Seoul releases 2026 Gourmet 100 list, adds first cafe and dessert 50
In short
Seoul city published the 2026 Seoul Gourmet 100 on Oct 6, a list of 100 restaurants and cafes chosen with 60 domestic food experts. It covers seven categories, from 27 Korean restaurants to 8 bars and pubs. For the first time the city also released a 50-place "Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50" list, and said a Seoul Gourmet Week would run Oct 23–29.
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Seoul city published the 2026 Seoul Gourmet 100 on Oct 6, a list of 100 restaurants and cafes chosen with the participation of 60 domestic food experts, Yonhap reported. The selections are grouped into seven categories: 27 Korean restaurants, 23 Western, 15 Asian, 10 grill, 8 vegetarian, 9 cafe and dessert, and 8 bar and pub venues. Newsis also reported the release of the list, and Chosun Ilbo carried the announcement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
For the first time this year, the city also released a "Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50" list. Yonhap said the decision reflected travel demand for coffee and desserts and that the shops were chosen on the quality of their drinks and desserts together with the experience of the space, popular appeal and accessibility for foreign tourists. Chosun Ilbo likewise reported that the 50 cafe and dessert venues were selected separately for the first time. [ 2 , 3 ]
On the selection, Yonhap said food journalists, gourmet travellers, academic researchers, professional chefs and tourism experts recommended venues by category, after which the final list was decided by combining recommendation rankings with globality, expertise and topicality. Among the newly included venues, the documents name 리북방, 면서울, 산초, 서령, 품서울 and 해남천일관 in the Korean category; 가겐, 무니, 팔선 and 하쿠시 in the Asian category; 라망시크레 and 무오키 in the Western category; and 몽탄 in the grill category. [ 2 ]
The full list was made available from Oct 6 on the Seoul Gourmet Week website, Yonhap said. The city said the 2026 Seoul Gourmet Week would run from Oct 23 to 29 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and across Seoul, with a Seoul Restaurant Week, a Seoul Gourmet Market, gourmet tours and workshops. Detailed schedules and how to take part are to be posted in turn on the Seoul Gourmet Week website and its official Instagram account, according to the same report. [ 2 ]
Cho Seong-ho, head of the Seoul city tourism and sports bureau, said the city would use the Seoul Gourmet 100, the first Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50 and Seoul Gourmet Week so that citizens and domestic and foreign tourists can experience the diversity and originality of Seoul's food, Yonhap reported. The Seoul Gourmet 100 list has been compiled annually since 2020. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The list is published by the city as tourism content, so it feeds directly into how domestic and foreign visitors choose where to eat in Seoul, as Yonhap noted. It also sets up the Oct 23–29 Seoul Gourmet Week programme of restaurant weeks, markets, tours and workshops, which gives the selected venues a concentrated period of public attention.
Key facts
- Seoul city announced the 2026 Seoul Gourmet 100 list on Oct 6. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The list covers 100 restaurants and cafes selected with the participation of 60 domestic food experts. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The 100 places are divided into seven categories: 27 Korean, 23 Western, 15 Asian, 10 grill, 8 vegetarian, 9 cafe and dessert, and 8 bar and pub. [ 2 ]
- A "Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50" list was released for the first time this year. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The full list is available from Oct 6 on the Seoul Gourmet Week website. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Gourmet Week is scheduled for Oct 23–29 at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and across Seoul. [ 2 ]
- Seoul Restaurant Week, a Seoul Gourmet Market, gourmet tours and workshops are planned during the week. [ 2 ]
- The Seoul Gourmet 100 list was first compiled in 2020. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Which venues beyond the newly added ones appear on this year's 100 list. The documents name only some of the newly included venues; the full list is referred to the Seoul Gourmet Week website.
- The complete selection criteria and how much weight each factor carried. Yonhap says recommendation rankings were combined with globality, expertise and topicality, but does not give the weighting, and the other documents carry no detail.