Promise Me! Let’s Eat, Shop and Relax in Seoul After COVID-19 I

Buddhist temples meet designer boutiques – as South Korea’s largest city, Seoul certainly has a claim on being one of the financial and cultural epicenters of East Asia. But this city’s most compelling trait may be how it continues to embrace its ancient traditions while also becoming a Silicon Valley hub with endless food streets, high-energy nightlife and cutting-edge architecture.

When you visit Seoul, you’ll see a study in contrasts. To chart your own course through the city, read more in our Seoul travel guide.

1#QUEEN MAMA MARKET

50 Apgujeong-ro 46-gil, Gangnam-gu
+82 70-4281-3372

Anyone who admires beauty and desires to lead a relaxed lifestyle has dreamed of something like this at least once in their lifetime: a space, which is a two-story building filled with beautiful flowers and trees, and a rooftop where you can enjoy a fragrant cup of coffee while basking in the sun. We may never own a place like that, but there is a place in Seoul where we can experience it! Queen Mama Market simply wants to be known as an “urban lifestyle shop.” It is a space that breathes green life into those dwelling in the concrete jungle.

The place turns out to be a creation by none other than Kang Jin-young and Yoon Han-hee, the designers for women’s apparel brand, Obzee, and O’2nd. This married couple has made it to the top in the field of Korean fashion, and was one of the first Korean fashion designers to enter New York Fashion Week. After a stop in L.A, they returned to the motherland bringing their taste and lifestyle from L.A. to Queen Mama Market.

The building is filled with energy so that it can be a space where city life, nature, Seoul art and people connect. From the entrance tothe B1 level, there is a collection of painted china and cutlery, as well as tools and plants for your gardening needs. The first floor is the platform space, which is intended to embody art and nature, and is currently holding an open.

2#Keats Hotel

tae won 2 dong

Very hidden and hard to find (they dont even have a website), Keats Hotel is not really an hotel but more of a concept coffee/restaurant, where you can have yourself made a custom suits by a Japanese tailor or enjoy a tea with friends in privacy. If you wonder what’s inside, check here on Instagram

3#Cafe Ato

1-141, Sa jik dong, Seou

A cafe is born at an alley of tranquil residential area of Sinmunro. There are many small and large restaurants and cafes from before in this area. Cafe Ato is a complex cultural space for diverse meetings and cultural events planned as local attraction next to Gyeonghuigung, by renovating the annex in the existing building of Metro Seoul newspaper.