"Yim Jung-sik's two stars launched modern Korean fine dining; the KRW250,000 menu still leads in Gangnam. Book it to close a deal."
Yim Jung-sik opened the restaurant that taught the world hansik could be fine dining. Jungsik launched in Seoul in 2009, then in New York, and is widely credited with putting modern Korean cooking on the global map. The Apgujeong room in Gangnam-gu holds two Michelin stars and has since the Seoul guide began starring restaurants. The octopus with gochujang aioli has been on the menu since the opening. It is still the restaurant other Korean chefs measure themselves against.
Yim Jung-sik built Jungsik on a simple, radical idea: treat Korean ingredients and traditions with the structure of a tasting menu rather than a banchan spread. He draws on the familiar, gimbap and bibimbap, and rebuilds it into courses. The signature is the octopus with gochujang aioli, a dish carried since the 2009 opening, and the kitchen still offers a Tasty Kimbap add-on that tops the classic with tuna sashimi and crisp seaweed.
The format is a single tasting menu, around KRW250,000 at dinner and KRW200,000 at lunch, opening with banchan and moving through abalone, duck, and seasonal seafood. The dated proof is two Michelin stars in the 2025 Seoul guide, retained into 2026; the New York sister now holds three. Yim made hansik legible to the world without flattening it. See it among the best Korean restaurants worldwide, the full Seoul dining guide, or plan a working dinner with our best Seoul restaurants to close a deal.
The Apgujeong dining room is contemporary and composed: muted tones, low warm light, art on the walls rather than spectacle. Sound stays conversation-easy, the tables well spaced for private talk. Service is polished and discreet, the kind that reads a business table and stays out of the way. Dress is smart; jackets are common but not required. Seating runs to roughly forty covers across the room and a few prized counter seats. It is calm by design, built for a meal where the conversation matters as much as the food.
Book Jungsik to close a deal because it balances signal and discretion: two Michelin stars and a globally known name tell your guest you took the meeting seriously, while the well-spaced tables and discreet service let you actually talk. The single tasting menu removes decision friction, and the room sits squarely in Gangnam's business district. Ask for a corner table when you book and brief the team that it is a working dinner.
Not for a quick lunch or a large group. The menu is a multi-hour tasting, and the room is sized for couples and small business tables rather than big celebrations.
Is Jungsik worth it?
Yes, for its place in Korean dining as much as the meal. Jungsik launched modern Korean fine dining and still holds two Michelin stars in Seoul, with a three-star sister in New York. Yim Jung-sik's tasting menu, anchored by the octopus with gochujang aioli, is precise and distinctly Korean. At around KRW250,000 it is a splurge, but for a client dinner or a milestone it is one of Seoul's defining tables.
How hard is it to book Jungsik?
Moderately hard. Dinner books two to three weeks out through CatchTable or direct, with weekends going first. Lunch at KRW200,000 is the easier seat and a smart way to experience the kitchen for less. Counter seats are limited and worth requesting. Set a reminder when the booking window opens for your date.
What is the dress code at Jungsik?
Smart. Jackets are common but not required, and the room reads as polished contemporary rather than stiff. Dress as you would for a business dinner in Gangnam. Smart-casual is the floor; the discreet, art-lined room rewards a little effort without demanding formality.
What should I order at Jungsik?
There is one tasting menu, so the move is the add-ons. Make sure the octopus with gochujang aioli is on your menu, the dish carried since 2009, and add the Tasty Kimbap topped with tuna sashimi. The KRW250,000 dinner shows the full range; the wine and soju pairings are worth it for a special night.
Hosted a partner from Tokyo. The two stars and the Jungsik name set the tone, and the spaced tables let us talk business through the whole tasting. The octopus with gochujang aioli is still the best version I have had. We signed the next morning.
Did lunch first, came back for dinner. The room is calm and grown-up, the service reads the table perfectly, and the menu is recognizably Korean without being traditional. A confident, easy place to actually have a conversation over very good food.
Reserve via CatchTable or direct. Dinner books 2 to 3 weeks ahead; lunch is the easier seat.
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