Perilla Dishes in Seoul: The Definitive Guide to 6 Top Restaurants

The new genre to catch in Seoul right now isn't meat or dessert — it's perilla (deulkkae). The Japanese women's magazine "Hanako" did on-site reporting in 2026 and featured six restaurants starring perilla. These are names you won't yet find on the standard guidebook lists.

What's more, prices are mostly around 10,000 won. Almost none of the menus are spicy — they all lean on nuttiness and broth — so even people who can't handle heat can move around easily, which is the strength of Seoul's perilla food scene. Perilla oil noodles, monkfish hot pot, sujebi, risotto, kimchi rolls — that's the range you get from a single ingredient.

First, the big picture: all 6 spots by price and hours

Before choosing a restaurant, lining up the numbers will save you from indecision. All info is as of "Hanako"'s reporting.

Restaurant	Area	Signature dish / Price	Hours
Hanari Sujebi	Insadong	Perilla sujebi 10,000 won	11:30–14:50 / 17:00–20:40
Cheongryubyeok	Seocho	Deulgireum makguksu 12,000 won	11:00–22:00 (LO 21:40) / open daily
Mancheolli Sanghoe	Gangnam	Deulgireum makguksu 16,000 won	11:30–15:00 (LO 14:20) / 17:00–21:00 (LO 20:20) / closed Mon
Imja	Gangnam	Perilla monkfish hot pot 17,000–26,000 won	11:00–15:00 / 17:00–22:00 (LO 21:30) / closed Sat
DAYLIT Seongsu	Seongsu	Mugeunji yukhoe roll, 6 pieces 13,800 won	11:30–14:30 / 17:00–21:30 (LO 20:30) / open daily
Jincheon Yujeom	Yeonnam-dong	Mackerel and bracken risotto 15,000 won	11:30–15:30 / 17:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 11:30–22:00 / open daily

The biggest thing to watch out for is that many of these restaurants close between lunch and dinner. Hanari Sujebi in Insadong closes at 14:50 for a break, and evening service ends at 20:40, so the window to just wander in between sightseeing is narrow. Cheongryubyeok, on the other hand, is open all day, making it a strong option for a late lunch around 3 p.m.

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The deciding factor is "oil freshness". The difference between 2 makguksu spots

What's been hugely popular in Seoul for the past few years is deulgireum makguksu (perilla oil noodles). It's a dish where makguksu (buckwheat noodles), originally a regional dish of Gangwon-do, is mixed with deulgireum (perilla oil) and a soy sauce-based dressing. Two of the six spots featured this time serve it, but their characters are quite different.

Cheongnyubyeok — A staple from before the boom

While specialty shops keep opening one after another, this restaurant has maintained its popularity since before the trend began. The core of this place: thin noodles made in-house from 100% buckwheat flour, with oil also pressed by a machine on site. Topped with a soy-based sauce and finished generously with ground perilla seeds, sesame, and seaweed. The right way to eat it is to mix it all boldly. Deulgireum makguksu is 12,000 won, and regulars also order the bossam (small, 50,000 won).

The oil press at the back of the shop can be viewed through glass. The machine runs whenever oil is needed, so it's not a bad view while you wait.

Mancheolli Sanghoe — Pressed twice a day, plus a surprising tasting

Opened in March 2025. With an oil-pressing hut inside the shop, their motto is to press twice a day, morning and evening, and use it all up the same day. Before your meal, they also offer a spoonful of perilla oil to taste. Since you get to know the aroma of the oil itself before diving into the noodles, you have a baseline for comparison.

The noodles in the 16,000-won deulgireum makguksu are 80% buckwheat and 20% wheat flour, with a smooth, slippery texture. The plating of the noodle strands is beautiful, but breaking it apart and mixing is the proper way to eat it. The rich soup with ongsimi (potato dumplings) and sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), deulkkae ongjebi at 18,000 won, is also popular. A new item, perilla makguksu with yukhoe (beef tartare), has also appeared. Hours are in two shifts, 11:30–15:00 and 17:00–21:00, closed on Mondays.

Editor's note: Both spots tout "freshly pressed", but Cheongnyubyeok is about the noodles, while Mancheolli Sanghoe is about the oil. If you can only go once, the quickest way to decide is whether you want the aroma of buckwheat or the aroma of oil.

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For soup lovers, sujebi and monkfish hot pot

For days when you crave soup over noodles. The perilla sujebi at Insadong Hanari Sujebi is 10,000 won, making it the most affordable bowl among these six spots. It's a straightforward perilla dish, with plenty of hand-torn dough dumplings in a rich, simmered soup. Insadong sits right in the middle of typical sightseeing routes, so it's easy to work into your lunch plans.

The other spot is Imja in Gangnam. The name comes from the hanja for "perilla seed," and it's a specialty restaurant that opened in May 2025 with the goal of popularizing agujjim (monkfish stew), a Korean regional dish, in Seoul. Monkfish aged with medicinal ingredients like jujube is simmered in a broth of radish and onion, then ground perilla seeds are added — releasing an instant wave of nutty aroma.

Prices depend on whether the monkfish is frozen or fresh: 17,000 won for frozen at lunchtime, 26,000 won for fresh. Single-serving earthenware pots like the ones in the photo are lunch-only; at night it's served for 2–3 people starting at 65,000 won. If you're traveling solo, lunch is the obvious choice 🍲

Two spots that take perilla in a "Western" direction

Same ingredient, but Seongsu and Yeonnam-dong handle it very differently.

DAYLIT Seongsu is a fusion restaurant using distinctly Korean ingredients, and the flagship of its four Seoul locations. What nearly every customer orders is the mugeunji yukhoe roll, 6 pieces for 13,800 won. Said to be inspired by Japanese futomaki, it's filled with yukhoe (beef tartare), rolled omelet, and chopped perilla leaves. Instead of seaweed, it's wrapped in mugeunji (aged kimchi), and the tang and the perilla's bitterness meld more with every bite. You can also change things up by dipping it in a powder of mixed ground black and white sesame. The signature drink, a green apple "Daylit Highball," is 9,800 won, and there are also highballs made with Jinro soju and Bekseju.

Jincheongyujeom is a restaurant in Yeonnam-dong built around sesame oil and perilla oil. Its hanja name means "true clear oil point." The oils are cold-pressed in-house every morning to prevent oxidation and used in every dish — that's how committed they are. The signature grilled mackerel and bracken risotto (15,000 won) comes with perilla oil you drizzle on yourself as a finishing touch, which erases the oily-fish smell and brings out a nutty aroma. The brisket gomtang (13,000 won) includes an extra step: the radish is seared in perilla oil before going in. There's also a salad dressed with perilla oil and balsamic.

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How to fit them into your itinerary

The six spots are neatly spread out. Three are in Gangnam/Seocho (Cheongnyubyeok, Mancheolli Sanghoe, and Imja), with one each in Seongsu, Yeonnam-dong, and Insadong. You can't hit them all in one trip to Korea, so the realistic move is to slot in one or two based on the areas already in your plans.

• Staying in Gangnam for shopping → makguksu at Cheongnyubyeok or Mancheolli Sanghoe, then Imja for dinner
• Café-hopping in Seongsu → an evening at DAYLIT Seongsu (last order 20:30)
• Yeonnam-dong / Hongdae area → Jincheongyujeom; open all day on weekends, which makes it convenient
• Sightseeing day at Gyeongbokgung or Insadong → Hanari Sujebi, but be seated by 14:50

Source: a feature article in "Hanako" (hanako.tokyo). Business hours and prices can change, so it's best to check each shop's Instagram (DAYLIT is @daylit.seoul, Jincheon Gyujeom is @jincheongyujeom) before you go✨

Summary

Perilla is a genre of Korean cuisine that still has little information available in Japanese. That's exactly why now is the time to get in, with prices around 10,000 won, non-spicy dishes, and locations spread across different areas.

If you're unsure about your first stop, start with perilla oil makguksu. Choose between Cheongnyubyeok at 12,000 won or Mancheolli Sanghoe at 16,000 won, deciding whether to prioritize the buckwheat or the oil. If you like soups, the perilla sujebi in Insadong at 10,000 won is the shortest route. After that, all you need to check is your own stay area and the mid-afternoon break hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much should I budget for perilla dishes?

The baseline is 10,000-something won per person. The signature dishes at these 6 shops run 10,000–16,000 won, with only Imja's monkfish hot pot going up to 26,000 won if you choose fresh monkfish. Even adding a drink, most shops stay within the 20,000-won range.

Are perilla dishes spicy? Is it okay if I can't handle spicy food?

You'll be fine. Perilla is an ingredient that builds flavor through nuttiness and broth, so none of the signature dishes at these 6 shops feature spiciness as the main element. Only DAYLIT's mugeunji yukhoe rolls have some tanginess because they're wrapped in aged kimchi, but that's different from chili heat.

Is it true that many shops close between lunch and dinner?

It's true. Insadong Hangari Sujebi operates in two shifts, 11:30–14:50 and 17:00–20:40, and Mancheolli Sanghoe from 11:30–15:00 and 17:00–21:00. The ones open all day are Cheongnyubyeok (11:00–22:00) and, on weekends, Jincheon Gyujeom (11:30–22:00). Watch out for closing days: Imja closes on Saturdays and Mancheolli Sanghoe on Mondays.