Seoul · Open Monday · 2026 Edition
Best Restaurants Open on Monday in Seoul 2026
Seoul keeps a stricter weekend than its reputation suggests. The city's marquee Korean tasting rooms run a Tuesday-to-Saturday week and close on both Sunday and Monday, so Monday clears out the field fast: Mingles, Mosu, Soigné and Kwon Sook Soo are all dark. What stays open on Monday is the hotel tier, the rooms inside the Shilla, the Four Seasons, the Lotte and the Signiel, plus one hanwoo specialist that takes Tuesday off instead. Six confirmed Monday rooms follow, each with its district, a signature or two, and exact Monday hours.
For a Monday in Seoul, book La Yeon at the Shilla for grand Korean, or Pierre Gagnaire at the Lotte.
Why a Monday list matters in Seoul
Seoul's fine-dining week is unusually concentrated. The independent tasting rooms that win the stars, Mingles and Mosu among them, close on Sunday and Monday both, and several others, Soigné and Kwon Sook Soo, do the same. Book any of them for a Monday and the door is locked. The rooms that hold a full Monday are almost all in hotels, where the kitchen runs seven days, with a couple of standalone exceptions that simply take a different day off. Knowing which is which is the whole point of a checked Monday list here.
The order below leads with the hotel Korean and French rooms that open Monday, La Yeon at the Shilla, Jungsik in Cheongdam and Pierre Gagnaire at the Lotte, then moves through a Cantonese room at the Four Seasons, a modern-French table at the Signiel and a hanwoo specialist in Seongsu. Prices are quoted in won and sit at the top of the Seoul range. Hours are checked against each restaurant's current schedule. Every name links to its full review, and for the rest of the week you can start from the Seoul dining guide.
The Monday list
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1.La Yeon
Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–14:30 & 17:30–21:30 (daily)
La Yeon occupies the 23rd floor of The Shilla Seoul at 249 Dongho-ro in Jung-gu, long one of the grandest Korean dining rooms in the country and a fixture in the Michelin Guide. The hansik tasting moves through royal-court dishes and seasonal banchan with a view over Namsan. It keeps a full seven-day week, with Monday lunch from noon and dinner from 5:30pm, the most reliable Monday booking in the city for formal Korean cooking.
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2.Jungsik
Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–15:00 & 17:30–22:00 (daily)
Jungsik, Jung-sik Yim's modern-Korean room at 11 Seolleung-ro 158-gil in Cheongdam, is the Seoul half of a Michelin-starred pair with its New York sibling and the restaurant that reframed Korean fine dining for a global audience. The sea-urchin rice and the reworked bibimbap are the signatures, built on French technique. It opens daily including Monday, lunch from noon and dinner from 5:30pm, the strongest Monday option for contemporary Korean cooking in Gangnam.
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3.Pierre Gagnaire à Seoul
Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–15:00 & 18:00–22:00 (daily)
Pierre Gagnaire's Seoul room sits on the 35th floor of the Lotte Hotel's Executive Tower at 81 Namdaemun-ro in Jung-gu, the city's grandest French dining room, open since 2008 and built on roughly eighty per cent Korean produce. The kitchen keeps Gagnaire's restless, multi-plate style across a long degustation. It opens Monday for lunch from noon and dinner from 6pm, the Monday choice for a French occasion with a skyline view.
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4.Yu Yuan
Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–14:30 & 17:30–21:30 (daily)
Yu Yuan, the Cantonese room on the 11th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul at 97 Saemunan-ro in Jongno, holds a Michelin star for a kitchen that ranges across Chinese regions with a strong dim-sum lunch. The Peking duck and the lunchtime trolley are the draws, in a polished hotel setting. It opens daily including Monday, lunch from 11:30am and dinner from 5:30pm, the best Monday Chinese table in the city.
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5.STAY by Yannick Alléno
Monday hours: Monday, 11:30–14:30 & 17:30–22:00 (daily)
STAY by Yannick Alléno occupies the 81st floor of Signiel Seoul at 300 Olympic-ro in Songpa, the modern-French room with the highest view in the city and a place in the Michelin Guide. The format is Alléno's casual-fine STAY concept, finished by the celebrated pastry library at the close. It opens daily including Monday, lunch from 11:30am and dinner from 5:30pm, a Monday booking as much about the room and the height as the cooking.
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6.Born and Bred
Monday hours: Monday, 12:00–15:00 & 18:00–22:30 (closed Tuesday)
Born and Bred in the Majang quarter of Seongsu, at 1 Majang-ro 42-gil, is the hanwoo specialist that put premium Korean beef on Asia's 50 Best, working directly with the neighbouring meat market. The beef omakase runs through rare cuts grilled at the table. It opens Monday for lunch from noon and dinner to 10:30pm, closing on Tuesday instead, which makes it the Monday choice for a serious Korean barbecue.
How to book a Monday table in Seoul
Most of Seoul's Monday rooms take bookings through CatchTable or each hotel's own line, and the hotel kitchens clear Monday more readily than a Friday. La Yeon, Pierre Gagnaire and Yu Yuan are the safe Monday choices to impress on shorter notice, since their seven-day week means a Monday seat is rarely the bottleneck. Jungsik and Born and Bred fill faster, so reserve those as soon as your date is set.
For a solo Monday, the counter and bar seats at Jungsik and the high room at STAY are the easiest single bookings and a strong solo dining move in a city built around groups. Marking an occasion, Born and Bred handles a celebratory hanwoo dinner and La Yeon keeps private rooms for a formal Korean table. Whichever you choose, confirm the Monday date directly, since Seoul's top rooms take irregular closures around Chuseok and Lunar New Year.
Frequently asked questions
Which Michelin restaurants are open on Monday in Seoul?
Several of the city's starred and Guide-listed rooms keep a full Monday, and almost all sit inside hotels. La Yeon at The Shilla, Pierre Gagnaire at the Lotte and Yu Yuan at the Four Seasons all open Monday, as does the modern-Korean Jungsik in Cheongdam. By contrast, the independent tasting rooms Mingles, Mosu, Soigné and Kwon Sook Soo all close on Monday, which is why a checked list helps here.
Is Mingles open on Monday in Seoul?
No. Mingles, the three-Michelin-star modern-Korean room in Cheongdam, closes on both Sunday and Monday and serves Tuesday to Saturday only. If you want a comparable Monday dinner, the closest equivalents are the modern-Korean Jungsik, which opens daily, or La Yeon at The Shilla for a more traditional hansik tasting, both confirmed open on Monday.
Which Seoul fine-dining restaurants are closed on Monday?
A large group of the city's most decorated independent rooms close Monday, including the three-star Mingles and the two-star Mosu and Soigné, along with Kwon Sook Soo, because their teams run a Tuesday-to-Saturday week. The rooms that stay open on Monday are mainly the hotel dining rooms, where the kitchen runs seven days, so a Monday plan should lean on those.
Where can I get a Korean barbecue on a Monday in Seoul?
Born and Bred in the Majang quarter of Seongsu is the standout, a hanwoo specialist on Asia's 50 Best that grills rare premium-beef cuts at the table. It opens Monday for lunch from noon and dinner to 10:30pm, closing on Tuesday instead. Book ahead, since the beef omakase and the limited seats make Monday one of its busier services.
What is the best Monday dinner in Seoul for a special occasion?
For a grand Monday, La Yeon on the 23rd floor of The Shilla is the strongest Korean option, while Pierre Gagnaire at the Lotte handles a French occasion with a skyline view. For the highest room in the city, STAY by Yannick Alléno on the 81st floor of Signiel opens Monday. All three keep a full seven-day week, so a Monday booking is straightforward.
Keep reading
Plan the rest of the week with the full Seoul dining guide, or by occasion with solo dining at the counter. Among the Monday rooms above, read the full reviews of La Yeon at The Shilla, Jungsik in Cheongdam, Pierre Gagnaire à Seoul, Yu Yuan at the Four Seasons and Born and Bred in Seongsu. Travelling on, compare the Monday options in Tokyo's Monday restaurants and Dubai's Monday restaurants.
Hours verified against each restaurant's published schedule as of May 2026; confirm directly before travelling, since Seoul's top rooms take irregular closures around Chuseok and Lunar New Year. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.