This is a list of the oldest active restaurants in South Korea. For inclusion in the list, the restaurant must be currently active and located within South Korea proper, with relative consensus on the founding date and continuity of the restaurant since its founding.
Few businesses are over 100 years old; this is possibly due to the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period and 1950–1953 Korean War. [1]
Seolleongtang (Korean: 설렁탕) or ox bone soup is a Korean tang (soup) made from ox bones, brisket and other cuts. Seasoning is generally done at the table according to personal taste by adding salt, ground black pepper, red pepper, minced garlic, or chopped spring onions. It is a local dish of Seoul.
The Lee Myung-bak government was the fifth government of the Sixth Republic of South Korea. It took office on 25 February 2008 after Lee Myung-bak's victory in the 2007 presidential elections. Most of the new cabinet was approved by the National Assembly on 29 February. Led by President Lee Myung-bak, it was supported principally by the conservative Saenuri Party, previously known as the Grand National Party. It was also known as Silyong Jeongbu, the "pragmatic government", a name deriving from Lee's campaign slogan.
In the Lee Myung-bak rat poster incident in Seoul, South Korea, university instructor Park Jeong-su (박정수) was indicted by the South Korean authorities for drawing a face of a rat on a promotional poster for the 2010 G-20 Seoul summit. The conservative Lee Myung-bak government was criticized for encouraging institutionalized censorship and abuse of authority, while the Supreme Prosecutors' Office of the Republic of Korea (SPO) was accused of being overly-supportive of the government.
Chueo-tang (Korean: 추어탕) or loach soup is a Korean tang (soup) that prominently features pond loach, a freshwater fish. The city of Namwon in southwestern South Korea is known for its version of the dish.
Hanjeongsik, sometimes translated as Korean table d'hôte, is a Korean-style full-course meal characterized by the array of small banchan plates in varied colours.
Imun Seolnongtang is a historic restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. It is the oldest operating restaurant in South Korea, having been founded in c. 1904, during the Korean Empire period. It specializes in the ox bone soup dish seolleongtang.
Gonghwachun was a historic restaurant specializing in Korean Chinese cuisine in Incheon Chinatown, South Korea. It first opened some time between 1905 and 1908, and is considered the first restaurant to serve the dish jajangmyeon in Korea. It closed in 1983. Its original building was made a Registered Cultural Heritage of South Korea in 2006. In 2012, a Jajangmyeon Museum was established in the building.
Yonggeumok is a historic Korean restaurant chain in Seoul, South Korea. It is the third oldest operating restaurant in Seoul, having first opened in 1932, and specializes in the pond loach soup dish chueo-tang.
Jin A Chun is a historic Korean Chinese cuisine restaurant in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is recognized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as the second oldest operating restaurant in Seoul, having been founded in 1925.
Eunhosikdang (Korean: 은호식당) is a historic Korean restaurant in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It is the fourth oldest active restaurant in Seoul, having been founded in 1932. It specializes in the dish kkori-gomtang. It is close to the Namdaemun area, near Namdaemun Market.
Jaembaeok (Korean: 잼배옥) is a historic Korean restaurant in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It is the fifth oldest active restaurant in Seoul, having opened in 1933. It specializes in the ox bone soup dish seolleongtang. The restaurant is one of relatively few seolleongtang restaurants in the city that survived the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period and 1950–1953 Korean War.
Naju Gomtang Hayanjib, or Hayanjib for short, is a historic restaurant in Naju, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is among the oldest active restaurants in South Korea, having been founded in 1910. It specializes in the local dish Naju gomtang, and now operates several branches in multiple locations.
Anilok is a historic Korean restaurant in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was established around 1920, making it one of the oldest active restaurants in South Korea. It specializes in the beef soup dish seolleongtang, and is among the oldest gukbap restaurants in Gyeonggi Province.
Hanilkwan is a historic Korean restaurant chain originally founded in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It is the seventh-oldest active restaurant in Seoul, having opened in 1939. It specializes in the marinated meat dish bulgogi and the rib dish galbi.
Buyeojip (Korean: 부여집) is a historic Korean restaurant in Dangsan-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, South Korea. It opened in 1947 and specializes in the dishes gomtang and seolleongtang. The same family has run the restaurant for three generations. The restaurant was renovated and reopened on September 7, 2020. It was made a Seoul Future Heritage in December 2014. The restaurant reportedly delivers and sells its soup around the country, and operates a branch restaurant in the Lotte World theme park.
Hamyangzip is a historic Korean restaurant in Ulsan, South Korea. It is among the oldest active restaurants in South Korea, having been founded in 1924. It has remained a family business since, and is currently on its fourth generation of owners.
Sinsikdang (Korean: 신식당) is a historic Korean restaurant in Damyang County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The restaurant is among the oldest active restaurants in South Korea, having been founded in 1932. The restaurant is the oldest active tteok-galbi restaurant; some suggest that the restaurant coined that term for the dish around the early 1970s, although one writer for the Blue Ribbon Survey expressed doubt about that theory. The restaurant is now operated by the fourth generation of the same family.
Leesungdang is a historic bakery in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is the oldest active bakery in South Korea, having been founded in 1945, just after the liberation of Korea. It has remained a family business since then, and by 2019 was operated by the daughter-in-law of the founder.