Yeosu is an absolutely magical city with so much to see and eat that… well, we stuffed ourselves to the point of bursting. And then we ate some more.
It’s really the best compliment we can give to a city. Every restaurant had something amazing that we’d never seen before. Or maybe a beloved dish with a different interpretation we couldn’t wait to try. Or maybe something so weird and strange we just couldn’t help ourselves.
Whatever it was, we indulged. And this? This is everything we ate in Yeosu, South Korea.
Dolmuneoh Samhap
Let’s start with the representative dish of the region. Dolmuneoh Samhap is a huge hot pot medley that includes octopus, abalone, webbed foot octopus, shrimp, samgyeopsal, mushrooms, green onions, bean sprouts, kimchi and onions. And noodles. And rice cake. It’s one of the main specialties of Yeosu and an amazing feast for the eyes, even before you get to eat it. If you’re going to eat anything, you need to eat this.
Location:
- Restaurant name: 여수낭만포차 100도 (Yeosu Nangman Pocha 100)
- Address: 전남 여수시 하멜로 78 1층 낭만포차100도 (Naver Maps)
- Dish name: 돌문어 삼합 (Dolmuneoh Samhap)
Octopus Seafood Ramen
There’s a certain romance about having seafood ramen when you head to the coastal regions of Korea. And, due to the abundance of octopus in Yeosu, you end up with octopus seafood ramen being available everywhere. Thanks to a massive Dolmuneoh Samhap lunch, we had to wait until dinner to have room for one of the best seafood ramen we’ve ever had. Period.
Location:
- Restaurant name: 안녕! 여수 at 낭만포차 (Hello! Yeosu at Nangman Pocha night market)
- Address: 전남 여수시 하멜로 102 (Naver Maps)
- Dish name: 돌문어 해물 라면 (Octopus seafood ramen)
Octopus & Pork Belly Stir-fry
One thing to note about the Nangman Pocha night market is the minimum order. Most stalls only serve you if you order at least one main dish. And, despite its massive size, the octopus seafood ramen was categorized as a side-dish. Since we didn’t want to focus too heavily on soups and stews, we got a serving of octopus and pork belly stir-fry.
It was served with a bevy of bean sprouts, peppers, fish cake and mozzarella cheese. Delicious, melty, ooey-gooey cheese. Holy hell. Amazing.
Location:
- Restaurant name: 안녕! 여수 at 낭만포차 (Hello! Yeosu at Nangman Pocha night market)
- Address: 전남 여수시 하멜로 102 (Naver Maps)
- Dish name: 돌문어 삼겹살 볶음 (Octopus & Pork Belly Stir-fry)
Injeolmi Hotteok
Hotteok is one of the most delicious street snacks in South Korea. Fried on a oiled griddle and packed with sugar, seeds and nuts, it’s the perfect dessert to any meal. At Hotteok Dang, we discovered a version of hotteok we’d never run into before. Injeolmi is a roasted soybean powder traditional used with rice cake to give it a peanut butter-ish flavor. And an injeolmi hotteok was a sweet, peanut butter-y treat.
Location:
- Restaurant name: 호떡당 (Hotteok Dang)
- Address: 전남 여수시 동문로 1
- Dish name: 인절미 호떡 (Injeolmi Hotteok)
“Gat” Butter Donuts
These were a completely unexpected surprise. Yeosu is famous for their mustard-leaves which they fashion into many dishes including kimchi… and custard. Our eyebrows were raised but our interests were piqued. And thankfully so, because the sweet custard was amazing with a delicious sweet and salty glaze. It was a totally unique flavor, but absolutely delicious.
Location:
- Restaurant name: 갓버터도나스 (Gat Butter Donuts)
- Address: 전남 여수시 통제영5길 10-1 1층 (Naver Maps)
- Dish name: 갓버터도나스 (Gat Butter Donuts)
Rolled Egg Gimbap and Monkfish Gimbap
After a nice long night walk, we worked up an appetite for gimbap. The rolled egg gimbap was an easy choice, but the monkfish was a longshot. And bull’s eye. The spiced and salted monkfish was a blast of flavor well worth the risk. Because, you know… monkfish.
Location:
- Restaurant name: 바다김밥 (Bada Gimbap)
- Address: 전남 여수시 통제영5길 10-4 1층 바다김밥 (Naver Maps)
- Dish name: 계란김밥 (Rolled Egg Gimbap), 아귀치김밥 (Monkfish Gimbap)
