Tourist Destinations - Chinatown in Incheon, Korea

Incheon, Korea is a landmark for having the best airport in the world year after year. It is still my favorite airport in the world and trust me, I have been to quite the number of airports this past year with all of the traveling done. In addition to having the best airport in the world, Incheon is also known to be the one place that the locals go to for their Chinatown. Although Chinese food and Chinese goods in Korea has its Korean influences, the Chinatown in Incheon is still worth a visit for their food.

Many locals and foreigners visit the Chinatown in Incheon to buy a handful of Chinese goods. You will see the many red and gold designs because of the Chinese influences, those being the strongest two colors. Red and gold basically stands for luck and fortune which is dispersed all over Chinatown. Using the influences of the Chinese culture, the decorations of Incheon is very similar. It is also one of the very few places in Korea that you will actually find Chinese characters which is also the traditional Korean writing, from years ago. 

The Incheon Chinatown is extremely small with a few streets of food and stores located right across the street from the Incheon station and up the block. Spending half a day in the Chinatown is more than enough, especially during lunch time. You can leisurely walk the streets and explore, eating your way up the alleys and if your stomach can hold it, go for the Korean Chinese infusion foods. There are countless numbers of Jajangmyeon restaurants in the alleys. With so many restaurants in the area, it can get a little difficult to choose, but I always look for those with the longest lines and most locals of course!

 

The one thing I will rave about, the must have here is the clay pot buns. With two stoves that are made of clay and a fire that cooks the buns stuck to the side of the huge furnace, it is one thing that everyone lines up for. You can't miss it with a huge figurine replica of the store. The owner is hugging his many buns and the best thing is, he promotes picture taking. Once the buns are in the old fashion stove and almost ready to be sold, he will open it for locals and foreigners to snap a photo. Now that's some customer service there! It is extremely difficult to find stores that will allow you to come up close and personal with the things that they are cooking, but this store is extremely friendly.

There are a handful of street vendors that sell food for you to consume as you walk through the rest of the Chinatown. This is the one place you will find a ton of cookies, sweet to the taste with a caramel inside. You can also find the Korean version of moon cakes here in Incheon. Mooncakes is something that is special to the Chinese during the Full Moon festival. For this very reason, I found Incheon special because they actually carry the moon cake. Although it is not the same as the traditional Chinese moon cakes, it is rather close enough. With different kinds of filings, they are all something to sample. You will definitely find tons of samples out along the streets because of the amount of competition. Although most taste fairly similar to one another, very few are able to distinguish the difference, myself included!

 

It is definitely recommended to go with a bunch of friends to share snacks because you just might be too full for lunch. A day of adventure with a handful of friends is always the way to go. Knowing most people who live in Seoul, Incheon is quite a trip out so be sure to make it worth it! There are a handful of parks and stores nearby that you can explore and make it a full day's trip. You'll be surprised at what you can find.

Sweet Tooth Satisfaction - Gentle Lady Cupcakes

Gentle Lady Cupcakes is one of the newest cupcake shops in Sinsa-dong located off of the popular Garosugil shopping street. The most popular flavors include the red velvet and carrot cake. Going for the earl grey which is not offered in many coffee shops, the cupcake was a little on the dry end. Topped with an extremely light whipping and chocolate flakes, the Gentle Lady heart is made of a white chocolate. 

Although the cupcakes are not something "to die for" the one recommendation to make is to purchase their "cookie" which is served in a packaged container to go. The almond cookie is literally to die for. Made with pieces of almonds, these bite-sized cookies melt in your mouth with consumption. They are made of fluffy air and deliciousness, a little too much sugar maybe, but totally worth the splurge. 

The shop is small in size, offering seating for roughly 10. It is worth it to take a break from all the shopping on Garosugil and pop into Gentle Lady Cupcakes for a drink. Served in over sized mugs, the earl grey latte is one recommendation to make with fluffy steamed milk that is not as bitter as earl grey tea and not extremely sweet to taste.

Contact Information Phone: 02-790-0259 Address: 533-14 Sinsadong, Gangnam-gu Seoul. Straight from exit 8 of Sinsa station on line 3, take a left when you reach Tous Le Jours bakery on the corner. Go straight along Garosu-gil shopping street until you see the Fossil store and take a left into the small block. Gentle Lady Cupcake will be on your right. 

Sweet Tooth Satisfaction - Bens Cookies

Ben's Cookies is a new store that recently opened in Itaewon serving soft freshly baked cookies. Soft is emphasized because Koreans do not believe in soft cookies (even those at Subway are over baked compared to those back in America). All cookies are baked daily on the premises with traditional flavored cookies and new mixes. It is the one recommendation to be made for anyone looking for a hot cookie fresh from the oven with melted chocolate chips, yes it is that good. It is totally worth paying $3 a cookie because it is impossible to find soft baked cookies in Korea! Cookies are rather thick compared to those found in America which is why they are soft. It is the closest thing to an under baked cookie so settle for the thickness of it!

This small shop is baking up goodies right behind the cashier, attracting all guests with their open window display of cookies and red interior. Soft, fluffy, crispy on the outside, they are all worth a taste. Straight from exit 2 of Itaewon station, go straight for about three blocks and it will be on your left.

Update: There is now a small shop right outside exit 9 of the Hongik station on line 2. Bear a left at the exit and you will see it on your left!

Sweet Tooth Satisfaction - Sugar Daddy

Everyone knows I have the craziest sweet tooth, especially for cupcakes. I have been on the search in Seoul for forever now to find the best cupcakes and constantly let down each time. Sugar Daddy is definitely the only one that comes close, almost the perfect cupcake. Sugar Daddy is an extremely small shop in Itaewon where the baker is in the store baking and decorating as she sells cupcakes from the same table. This extremely small and cozy spot is filled with all things delicious which are not only cupcakes! 

Sugar Daddy offers cupcake sized pies, mini cheesecakes, fudge bars, cookies, and cupcakes of traditional flavors as well as all things crazy. Many of the ingredients used in the recipes are ordered from foreign markets and online stores which explains the quality of the baked goods. Furthermore, the owner (Yumi Jung) tries to incorporate all things crazy that Americans love into her baked goods which provides her with another bonus thumbs up.

I am absolutely in love with Sugar Daddy for the amazing service for starters. Yumi had two stools in front and offered seating for us to consume our root beer cupcake and key lime pie. She then proceeded to offer us a cup of tea, Australia's T2 tea which she allowed us to choose from a wide selection of flavors. Halfway into our baked goods, she then offered us a freshly baked cookie from her cooling rack. 

In terms of her baked goods: the root beer cupcake is definitely a special kind of cupcake which is a fun eat. The root beer kick to the cupcake takes it to a whole new level. I'm personally not a fan of root beer, but this cupcake definitely changed my mind. Topped with a "scoop of icecream" and a "straw" for consumption, this cute it is a blast of flavor with a fluffy cake base, whipped fondant-icing like cream, and a drizzle of deliciousness. 

The mini key lime pie, made of a graham cracker base that is topped with a key lime filling is also on point. The tart key lime is not overpowering and it is the perfect blend with the crust, definitely a recommendation for anyone looking for something tangy but not too sour. The cookies are made of all things crazy as well, but like most Korean cookies, they are all hard and not soft-baked, but still delicious in taste!

For my cupcake hunt in Korea, I think I have found the best and closest thing. I definitely recommend Sugar Daddy to anyone who is looking for that perfect cupcake. With so much to choose from, you may be spending a little more than anticipated. Cupcakes and baked goods average at $4.50 a pop, cookies priced at $1 and totally worth every penny of it!

From the Noksapyeong station on line 6 of the brown, take exit 2 and go straight to the light. Take the hill up on your left and go straight. Go up the hill and you will see the small shop of Sugar Daddy on your right. This location in Haebangchon is actually closed.

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For the Itaewon Sugar Daddy shop that recently opened in replacement of the location above in Haebangchon, take exit 4 of the Itaewon station on line 6 and go straight by the McDonald's.