Homesick in Korea? Authentic Restaurants Run by People from Each Country

Living or traveling in Korea and missing the taste of home? Korea has plenty of foreign food, but much of it is adjusted for Korean tastes. This guide is different: every restaurant here is run by people from that country, cooking for their own community first. If the room is full of people speaking the owner’s language, you’re in the right place.

Photo: kallerna via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Best neighborhoods to start: Gwanghui-dong near Dongdaemun for Uzbek, Russian, and Mongolian food; Changsin-dong for Nepali; Itaewon for Turkish and African; Daerim-dong for Chinese; and Ansan’s Multicultural Food Street for almost everything.

Neighborhoods Where Communities Gather

Central Asia Street, Gwanghui-dong (Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Exit 12): Uzbek, Kazakh, Russian, and Mongolian restaurants, bakeries, and shops with Cyrillic signs everywhere.
Changsin-dong Nepali neighborhood (behind Dongdaemun Station, Exit 3): more than 18 Nepali food shops built by the local Nepali community.
Itaewon: Seoul’s most international district, with Turkish, Middle Eastern, African, and Southeast Asian restaurants near the mosque.
Daerim-dong (Daerim Station, Exit 12): Seoul’s real Chinatown, home to a large Korean-Chinese community, with street skewers and northeastern Chinese food.
Hyehwa Filipino Market: every Sunday 10:00–17:00 near Hyehwa-dong Cathedral, with longganisa, tocino, and Filipino snacks. It started with a Filipino-language Mass in 1996.
Ansan Multicultural Food Street (Wongok-dong, Ansan): Korea’s only officially designated multicultural village district, car-free from 11:00 to 20:00, with food from dozens of countries and over 3 million visitors a year. About an hour from Seoul on Line 4.

Restaurants Run by People from Each Country

Country	Restaurant	Area
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan	Samarkand, Star Samarkand	Gwanghui-dong
🇲🇳 Mongolia	Mongol Nomadic	Gwanghui-dong
🇷🇺 Russia	Russian Cakes (bakery)	Gwanghui-dong
🇳🇵 Nepal	Lumbini, Everest	Changsin-dong / Dongdaemun
🇹🇭 Thailand	Pad Ka Paw	Haebangchon
🇻🇳 Vietnam	Pho Ong Sa (Seoul), Que Huong (Ansan)	Gupabal / Ansan
🇹🇷 Türkiye	Kervan	Itaewon
🇳🇬 Nigeria	Happy Home African Restaurant	Itaewon
🇮🇹 Italy (Sicily)	Ciuri Ciuri	Hongdae area
🇨🇳 China	Bokmanlu	Daerim-dong
🇺🇸 USA (Alabama BBQ)	Linus’ Bama Style BBQ	Itaewon

🇺🇿 Samarkand (사마르칸트), Uzbekistan

Opened in 2003 by Uzbek owner Amonov Shahriyorkhon, the first Uzbek restaurant on what became Central Asia Street. His Korea-born son now runs Star Samarkand on the same street, which draws long weekend lines.

Order: Lamb shashlik (about ₩7,000), plov (about ₩10,900), manti dumplings (about ₩12,900)
Where: 159-21 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu (Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station). Closed Tuesdays.
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇲🇳 Mongol Nomadic, Mongolia

Run by a Mongolian owner, with a dining room where most guests are Mongolian. A good sign.

Order: Buuz (steamed dumplings), khuushuur (fried meat pies), khorkhog (lamb cooked with hot stones)
Where: Gwanghui-dong, Jung-gu
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇷🇺 Russian Cakes, Russia

A tiny bakery opened in 2018 by Irina Moroz, who came to Korea in 2000. She bakes the classic Napoleon cake fresh every morning.

Order: Napoleon cake, honey cake
Where: Gwanghui-dong, Jung-gu
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇳🇵 Lumbini (룸비니) and Everest (에베레스트), Nepal

Lumbini is run by Nepali-born owner Bhattarai Roshan in the heart of the Changsin-dong Nepali neighborhood. Everest, with Nepali owners, is often described as the first Nepali restaurant in Korea.

Order: Dal bhat, momo, curry with naan
Where: Lumbini: Changsin-dong. Everest: 2-1 Jong-ro 51ga-gil, Jongno-gu (Dongdaemun Station)
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇹🇭 Pad Ka Paw (팟카파우), Thailand

Thai owner-chef Sriprathip Paupusit cooks punchy, unapologetically Thai street food upstairs in Sinheung Market. Certified by the Thai government’s Thai Select program.

Order: Pad krapow (about ₩12,000), pad thai (about ₩14,000)
Where: 2F Sinheung Market, 97-6 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu (Haebangchon)
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇻🇳 Pho Ong Sa (포옹싸) and Que Huong, Vietnam

Pho Ong Sa is run by Hau Trang, who moved from Vietnam in 2008. In Ansan, Que Huong has served pho with a 14-hour broth since 2002 to the city’s big Vietnamese community.

Order: Hu tieu (about ₩10,000), banh xeo (about ₩12,000), banh mi; pho and bun cha in Ansan
Where: Pho Ong Sa: near Gupabal Station (Line 3). Que Huong: Wongok-dong, Ansan
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇹🇷 Kervan (케르반), Türkiye

Founded by Sinan Ozturk, who came from Türkiye in 1997. Open until 6 a.m., it’s a late-night favorite in Itaewon.

Order: Lamb or chicken shish kebab, pide, Turkish desserts
Where: 192 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇳🇬 Happy Home African Restaurant, Nigeria

Run since around 2011 by Ozo Emeka Martins from Port Harcourt, and a home away from home for Seoul’s West African community.

Order: Jollof rice, egusi soup, okra soup with fufu, fried plantain
Where: Itaewon-ro 20-gil, Yongsan-gu
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇮🇹 Ciuri Ciuri (치우리치우리), Italy

Run since 2014 by Enrico from Rome and his Sicilian wife Filippa, serving Sicilian home cooking.

Order: Arancini, cannoli, spaghetti with bottarga
Where: 3-13 Dongmak-ro 15-gil, Mapo-gu (Hongdae/Hapjeong area)
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇨🇳 Bokmanlu (복만루), China

Run by Korean-Chinese owner Lee Ryeo in Daerim-dong, the heart of Seoul’s Chinese community.

Order: Northeastern Chinese dishes; nearby stalls sell lamb skewers and beef noodle soup
Where: Near Daerim Station, Yeongdeungpo-gu
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

🇺🇸 Linus’ Bama Style BBQ, USA

Southern barbecue from Linus Kim, who grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. Smoky, generous, and very American.

Order: Pulled pork, ribs
Where: Itaewon, near Yongsan-gu Office
Ratings & directions: Naver Map · Google Maps

Tips

Check before you go: small family restaurants change hours often. Use the Naver Map links for current information.
Weekends are busiest, especially in Gwanghui-dong and Ansan, when workers from the community have their day off.
Grocery stores nearby: most of these neighborhoods also have shops selling ingredients from home.
Halal or vegetarian? See our halal restaurant guide and vegan restaurant guide.

We looked for restaurants with owners or chefs from each country and recent signs that they’re open. Some information comes from 2024–2026 profiles, so please confirm before visiting. Know a great community-run restaurant? Email hello@yum82.com. Last checked: October 2026.