That quiet approach to presentation carries through to the room itself: a main counter seating eight, a format that removes any separation between kitchen and guest. There are no dividing walls, no plating pass, no brigade to translate between chef and table. What Kim Geon is working on, you are watching in real time.
The cooking sits in contemporary territory without committing to a single national tradition. Kim sources highly seasonal produce and lets availability shape the menu direction rather than the reverse. That is not an unusual claim for a restaurant of this calibre , but the La Liste recognition at 79 points in both 2025 and 2026, combined with the 2024 Michelin star, suggests the approach is being executed with enough consistency to hold attention year on year. A Google rating of 4.4 across 31 reviews is a modest sample, but the absence of polarised scores implies a kitchen that does not rely on spectacle to compensate for execution gaps.
The drinks programme deserves attention if sake is relevant to your interests. The menu draws from small Japanese breweries, a choice that complements the seasonal, produce-led cooking without defaulting to the predictable French-wine pairing that dominates Seoul's fine-dining tier. For a venue at ₩₩₩₩ pricing, the breadth of the sake selection reads as genuine curation rather than a secondary afterthought.
Kim Geon's stated priorities , consistency and care in equal measure , are the kind of values that sound generic in a press context but become legible at an eight-seat counter where there is nowhere to hide variance. Every plate travels directly from the chef's hands to the guest in front of them. The format makes that commitment visible rather than claimed.
If you are arriving for a second visit, the counter positioning is the right call again. The full view of Kim's process rewards accumulated familiarity: you start to read the prep cues and anticipate the direction of a dish before it arrives. That kind of engagement is not available at a four-leading in the middle of the room, and Goryori Ken's format exists precisely to make it the default rather than a privilege.
Timing matters here. Goryori Ken runs Tuesday through Saturday, evenings only, with Monday and Sunday closed. The five-day window and the eight-seat constraint combine to make this one of the harder bookings in Gangnam's ₩₩₩₩ tier. Treat the lead time accordingly: approach this booking the way you would approach Jungsik or Eatanic Garden in terms of advance planning, not as a walk-in fallback. There is no website or published phone number available, so the booking channel will need to be confirmed through the venue directly or via a concierge who knows Seoul's counter restaurant circuit.
The atmosphere runs quiet and deliberate, as you would expect from a room this size. If you are looking for energy and a full dining-room buzz, venues like Solbam or Restaurant Allen will give you more of that register. Goryori Ken is a concentration exercise: the noise level is low, the room is intimate, and the focus is entirely on what is on the counter. That is the draw, not a limitation. But go in knowing it.
For context on Seoul's broader fine-dining range, see our full Seoul restaurants guide. If you are planning a wider trip and need hotel or bar recommendations, our Seoul hotels guide and Seoul bars guide cover those categories. Internationally, the closest analogues in terms of format and ambition are César in New York City and Alo in Toronto , both operate at the intersection of casual physical setting and technically serious cooking. Elsewhere in South Korea, Mori in Busan and Kwon Sook Soo in Gangnam-gu offer different angles on the high-end counter and tasting format. You can also explore Exquisine and Double T Dining in Gangneung for additional reference points in the contemporary Korean tier. Seoul wineries and Seoul experiences round out the city guide if you are building a full itinerary.
Further afield, Baegyangsa Temple in Jangseong-gun and The Flying Hog in Seogwipo and Market Café in Incheon represent the regional range of dining worth knowing if Seoul is part of a longer trip through South Korea.
Quick reference: Gangnam, Seoul | Contemporary | ₩₩₩₩ | Michelin 1 Star 2024 | La Liste 79pts (2025, 2026) | Tue–Sat, 6–11 PM | 8-seat counter | Booking: hard.
Book early , the eight-seat counter and five-day operating week make this one of the tightest reservations in Gangnam. Arrive knowing it is a pure counter experience: you sit at the bar, watch Kim Geon cook, and eat whatever the season dictates. There is no à la carte flexibility in the way a conventional restaurant would offer it. The sake list from small Japanese breweries is worth exploring rather than defaulting to wine. Come with an open brief on the menu and a plan to be there for the full evening.
Yes, for what it delivers. At ₩₩₩₩ pricing with a Michelin star and back-to-back La Liste recognition at 79 points, Goryori Ken sits in Seoul's serious fine-dining tier but charges less per seat than comparable counter formats in Tokyo or Hong Kong. The eight-seat format means you are paying for undivided kitchen attention, not shared room energy. If you want a strong-value ₩₩₩₩ alternative with a different style, L'Amitié operates at ₩₩₩ and offers French cooking worth considering for a lower-commitment evening.
The bar is the restaurant. Goryori Ken's main seating is an eight-seat counter, so you are always at the bar. There are no separate tables or a dining room to request instead. That layout is the whole point: direct sight lines to the chef, no intermediary service layer, and the full kitchen experience as the default rather than an upgrade.
It is one of the better solo options in Seoul's ₩₩₩₩ tier precisely because of the counter format. A single seat at an eight-person bar is a natural fit , you are not occupying a table designed for groups, and the proximity to the kitchen makes the meal engaging rather than isolating. If solo counter dining in Seoul is your focus, also look at Kwon Sook Soo as a comparison in the same district.
Yes, with the right expectations. The intimacy and Michelin credentials make it a legitimate special-occasion choice, but the atmosphere is quiet and focused rather than celebratory. If you want a more formal room with the kind of service architecture that signals occasion to everyone in your party, Jungsik or Eatanic Garden will read more conventionally as a destination. Goryori Ken is the better choice when the occasion is personal and intimate rather than performed.
The seasonal, produce-led format at Goryori Ken operates as a chef-driven progression rather than a fixed tasting menu in the traditional sense. Given the La Liste consistency at 79 points across two consecutive years and the Michelin star, the kitchen is demonstrably holding a high standard across multiple seasons. At ₩₩₩₩ pricing for an eight-seat counter in Gangnam, that track record makes the investment reasonable. The sake pairing from small Japanese breweries adds genuine value if you engage with it rather than defaulting to wine.
Dinner is the only option. Goryori Ken operates Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM to 11 PM only. There is no lunch service. Plan accordingly and treat the five-day window seriously when timing your booking attempt.
The menu is driven by what is seasonal and available, so there is no fixed dish to anchor to. Kim Geon works from creative intuition and produce freshness, which means the menu changes with availability rather than holding signature items constant. Engage with the sake selection , the small-brewery Japanese list is a genuine differentiator at this tier. If you are a returning guest, the value of coming back is precisely that the menu will not be what you remember from last time.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goryori Ken | La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 79pts; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 79pts; This intimate setting, with the main bar seating only eight, allows patrons to watch the chef's every movement. While preserving its unassuming façade on the second floor of the premises, Chef Kim Geon showcases highly seasonal ingredients in creations inspired by the freshness of the produce and his own creative intuition. Consistency and care are things Kim takes very seriously when serving his customers. The drinks menu features an impressive variety of sake produced by small Japanese breweries.; Michelin 1 Star (2024) | ₩₩₩₩ | — |
| Solbam | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | ₩₩₩₩ | — |
| Onjium | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | ₩₩₩₩ | — |
| 7th Door | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | ₩₩₩₩ | — |
| L'Amitié | Michelin 1 Star | ₩₩₩ | — |
| Zero Complex | Michelin 1 Star | ₩₩₩₩ | — |
How Goryori Ken stacks up against the competition.
The entrance is deliberately low-key — a second-floor space on Eonju-ro 152-gil in Gangnam that you can easily walk past. Inside, the counter seats only eight, so you are watching Chef Kim Geon work at close range for the entire meal. Goryori Ken holds a Michelin star (2024) and has scored 79 points in La Liste two years running, so the format is intimate but the execution is serious. Book well in advance; with eight covers a night, availability goes fast.
At ₩₩₩₩, Goryori Ken is in Seoul's top pricing tier, and the Michelin star plus consecutive La Liste recognition justify that spend if counter dining suits you. The value case rests on Chef Kim Geon's seasonal focus and the attentiveness that comes from serving only eight guests per service. If you want a larger, more social setting, L'Amitié or Onjium may offer better value for the format. If an eight-seat counter with direct chef interaction is what you are after, the price is fair.
The bar counter is the entire dining room — all eight seats face the kitchen, so every guest at Goryori Ken is essentially eating at the bar. There is no separate table section. This is the defining feature of the experience, and it is worth knowing before you book if you prefer a more private or secluded setting.
Yes, and it is one of the stronger solo options in Seoul's fine dining scene. An eight-seat counter means solo diners are not seated at oversized tables or treated as an afterthought — the format is built around individual engagement with the chef. Solo travellers who enjoyed counter experiences at venues like 7th Door will find Goryori Ken a comparable fit.
For a two-person occasion, yes. The intimacy of eight seats and direct chef interaction gives the meal a personal quality that larger special-occasion restaurants cannot replicate. For groups larger than two or three, the format becomes logistically awkward — the counter has a fixed capacity, and there is no private dining room indicated in the venue record. For a group celebration, consider Zero Complex or L'Amitié instead.
Based on the La Liste notes, the menu is driven by highly seasonal ingredients and Chef Kim Geon's own creative instincts, with consistency described as a priority. At ₩₩₩₩ with a Michelin star and back-to-back La Liste recognition, the format delivers at the price point for guests who want a chef-led progression rather than à la carte choice. If you prefer selecting individual dishes, this counter format is not the right fit.
Goryori Ken only operates Tuesday through Saturday from 6 PM to 11 PM, so dinner is the only option. The venue is closed Sunday and Monday. Plan accordingly, particularly if you are visiting Seoul over a weekend and need a Sunday or Monday slot.
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