food trip in korea

After walking through Café Street, head to MAXTELLA, located about 5 min away on foot from the Spring Building. MAXTELLA’s menu consists of pasta, salad, and steak dishes. Its signature dish, "seafood tteokbokki gratin," is a fusion dish that brings together Korea’s tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cake) with gratin. Tteokbokki is a popular street snack made by stir-frying rice cakes, red chili paste, and vegetables. It is often arranged in different styles, such as cheese tteokbokki, royal tteokbokki (made with soy sauce), and oil tteokbokki.

MAXTELLA’s "seafood tteokbokki gratin" features a sumptuous collection of seafood, such as squid, blue crab, shrimp, and mussels. Both rice cakes and spaghetti noodles are used in this dish. The spiciness from tteokbokki is mitigated by cheese, and the crunchy texture from cabbage and vegetables helps to perk up the dish.

For those who don’t particularly enjoy spicy food, MAXTELLA’s omelet rice menu offers a great alternative to tteokbokki’s spiciness through the softness of the egg on top of fried rice.

To capture the harmony of the city and nature at Songdo, go to IFEZ* Promotion Hall Observatory on the 33rd floor of the G-Tower. One has a view of not only Songdo but also Oido Island, famous for its tidal flat and grilled clams, and the Incheondaegyo Bridge, 23 km away from the platform, which made this observatory an essential part of any visit to Songdo.

Each observation point has inscriptions of the scenery and the buildings that can be seen from that point, so those not familiar with Incheon’s cityscape can enjoy the view as well. Since March 2023, the observatory has been open to the public at night to enjoy the night view of Songdo.

*Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ): This Zone was designated to establish Incheon as a global economic hub and encompasses the Songdo, Yeongjong, and Cheongna areas of Incheon.

Before going for a leisurely walk through Songdo Central Park, head to Ginosko, a renowned spot for good coffee and dessert in the area. Ginosko offers various beans for your choice, from single-origin beans sourced from Costa Rica, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Brazil to two house blends. Its signature menu is "Heavy White," which brings together bold and intense notes with a sweet and dense milk body.

With a cup of coffee or some desserts on hand, let’s embark on a walking tour of Songdo’s urban park, Songdo Central Park. It is a rectangular park with a land area of 46.3 ha, nearly 56 times the area of a soccer field. It takes about 1 hr 30 min just to circle the park alone, so one has a pretty good idea of how big it is. Songdo Central Park is the first park in Korea to have seawater flowing through it, which is collected from the treatment plant about 4 km away from the park, treated, and then sent to the waterway. The treatment process helps maintain the water quality at grade 1, so it can accommodate aquatic life like gray mullet, rockfish, and blue crab.

Other interesting things to look for are the distinctly Korean motifs hidden throughout the park. For example, the park recreates the unique topography of Korea* in its premises, as flat fields turn to rolling hills as one moves eastward in the park. There are also artificial islands in the middle of the waterway, which take their likeness from Dadohae* on the southern coast of Korea. In addition to being a great place to take a light walk in, there’s plenty to see and do in Songdo Central Park as well. This itinerary will take you to Songdo Hanok Village, Tri-Bowl, and the West and the East Boat Houses in the park.

*Korea’s topography: Mountains make up more than 70% of the Korean Peninsula. Mountain ranges run along the eastern part of the peninsula, which means that the topography of Korea tends to be high in the east and low in the west. *Dadohae: When used as an ordinary noun, it denotes a sea with many islands. In Korean geography, it denotes the stretch of the sea where islands are found in particular abundance, extending from Hongdo Island in Sinan-gun to Yeosu in Jeollanam-do.

The eastern and western parts of Songdo Central Park offer various activities on the water. When the weather becomes warmer during spring, people begin to flock to the boat marinas and water taxis. Specifically, the West Boat House offers water taxis that run along specific routes, while the East Boat House provides boating experiences that passengers can manually control.

To find the water taxi in the picture, head to the West Boat House. The water taxi service offers a 20-min ride going back and forth along a 2-km-long route. The taxi’s interior has windows to enjoy the view of the G-Tower, Tri-Bowl, and the Hanok Village while seated. Fares are KRW 4,000 (March 2023) for adults.

Now that you’ve had your food, sightseeing, and shopping, wrap up your trip by heading to this massive café in Songdo Recreation Area. It takes about 30 min by bus to reach the Songdo Recreation Area from Hyundai Premium Outlet and Triple Street. Cheongnyangsan Mountain and the Incheon Dulle Trail can be found at the back of the recreation area, and because there are plenty of cafés that can be visited after a walk, the Songdo Recreation Area draws a large group of visitors every weekend. Forest Outings is notable because it resembles a botanical garden in its design: One can have something beyond desserts and a cup of coffee, as the interior is divided into spaces with different themes for a restful stay.