[FOOD COURT] The best places to eat near Korea University

Korea University has a huge campus made even larger by the university hospital located next door. Hungry students and visitors do not have to look far to find something for lunch, with the alleys near the campus filled with a range of restaurants.

Gyu don sold at Teukbyul Sikdang [TEUKBYUL SIKDANG]

Korea University has a huge campus made even larger by the university hospital located next door. Hungry students and visitors do not have to look far to find something for lunch, however, with the alleys surrounding the campus filled with a range of restaurants.

Chamsari-gil, the name for the streets that connect the university's college of humanities and science buildings from Anam Station, is one place where various bars, cafes and restaurants can be found. The streets near Korea University Station also offer plenty of choices as well.

If you're new to the area and want to know where to go, here are some places the Korea JoongAng Daily recommends.

Teukbyul Sikdang

Oyakodon sold at Teukbyul Sikdang [TEUKBYUL SIKDANG]

Teukbyul Sikdang provides authentic Japanese homemade-style dishes, with the owner of the restaurant working at restaurants in Tokyo for years.

One of its well-known dishes is oyakodon, a chicken and egg rice bowl priced at 7,500 won. The restaurant marinates chicken in a mix of katsuobushi (dried bonito) broth and tare sauce, giving the meat a sweet but savory taste. Various other rice bowl dishes such as gyudon (rice bowl with beef) and soborodon (rice bowl with ground beef) are offered, which can all be upgraded to a bigger bowl for an additional 1,000 won. To end the meal, the restaurant offers a cup of green tea to help you cleanse your palate.

The restaurant is relatively small, mostly with bar seats and two tables for groups of four. Being affordable and tasty, you can normally find a lot of students waiting to be seated during the busy hours.

@teukbyul_sikdang22-6 Gaeunsa-gil, Seongbuk District, SeoulBusiness hours: 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday (break time 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.)0507-1319-8371

Tiger Kitchen

Sirloin and hamburg steak sold at Tiger Kitchen [TIGER KITCHEN]

Having steak for lunch might sound fancy, but Tiger Kitchen makes the experience both affordable and easy. Sirloin steak in various sizes — regular and large — is offered at a price range between 12,800 and 17,300 won. Customers can also go for the beef-hamburg steak meal, which offers a half-piece of steak and a small piece of hamburg steak, or a hamburger patty-like dish made of ground beef.

The hamburg steak will be served with a small pan lid on top and a timer set to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Although the two items may seem confusing, the restaurant advises customers to wait until the timer rings and then take off the lid, which is important to make sure that the hefty amount of cheese sprinkled on top melts perfectly.

Both the steak and hamburg steak come with additional side dishes, such as a hot bowl of miso soup and a bowl of rice. The restaurant also offers fried kimchi, which has a hint of sweetness and a less pungent flavor because it is pan-fried.

40 Goryeodae-ro 27-gil, Seongbuk District, SeoulBusiness hours: 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday (break time 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.)0507-1352-0426

Yamato Tendon

A bowl of Yamato Tendon [YAMATO TENDON]

Yamato Tendon is a Japanese restaurant located right in front of Anam Station, mostly selling tendon, or rice bowl with deep-fried ingredients on top.

It sells six types of tendon, including the gyu tendon (13,000 won) that is only topped with fried beef and the tori tendon (10,000 won) with chicken skewers. The classic yamato tendon (10,500 won) has one of each if customers don't know what to order, with chicken skewers, deep-fried shrimp and lots of fried vegetables.

The restaurant also offers Cremia ice cream cones for dessert. Although the ice cream is on the expensive side, priced at 6,500 won, it's extra creamy and worth trying if you have a sweet tooth. Unlike other ice cream cones that use waffle cones, the restaurant uses langue de chat cones, or a thin cookie-like pastry with a strong buttery taste.

Yamato Tendon tends to have a few people waiting in front during lunch and dinner, so remember to write down your name on the waiting list that hangs in front of the restaurant entrance.

2 Goryeodae-ro 28-gil, Seongbuk District, SeoulBusiness hours: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday to Friday (break time 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.)02-6326-1055

Goreun Haetsal

Tteokbokki and sundae sold at Goreun Haetsal [LEE TAE-HEE]

Affordable restaurants with generous portions are always popular with hungry university students who have to spend within a budget, and Goreun Haetsal fits the bill perfectly.

The price of dishes is similar to bunsik (snack food) restaurants, with gimbap ranging between 2,500 won to 3,500 won depending on the ingredients. But the portion size is much bigger, with the gimbap around 1.5 times thicker than ones you would get at other restaurants. The gimbap uses black rice instead of the usual white rice, making it more filling and also healthy to eat.

Other items are also on the menu, including the classic tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) and sundae (blood sausage). The restaurant sells two types of sundae: Tojong sundae that’s filled with vegetables and meat and normal sundae, filled with glass noodles. Rather than dipping the sundae in the usual salt-black pepper mixture, the restaurant offers a traditional Gyeongsang province-style sauce by mixing ssamjang (spicy soybean paste) with mashed tofu to tone down the strong flavor.

The restaurant is a good choice for picky eaters, as customers can customize their dishes through detailed requests. Orders are made through tablet PCs placed on each table and customers are given numerous options when tapping on each menu. For instance, when ordering gimbap, customers can select from various options such as taking out cucumber, carrot or parrilla leaves. Spice levels can be adjusted for dishes such as tteokbokki or rabokki (ramyun with tteokbokki).

14 Gaeunsa-gil, Seongbuk District, SeoulBusiness hours: 6:30 a.m. – 11:30 p.m.02-953-3394

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]