Follow me on a BTS-themed day in Gangnam, Seoul:
1. Cafe Camptong - where one of their Run episodes was filmed
2. Yoojung Sikdang - the restaurant they used to frequent as trainees & rookies
3. Photoism x BTS - 10th anniversary photobooth
If you are looking for a BTS-themed experience in Seoul, Gangnam is a must-visit location! There were several other BTS spots in Gangnam that I didn't visit, I'll add them at the end of my blog!
First stop of the day: Cafe Camptong
Ok this isn't exactly at Gangnam, but very near! Its a 4-minute walk from the Apgujeong Police Box bus stop, or 10-minute from Apgujeong Rodeo station. The cafe was very vast and spacious, and upon entering, I was greeted with a videoplay of the BTS Run episode that was filmed here!
The walls of the entrance corridor also had some BTS polaroids taken there, and post-its written by ARMYs:
From the BTS galore all over the entrance corridor, I thought that the inside would have more! But, I was surprised that the entire cafe was almost void of Run BTS decorations. In fact, there wasn't any BTS stuff on the first floor (other than the entrance corridor), I had to ask the cashier where the props/decos were.
But in the meantime, I got myself a cup of tea, which cost around 6,000won.
The 2nd floor had a tiny bit more BTS decorations, but was actually closed off so you have to ask the staff to let you enter. These are the polaroids of Jimin & Hobi taken at the dart board, so it makes a good photo spot!
There are a few more photo spots on the 1st & 2nd floor, where you can mimic the pictures BTS took. This backdrop is on the 1st floor!
Overall verdict: I think my judgment is a little too biased since I came with high hopes of seeing more BTS decorations around the place. It is a good photo spot since BTS took some cute photos there which you can mimic. But, I don't think I revisit this cafe again, unless I happen to be nearby and want a spot to chill at.
Second stop: Yoojung Sikdang
It was around 3pm+ when I finally found the restaurant, & was starving by then. Yoojung Sikdang is nearest to Sinsa station, but I took a direct bus from Cafe Camptong.
The entrance is already prettily decorated with BTS posters, & although it was way past peak lunch time, there were many patrons swarming in (including me).
The restaurant staff were super busy, because the table turnover rate was high and I could tell they were kinda understaffed. I saw the Ahjumma owner who appeared in the BTS Rookie King episode - there were diners going up to her & asking for pictures, she looked really friendly!
While waiting to be seated, I had a look around the whole place, & it was really an ARMY's paradise; so so so many BTS decorations all over.
I got seated down & this was my view!
Honestly, there is no bad seat in the restaurant because there are BTS posters & decos all over; and I really mean ALL OVER - the ceiling too.
Shortly after, I think the Ahjumma's daughter (the main waitress) saw that I was struggling to take photos lol, so she kindly moved my friend & I to another spot, and this was my new view!
I didn't manage to photograph the menu (but there are photos of it online); there are plenty of choices, even for vegetarians too! There are BBQ sets, but I wanted to eat bibimbap so I ordered that.
YUM! It came with a tofu/miso soup (I forgot) on the side, and was honestly pretty good.
I almost forgot to mention that even the order slip was BTS-themed:
Before leaving, I saw the Ahjumma again & got a photo with her! I don't want to show my face hence the weird shading. I wanted to strike up a small conversation but she honestly looked really exhausted, I just left after a saying thank you.
Overall verdict: This is my 4th time in Seoul, but my first time at Yoojung Sikdang (idk why I never patronized earlier). The vibes are amazing for ARMYs, because there are fellow fans there too & the food's honestly great. Not to mention I really liked the service too. I will definitely revisit this restaurant when I come back to Seoul in future!
Fun fact: BTS members would eat 2 or 3 meals here back in their rookie days
3rd stop: Photoism booth in Garosugil
Photoism often has collaborations with artists, & this time there was one for BTS' 10th anniversary!
There were options for other artists too, like NCT's Dojaejung. The normal Photoism strip is 4,000won each, but with the BTS collaboration it was 7,000won each!
There was only the 2014 version available when I visited, so I did that. I chose to do for RM, Jhope & Jungkook first because I didn't wanna hog the booth.
The countdown for each photo was 10s, which is honestly way way too short T.T (I ended up being unprepared in some, but we have one chance to retake the photos so all's good).
Done! A super cute activity to do for ARMYs because we you can match with the members' poses, and a great souvenir to bring back home.
Here are some other BTS-related places in the vicinity that you can visit if you're in Gangnam!
- New HYBE Insight Museum (You will need to reserve a time slot to visit in advance on Weverse)
- The Mins cafe - Apgujeong (BTS' favourite cafe in the earlier days)
- K-star Road (Sculptures of K-pop groups including BTS, EXO etc.)
- Old BigHit building (I visited it back in 2016, & recall the climb up a steep slope to get to it, but it's worth it!!)
Thanks for reading!
By anpinmanz
23 June 2023