Panel of 60 experts selects restaurants across 7 categories, including 27 hansik venues; city also launches first-ever 'Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50' list; 2026 Seoul Gourmet Week set for Oct. 23–29 at DDP and across the city, featuring a restaurant week, market, tours and workshops

The full list of restaurants and cafes selected for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2026 Seoul's Top 100 Dining Spots and Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
The full list of restaurants and cafes selected for the Seoul Metropolitan Government's 2026 Seoul's Top 100 Dining Spots and Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Seoul has unveiled its 2026 edition of Seoul's Top 100 Dining Spots, a curated guide to the city's best restaurants spanning hansik and international cuisine, with 25 establishments making the list for the first time this year. The city also introduced a new companion list — the Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50 — targeting tourists who travel specifically in search of coffee and sweets.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced the selections, saying 60 experts took part in this year's evaluation, including food journalists, culinary travel writers, academic researchers, professional chefs and tourism specialists.

Launched in 2020, Seoul's Top 100 Dining Spots has become the city's flagship food-tourism resource, offering residents a window into Seoul's diverse dining culture and giving domestic and international tourists a practical guide to where and what to eat while visiting the city.

This year's list spans seven categories: 27 hansik restaurants, 23 Western cuisine venues, 15 Asian restaurants, 10 grill establishments, eight vegetarian restaurants, nine cafes and dessert spots, and eight bars and pubs.

Experts in each category first nominated candidates, and final selections were made by weighing nomination rankings against criteria including global appeal, culinary expertise and public buzz.

Among the 25 newcomers, the hansik category added Ribukbang, Myeon Seoul, Sancho, Seoryeong, Pum Seoul and Haenam Cheonil-gwan, while the Asian category welcomed Gagen, Muni, Palseon and Hakushi. On the Western cuisine side, Lamant Sikret and Muoki joined the list, and Mongtan was selected in the grill category.

Reflecting growing demand for cafe and dessert-focused travel, the city launched the Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50 for the first time this year. Selections were based on the quality of beverages and desserts, on top of the overall space experience, general popularity and accessibility for foreign tourists.

The full list is available on the Seoul Gourmet Week website. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold the 2026 Seoul Gourmet Week from Oct. 23 to 29, letting visitors experience this year's selected venues firsthand at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) and at locations across the city. The city said it is moving the event's main venue to DDP this year, after last year's edition was centered on Nodeul Island and various downtown locations.

During the week, events will include a Seoul Restaurant Week, a Seoul Gourmet Market, food tours and workshops. Detailed schedules and participation information for each program will be released in stages on the Seoul Gourmet Week website and official Instagram account.

"Through Seoul's Top 100 Dining Spots, the newly launched Seoul Cafe & Dessert 50 and Seoul Gourmet Week, we aim to let both residents and tourists — domestic and international — experience the diversity and originality of Seoul's food scene," said Jo Seong-ho, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Tourism and Sports Bureau.


ken@heraldcorp.com