[FOOD COURT] The best places to eat near the University of Seoul

Dongdaemun District in central Seoul is home to many universities, including the University of Seoul.

Half and half pizza sold at Happy Dish Club [HAPPY DISH CLUB]

Dongdaemun District in central Seoul is home to many universities, including the University of Seoul.

Neighbouring schools such as KyungHee University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Kaist's Seoul campus are very close to each other and share popular restaurants, but the University of Seoul has a campus neighborhood of its own and its own unique places to eat.

Rather than being crowded with bars and busy pubs like many university campuses, the neighbourhood is surrounded by big apartment complexes and tends be more quiet and reserved. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth visiting, with a variety of restaurants nearby satisfying the tastes of both students and locals.

If you're struggling to find the best place to eat near the University of Seoul, here are some restaurants the Korea JoongAng Daily recommends.

Kare Zip

Curry sold at Kare Zip [KARE ZIP]

Kare Zip offers a variety of curry and pork cutlet dishes. For the pork cutlet option, customers can choose between sirloin cutlet or cheese cutlet, which has a thick piece of mozzarella cheese running through it. If the curry option is more compelling, you can choose between the simple curry and rice or curry udon, or noodle soaked in a rich curry soup.

All of the dishes come with side dishes such as kimchi, tofu, fruit and a side of salad. Although it may seem like an odd choice, tteokbokki, or spicy rice cakes, are also one of the side dishes offered. The side dish is sample size, with only two to three rice cakes provided, but is enough to give the customers a bit of a spicy kick if they want one.

Everything that goes on the table isn't store-bought and made by the owner. Even the pork cutlet sauce is handmade, with the restaurant owner grilling pineapples and blending them into a sauce to add a bit of sweetness. There's also a new batch of curry made every day, blending various ingredients such as beef, apples, onions, potatoes and carrots to make the curry flavorful.

43, Seoulsiripdae-ro 27-gil, Dongdaemun District, central SeoulBusiness hours: Monday to Saturday 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. 0507-1412-8827

Happy Dish Club

Happy Dish Club's pizza [HAPPY DISH CLUB]

Happy Dish Club is a pizza and BBQ restaurant located right in front of the university's main gate. Although many restaurants in front of universities tend to be small and fit for students that want to have a quick and affordable meal, this restaurant is the opposite, with colorful neon signs and a rooftop area where customers can chill and enjoy their food.

Customers tend to come to Happy Dish Club in large groups, and BBQ platters are a favorite. The pork belly dish is priced at 17,000 won and is on the cheaper side for a platter, coming with grilled pork belly, sausage, mashed potato, fries and coleslaw. Customers can choose between dinner rolls or tortillas. The smoked chicken dish comes with the same sides but with smoked chicken thigh, priced at 21,000 won.

Classic pizzas such as pepperoni and double cheese are of course on the menu, but customers are also allowed to order half-and-half, with half the pizza having pepperoni toppings and the other half with cheese. There's other options such as the spicy pig pizza that has crushed peppers and jalapenos to add a bit of heat and the white mushroom pizza with cream sauce.

164, Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun District, central SeoulBusiness hours: 5 p.m. - 1 a.m. (Closed on Tuesday)070-4184-5269

Karly & Merry Kitchen

Jeyuk bibimbap, or rice mixed with vegetables and seasoned pork belly, sold at Karly & Merry Kitchen [KARLY & MERRY KITCHEN]

Karly & Merry is one of the go-to places for students when they want a quick but filling Korean meal. One of its most popular dishes is the jeyuk bibimbap, or rice mixed with vegetables and seasoned pork belly, sold for 7,000 won.

Customers can choose between three levels of spiciness, with the first level not as spicy and the second similar to Shin Ramyun. The bibimbap is topped with pickled radish, with the extra sourness and sweetness making a good pairing with the spicy pork. The squid deopbap, or rice mixed with stir fried squid, is also popular among students for the generous amount of squid offered.

April might be the best time to visit, as the restaurant offers special seasonal dishes such as cold buckwheat noodles (7,000 won). During those seasons, customers can also order smaller cold buckwheat noodles for 4,000 won when ordering any other dish on the menu.

160, Seoulsiripdae-ro, Dongdaemun District, central SeoulBusiness hours: Monday to Friday 10:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. 010-6429-0747

Gawibawibo Tteokbokki

Gawibawibo Tteokbokki's gimtteok [LEE TAE-HEE]

Gawibawibo Tteokbokki is another restaurant located in front of the university's main entrance. Open until 3 a.m., its one of the restaurants that a lot of university students go to after studying on campus until late at night.

Gimbap is always on the menu at bunsik restaurants, but not at Gawibawibo Tteokbokki. Instead of gimbap, it sells two types of rice balls: Ones with tuna and mayo filling and another with kimchi filling. One of its unique dishes is the gimtteok, which is a combination of the words gim for the dried seaweed that's in the rice balls and tteok from tteokbokki. When ordering that dish, customers get a big rice ball with tteokbokki for 3,500 won.

222, Jeonnong-ro, Dongdaemun District, central SeoulBusiness hours: 10 a.m. - 3 a.m. 070-8742-0006

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