Yesterday was new episode day for I Live Alone! I know a lot of international fans love watching this reality show because it gives a fun peek into the daily lives of K-pop idols. Am I right, guys?
A while back, I was watching an episode featuring SHINee’s Minho, and the neighborhood he walked through for breakfast looked so familiar.
I paused it and thought, “Wait… is that Seongsu-dong?!”
Sure enough, after checking online, I realized his go-to breakfast spot is a casual Korean-style buffet right next door to a restaurant I visit all the time!
Usually, when people hear the word “buffet,” they think of fancy hotel spreads or big wedding receptions with endless rows of expensive dishes. But a local Korean-style buffet (Hansik Buffet) is totally different! It takes that same idea—eating as much variety and quantity as you want—and brings it down to a super affordable, homey local neighborhood spot.
I feel like SHINee’s Minho visits this place whenever he misses a warm, home-cooked meal from his mom! It’s the kind of friendly local spot where you always get a warm welcome and generous portions.
My Friday Lunch Visit to Minho’s Go-To Spot: Hoehyeonzip
This past Friday, I actually ended up going to Hoehyeonzip (회현집)—the very place featured as Minho’s favorite spot! I was heading over to a nearby rice cake shop anyway, and since the timing worked out perfectly, I swung by for a quick lunch before moving on.
Hoehyeonzip is hidden away on a quiet side street in Seongsu-dong. It isn’t in the trendy, crowded part of Seongsu where tourists usually gather. Instead, it’s located right in a everyday neighborhood area where real locals live and work, so finding it might feel a little unfamiliar at first!
To make sure you don’t get lost, keep an eye out: there’s actually another home-style meal restaurant on the ground floor of the very same building, which can be super confusing.
Look for a small white sign near the doorway, like in the photo on the right, and head right down the stairs into the basement!
Shoes Off! Stepping Into a Cozy Home-Style Atmosphere
As soon as I walked in, I knew I was in the right place—yep, this is definitely the exact “Minho spot” from the show!
I was a little surprised at first because you actually have to take your shoes off right at the front door! Taking off your shoes makes the whole experience feel like you’re stepping straight into someone’s living room for a home-cooked meal. I love to think the owners set it up this way so everyone feels as comfortable as if they were eating at home!
If taking your shoes off inside a restaurant isn’t part of your culture, it might feel a bit weird or inconvenient at first. In Korea, you’ll still run into traditional Korean BBQ spots or home-style restaurants where you take off your shoes and sit on floor cushions at low tables.
On one hand, sitting on the floor makes it easy to kick back and hang out for a long time. On the other hand, if you’re eating with someone you don’t know very well, trying to keep good posture while sitting on the floor can be pretty tiring—so I totally get it if that feels a little tricky! Even so, don’t worry too much or feel nervous about it! Just keep an open mind and treat it as a fun, unique part of experiencing real Korean culture.
Loading Up My Plate With Nostalgic Side Dishes
Just like Minho did on I Live Alone, I had so much fun checking out all the different side dishes and piling my plate high with everything I wanted to try! So many of these dishes were things I hadn’t eaten in a long time, so I was super excited!
The cool thing about a buffet is that you can grab just a small bite of everything first and go back for seconds later. But honestly, before I even realized what I was doing, I caught myself piling way too much food onto my plate just out of pure greed! ^^;
Getting to taste so many different Korean side dishes (banchan) in one sitting is such a fun experience. A while back, I wrote a whole blog post explaining Korea’s traditional home-style meal culture (baekban), and so many of you loved reading about it!
If you’re curious to learn more about how Korean side dishes and baekban dining work, definitely check out my previous post below!
[Recent Post] Korean Baekban: Why You Get So Many Free Side Dishes (Banchan Guide)
How Lunch Works: The Soup of the Day & Endless Sides
Here is a quick tip on how this place operates: if you come for dinner, you order off an a la carte menu for specific dishes like spicy stir-fried pork (jeyuk bokkeum), kimchi stew, or pork belly (samgyeopsal).
But at lunch, it transforms into a full buffet! You grab whatever side dishes you want from the bar, and the owner serves everyone a fresh, hot bowl of the daily soup or stew.
On the day I went, the soup of the day was hot, comforting kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae)!
The owner brought out a steaming bowl of kimchi stew, and I loaded my plate with white rice, pork cutlet (tonkatsu), stir-fried fish cakes, seasoned seaweed stems, bean sprouts, kimchi, little vienna sausages, and marinated shishito peppers.
It tasted so much like a real home-cooked meal made by a Korean mom! When you work a busy schedule, eating a proper home-style meal is actually pretty tough. Most of us eat out every single workday, and when you finally get home after work, cooking a bunch of side dishes from scratch is the last thing you want to do.
Oops… I Accidentally Stuffed Myself!
I honestly don’t usually eat this much in one sitting, but I somehow ended up with a massive plate full of food, haha!
When you look at all the options, you start thinking, “Oh, I just need a bite or two of this one…” or “I should probably grab one more piece of pork cutlet…” Before I knew it, I had scooped out about 1.5 times more rice than I normally eat!
By the time I was halfway through, I was so full—but I couldn’t bring myself to leave a single bite behind! The owners and kitchen staff wake up early every morning to cook all these fresh dishes, and they’re so kind and generous with their food. I would have felt so guilty wasting anything!
So, I pushed through and cleaned my entire plate. That’s the one big danger of a buffet… zero portion control and guaranteed overeating every single time!
Self-Checkout & A Warm $6 Meal with Mom-Style Hospitality
On my way out after that incredible meal, I did self-checkout at the register—just like Minho did on the show! Since the restaurant is run by just a couple of people and packed with regulars, many customers just ring up their own payments on the way out!
Getting a full, unlimited home-cooked meal like this for only 8,000 KRW (about $6 USD) per person feels almost unreal these days. I was so grateful!
On top of the amazing price, the owner greeted and said goodbye to everyone with such genuine warmth. Stepping out of the restaurant felt like visiting a friendly aunt’s house and being welcomed with open arms!
For people living on their own—just like Minho—a meal like this isn’t just about filling your stomach. It really warms your heart and gives you that comforting feeling of home and family love when you miss it most.
If you’re traveling in Seoul and want to taste authentic, soul-warming Korean home cooking—filled with that genuine local love and hospitality—be sure to explore the recommended posts below!
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