The Best Chinese Food in Seoul
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The best Chinese food in Seoul, according to the experts: the Michelin Guide has weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Yu Yuan comes out on top.
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ALT.a and Jin Jin hold the next two places.
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Rank 1. Yu Yuan
Cantonese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: 1 Star
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Rank 2. ALT.a
Vegan Chinese
Vegan Chinese food that doesn't feel like a compromise is the premise here, and ALT.a makes a reasonable case for it. The kitchen reimagines classics like jjamppong and tangsuyuk using only plant-based ingredients, leaning on crisp coatings and chewy textures where the meat usually does the convincing. The cooking runs notably light, which keeps the whole meal from feeling like a statement. It holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
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Rank 2. Jin Jin
Chinese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
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Rank 4. Goobok Mandu
Chinese
A Korean husband and his Chinese wife run this tiny dumpling shop in Yongsan, and the menu makes no attempt to overwhelm you: four kinds of dim sum, full stop. The pan-fried kimchi dumplings get the most attention, with a crisp bottom, a chewy wrapper, and a filling of pork and house-made kimchi that lands somewhere between tangy and gently hot. Chilli flakes and vinegar sit on the table for anyone who wants to push it further.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
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Rank 4. Haobin
Cantonese
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
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Rank 4. JUE
Cantonese
The set menu here is structured around Chinese noble titles, which sets the tone at this Cantonese restaurant in Yongsan: a little ceremonial, a lot deliberate. Barbecued pork goes into a high-heat oven after marinating, coming out with the kind of crackling skin that makes you forget the other thirteen dim sum varieties on the table, though the abalone-topped shumai will remind you.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
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Rank 4. Toh Lim
Chinese
Thirty-seven floors up in the Lotte Hotel, this Chinese restaurant earns its altitude with floor-to-ceiling views of Seoul and a room that takes itself seriously without being stiff. The menu runs from dim sum through regional Chinese dishes, with seafood doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Private rooms in various sizes mean this is where families and deal-closers both end up, sometimes in the same evening.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant
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Rank 4. Zhonghuafuchun Salon
Chinese
The menu shifts between mainland Chinese tradition and Korean inflection, which is about as tidy a description as you'll get of a restaurant where that tension is the whole point. This is a Chinese dining room in Seoul where the chef has spent years in active conversation with cooks across China, adjusting classic recipes without losing the thread back to them. The result is food that tastes grounded rather than hybrid.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Selected Restaurant