Restaurant in Seoul, South Korea
Two stars, near-impossible table, book early.
Restaurant Allen holds two Michelin stars and back-to-back Star Wine List #1 rankings in Gangnam, Seoul. Chef Allen Suh's seasonal contemporary kitchen pairs with a 425-bottle list strong in Burgundy, Champagne, and Bordeaux. Booking is Near Impossible — plan well ahead. Worth it if wine matters as much as food.
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, and 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, and 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.
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, and 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.
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, and 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, and 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.
Pearl rates availability here as Near Impossible. Two consecutive Michelin two-star cycles, back-to-back Star Wine List #1 wins, and a Google rating of 4.5 across 82 reviews produce consistent demand that outpaces supply at a second-floor Gangnam address that is not a large room by any measure. Plan well in advance , several weeks at minimum, and 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.
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 leading 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.
Yes, on balance. Two Michelin stars held across two consecutive cycles, a Star Wine List #1 ranking twice over, and 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.
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.
Specific dishes are not published in available data, and 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, and Bordeaux, a sommelier-led pairing is the strongest use of the cellar.
No dress code is published, but the combination of two Michelin stars, ₩₩₩₩ pricing, and 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.
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.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant Allen | Star Wine List #1 (2026); In the centre of Seoul, Allen effortlessly combines a Michelin-starred fine dining experience with the comfort of savouring snacks and wine. Whether you seek friendship, business deals, or simply wish...; La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 86pts; Star Wine List #1 (2025); WINE: Wine Strengths: France, Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Italy, California Pricing: $$$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $110 Selections: 425 Inventory: 1,400 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: Regional, Seasonal Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Lunch and Dinner STAFF: People Soohyeon Heo:Wine Director Wine Director: Soohyeon Heo Chef: Allen Suh General Manager: Kihyun Kim Owner: Allen Suh; La Liste Top Restaurants (2025): 85pts; Michelin 2 Stars (2025); Michelin 2 Stars (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 | ₩₩₩₩ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes. Two consecutive Michelin two-star cycles and back-to-back Star Wine List #1 rankings are verifiable markers that the kitchen and cellar are both performing at the top of Seoul's fine dining tier. At ₩₩₩₩ pricing, you are paying for a restaurant that improved its La Liste score year-on-year (85pts in 2025, 86pts in 2026). If the format fits — seasonal contemporary cooking with serious wine — the credential stack justifies the spend.
For the right diner, yes. The Michelin two-star recognition and La Liste standing confirm Allen Suh's kitchen operates at a level where a tasting format makes sense. The regional and seasonal classification means the menu shifts with availability, so repeat visits are not repetitive. If a tasting commitment feels too long, the venue explicitly supports a snacks-and-wine mode as an alternative entry point.
The menu is seasonal and not published in advance, so specific dishes cannot be predicted. What the record confirms: Allen Suh's kitchen is classified as regional and seasonal, which means the selection reflects what is in season in Korea at the time of your visit. Lean on the wine pairing — Wine Director Soohyeon Heo oversees a 1,400-bottle inventory with particular depth in Burgundy, Champagne, and Bordeaux.
No dress code is formally published, but two Michelin stars and ₩₩₩₩ pricing in Gangnam-gu set a clear expectation. Treat it like any two-star reservation in a business-oriented Seoul neighbourhood: dressed well, nothing overly casual. The venue handles both business dinners and social occasions, so there is no single uniform — but underdressing would be conspicuous.
Restaurant Allen explicitly positions itself as a place where snacks and wine are a valid alternative to the full dining experience, which suggests a less formal seating mode is available. This makes it a more flexible booking than a strict omakase-only counter. If you cannot secure a full dinner reservation, the snacks-and-wine format is worth pursuing — the wine list alone, at 425 selections and 1,400-bottle inventory, warrants the visit.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
