5 places you cannot miss in seoul right now

the world has fallen in love with everything south korea and in recent years its capital seoul has made a name for itself as one of the most exciting travel destinations. what’s so intriguing about seoul is the perfect balance between a city that fully embraces the new, yet maintaining the utmost respect for its tradition. and while its streets might be tricky to navigate, here are five places to add to your restaurant shortlist.

located the bustling neighborhood of seongsu, address to some of the coolest stores in town, you will find nudake, a place where dessert and pastries were taken to a whole new level. all the pastries are neatly displayed at a round table and featured some unique shapes and sizes. a cauliflower shaped dessert? they have it. spawning from the gentle monster fold, nudake has now three different locations in seoul. the good news is not only nudake is a delightful experience to the eye, taste-wise everything is pretty delicious too.

after spending an entire morning visiting some of seoul’s top attractions, including changdeokgung palace and its secret garden, we headed to ikseon banju. the interior has lots of natural light but the highlight was the food. in fact, ikseon banju offers a modern spin on local ingredients. my personal highlight? the octopus carpaccio. outstanding!

finding seomg wang bar was quite challenging, I’m not going to lie, and so was communication as there is no english menu available. but was it worth it? most definitely! housed on the fifth floor of a building, seomg wang is one of the coolest places I had thechance to visit in seoul. a cocktail/wine bar that serves desserts? some might find the combination odd but I can’t think of a better pairing.

ranking at no. 18 on 50’s best bars in asia, zest is a must go. from its minimalist wooden interiors to the surprising mix of ingredients featured in their signature cocktails, zest is the place to go before or after dinner. what surprised me the most about this place was the fact that it didn’t had any bottles on display. instead, there’s a lab in one of the corners, that’s where all the magic takes place. wondering what zest means? zero waste. indeed, at zest all ingredients are sourced from local suppliers and any leftovers are upcycled.

not far from zest, michelin-starred restaurant vinho serves contemporary korean food in a elegant scenery. unfortunately, because we were only able to secure a late reservation, we didn’t had the set menu created by chef jeon seong-bin. however, that didn’t prevent us from having a truly amazing and unforgettable experience, starting with oyster ice cream and finishing with some perfectly cooked lamb. and because “vinho” means wine in portuguese, the wine pairing was also on-point.

cátia santos reis "the world is yours but greece is mine” could be her mantra as cátia santos reis is yet to find a greek island she hasn’t fallen in love with. in the meantime, she keeps traveling the world. for CINCO editorial, the 34 year-old, will share her favorite things to do, visit and eat in every destination.