My Favorite Indian Restaurants in South Korea!

Ah, Indian food. Would you believe me if I told you I'd never had it until I came to South Korea? True story.

The textures, the spices, the atmosphere, the Bollywood music videos.

And now I'm in love.

(Doesn't everyone fall in love after watching Bollywood music videos? Just me? Ok then.)

This post is for a collection of Indian restaurants in South Korea that we've found and loved!

I've always considered myself a pretty harsh food critic. The meal. The ambiance. The service. I'm certainly not a pro, but it takes a precise balance of these to impress me. Check out the ones on this list and you won't be disappointed!

Let's get started.

Seoul

Jyoti Indian Restaurant - Chungmuro Myeongdong

Address: 12-4 Seoae-ro, Gwanghui-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

Price Range: $$

A great place for Indian food! The service is satisfactory and the ambience is nice. Food was delicious and came out quickly. There are also spices and trinkets for sale near the register. When we first walked up to the building, we didn't see the Indian restaurant so we walked into a Korean BBQ restaurant and asked the waitstaff. Turns out the Indian restaurant was just upstairs (hello, feeling oblivious?!), so look for the large signage – it's honestly hard to miss... We went on a Saturday evening and there were only a total of two other parties there during our visit. Don't be swayed by the lack of a crowd! I promise, the food is great. You won't regret it. We ordered a samosa appetizer, dal tadka, saag paneer, basmati rice, garlic naan, plain naan and a mango lassi. Everything tasted amazing and we were stuffed by the time we left! Yum!

Jyoti Indian Restaurant - Jonggak

Address: Jyoti Restaurant Jonggak Seoul, 6, Jong-ro 12-gil,, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Near the south end of the "Avenue of Youth")

Price Range: $$

We went to this restaurant the day after we visited the Jyoti restaurant in Myeongdong. It was my birthday weekend and gosh darnit, I wanted Indian food! So we ate Indian food twice. And it was delicious. Jyoti in Jonggak is much more of a challenge to find. The address on Google gets you in the right vicinity, but not directly to the exact location. We actually had to stop and ask for directions to find this one too, and even then, we almost gave up. After finally locating the big black sign with yellow letters "Jyoti"(see photos below, Google maps street view is outdated), we headed down into the restaurant to eat. Aside from the waiter, there were two other patrons in the restaurant around 3pm on a Sunday. During this time, the restaurant was understaffed and our order did take a bit longer to come out. Aside from that, the food was delicious and we left satisfied. We also received a mango lassi on the house, which was nice. Plus, they play Bollywood music videos!

(approximate location)

Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do

Taj Palace

Address:17-1 Shopping-ro, Bijeon 2(i)-dong, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do

Price Range: $$

We are regulars here. I'm not ashamed to say it! Taj Palace was recently renamed from Spice Village. The food hasn't changed – it's still delicious! We love the chicken chili (ask for less spicy!), lemon rice (my FAVORITE!), basmati rice, aloo gobi, garlic and plain naan. So many wonderful flavors and textures! The service is satisfactory, however you won't receive pleasantries here like you may be used to. Not that I'm complaining. The waitstaff does a good job. Plus, Bollywood music videos play nonstop and can be fun to watch! 

Know of another Indian restaurant in South Korea that we should check out?! Don't leave a fellow foodie hangin'! Comment below and we'll add it to our list!

Billy Angel Cake Company | Seoul, South Korea

I watched this video on the internet a year or so ago about a 20 layer rainbow crepe cake made of all different fruity flavors. The cake shop was located in Seoul, South Korea. The video made the cake look awesome and delicious and exotic. At the time I thought "Wow, that's really cool. I'd love to try that." but never did I imagine I'd actually try that cake!

In fact, rainbow cakes are quite popular here in South Korea. You'll find different versions in dessert and coffee shops in almost every mall, but I'd yet to try one!

Simply put, I'd never tried a rainbow cake before the Billy Angel Cake Company because it wasn't the rainbow cake that I'd seen in the video. I had to have that one. In fact, I'd thought the Billy Angel Cake Company had gone out of business after a quick Google search had only revealed a location that hadn't been updated in a year or two (I've yet to actually visit said location...) I was sad and disappointed. I'll admit, there were several times where I almost gave in to those other rainbow cakes.

So imagine my surprise when, on our way to the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival, we found a Billy Angel Cake Company, the cake shop in the video I'd watched all those years ago. Say what!?

I took a sharp turn into the cake shop, with Ethan tagging along behind. He must have thought I had an immediate craving for cake, not realizing that it was the Billy Angel Cake Company I'd talked about in the past. Of course, I had to stop and get a piece. It would be the perfect addition to our time in the park seeing the cherry blossoms.

After spotting the cake and making our purchase, "to go please", I pulled out my DSLR for a couple of quick shots.

The girls working there must have thought I was crazy, photographing their store and the menu, (notice them ducking behind the counter in the shot below). I just had to share my find with you guys, just in case you were like me, and didn't know this rainbow crepe cake still existed because, ahem, Google let you down.

In addition to several types of cake, you can also grab a beverage, which makes this a great place to stop on your way to Yeouido Park.

So there you have it. Billy Angel Cake Company does exist. And for all you foreigners who use Google exclusively to get around (like me!), I've marked the location in the map below. There is apparently another location in Seoul, however I cannot vouch for it's existence because I have not physically been there.

So how was the infamous rainbow layer crepe cake from Billy Angel Cake Company?

I'd give this cake a 3.5 out of 5 stars. The crepe layers were quite moist and the mousse creme was moderately sweet. It was actually pretty cool to taste the different layers separately – they were all quite fruity. Yum!

Now I think I can finally branch out and try other rainbow cakes after checking this one off my bucket list. Sweet!

The Details

• What: Billy Angel Cake Company

• Where: 23 Yeoui-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

Changdeokgung Palace | Seoul, South Korea

Welcome to Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, South Korea!

Changdeokgung is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, how cool is that?

This palace is the second palace built in Seoul, after the Gyeongbukgung Palace was built in 1405. It's also the most well preserved of the five royal villas.

Ethan and I visited Changdeokgung on a Sunday afternoon. It was not very busy at all, which is always nice.

The palace also features what is known as the "secret garden", also called Huwon. It's said that the garden has remained untouched by human hands with only the rare exception when interference is absolutely necessary. If you have the time, you can tour the garden for an extra fee. Details on that below.

We chose not to tour the garden since we visited the palace in late winter and there wasn't much foliage. I hope to return this spring or early summer to see Huwon for myself!

"Changdeokgung Palace was constructed in 1405, the fifth year of the 3rd King Taejon's reign. Secondary to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace, its completion gave balance to the capital city as Gyeongbokgung Palace was to the west and Changdeokgung Palace to the east. All of the palace buildings were destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion in 1592. Changdeokgung was restored in 1610 and served as the main palace for 270 years including the dynasty's last king, Sunjong. Since the palace was to the eat of Gyeongbokgung, it was referred to as the "East Palace" together with Changgyonggung Palace. In contrast to Gyeongbokgung, where major buildings are arranged in accordance with the main axis of the meridian, Changdeokgung is laid out in harmony with the area's topography; the palace architecture has a dissymmetric beauty that is unique to Korea. The layout of Changdeokgung is making perfect harmony with natural background by locating buildings alongside of mountain. It influenced the layout of other major palaces. The buildings of Changdeokgung Palace including Daejojeon, the queen's residence, were destroyed in 1917 by fire. To replace them, buildings at Gyeongbokgung Palace were dismantled and moved here. In the process, many structures were modified or damaged.

Full restoration work began in 1991 and is still under way. Despite all of the damage done to the palace in years past, Changdeokgung is relatively well preserved and is representative of Korea palace architecture. The garden of Changdeokgung is one of the most enchanting space in Korea. The Changdeokgung Palace complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List in 1997 for its outstanding architecture and a design that is in harmony with the landscape."

The architecture is pretty amazing. This was one of my favorite styles.

The throne room

Check out those chandeliers; can you imagine having those in your sitting room?

"Changdokkung Palace was registered on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List under the provisions of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on December 6, 1997.

A World Heritage is defined as something which has distinctive and invaluable cultural properties and which needs special preservatory care so that its values can be shared by the people of the world.

The palace was constructed as a detached palace in 1405, the 5th year of the king Taejong of the Chosen Dynasty. With its unique palatial layout, its exquisite buildings, and the landscaping of its rear garden, it is known as the epitome of Korea architecture."

We walked around the grounds as our own pace, however there are tours available in Korean, English and Japanese. Check out this site for more information.

 The Details

• What: Changdeokgung Palace

• When: Feb-May, Sep-Oct 09:00-18:00, Jun-Aug 09:00-18:30, Nov-Jan 09:00-17:30

• Where: 99, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 종로구 율곡로 99 (와룡동)

• Cost: Adults: 3000₩ palace entrance, 5000₩ for the secret garden | Children: 1500₩ palace entrance, 2500₩ for the secret garden