73,094 places in Seoul, with 12,805 restaurants and 9,863 cafés from Gangnam to Dongdaemun, for eating at midnight and finding a seat at three.
Num's Korea is Seoul, and Seoul is enormous: 73,094 places, of which 12,805 are restaurants and 9,863 are cafés, with Gangnam, Yeongdeungpo and Dongdaemun among the best-covered districts. Bars (2,998), bakeries (1,326) and 3,840 beauty and spa listings round it out, which suits a city where a facial or a late bakery run is a normal Tuesday.
Ask Num for a barbecue place near your line that serves solo diners, a café open past midnight in Hongdae, a 24-hour pharmacy or convenience store, a bathhouse that stays open all night, a market stall in Gwangjang for bindaetteok, or the nearest place to charge a phone and sit down. Write in any language and it answers in the same one with a single place that is open now and how to reach it by subway.
Every destination Num covers here, with how many places it holds in each. Open one for the full picture.
| Currency | South Korean won (KRW) |
|---|---|
| Languages | Korean; English on signage and transport, patchier in small restaurants |
| Plugs | Types C, F · 220 V |
| Emergency | 112 police · 119 fire and ambulance · 1330 tourist helpline in English and other languages |
| Tipping | not customary; nobody expects it and it can cause confusion |
Buses, the subway and most taxis take a T-money card, sold and topped up at convenience stores; tapping in and out is cheaper than single tickets and transfers are discounted.
Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but some small restaurants and market stalls are cash only, and foreign cards fail at a minority of terminals; carry some won.
Google Maps gives poor walking and transit directions in Korea; Naver Map and Kakao Map are what locals use and both have English versions.
Many restaurants take a break in mid-afternoon and stop taking orders well before closing, so a late lunch can be harder than a late dinner.
In many traditional restaurants with floor seating, and in every home and temple stay, shoes come off at the door. Socks without holes are a small kindness to yourself.
Message Num the way you would message a friend who lives here, in any language. It answers with one real place that fits, open now, and how to get there. It is free for travelers. Businesses list free and pay only when Num completes a booking for them, so nothing here is ranked by who paid.
Very; violent crime against visitors is rare and lost items are often returned. The main risks are traffic when crossing and drinking-related scrapes in nightlife areas. The tourist helpline 1330 answers in English around the clock.
Yes, in English or any other language. Ask in yours and it replies the same way, with a place in Seoul that is open at that moment and the subway stop to get there.
April for cherry blossom and October to early November for autumn color, both with mild weather; July and August are hot and humid with a monsoon, and January is bitterly cold.