The Cheapest Michelin Star Restaurants in Seoul

Updated October 9, 2026 · Star counts and prices checked October 2026

The cheapest Michelin star restaurant in Seoul is Exquisine in Cheongdam, where the lunch course is listed from ₩75,000 (about $55). Of Seoul’s 42 starred restaurants, 4 serve a meal for ₩150,000 or less and 14 for ₩200,000 or less, almost all at lunch. Prices include VAT and were checked October 2026.

Cheap Michelin star restaurants in Seoul are easier to find than in most big cities. Prices include 10% VAT, most restaurants add no service charge and nobody expects a tip, so the price on the menu is close to what you pay before drinks. And a Michelin star lunch in Seoul is the best deal of all: of the 30 starred restaurants that list a set lunch and a set dinner, 29 charge less at lunch, typically 37% less. Below are Seoul’s cheapest starred meals, the best value at each star level, the Korean kitchens worth crossing town for, and the Bib Gourmand noodle and dumpling houses for a fraction of the price.

The 15 cheapest Michelin star meals in Seoul

Ranked by the cheapest meal each restaurant serves, in the MICHELIN Guide Seoul & Busan 2026. Restaurants that are temporarily closed are left out. Opening days come from the MICHELIN Guide; many starred restaurants in Seoul close on Sundays and Mondays.

Stars from the current MICHELIN Guide editions (2026 or the latest before it). Each price is the cheapest meal we list for the restaurant, lunch or dinner, per person in local currency before service and drinks, ranked by its value in US dollars at recent exchange rates. “À la carte” is the price of a main course or a typical dish, “typical spend” what a meal usually comes to. Mainland China’s typical spends are left out. Opening days and times from the MICHELIN Guide, which sometimes lists only a day’s first sitting. Last checked October 2026.

Exquisine’s lunch price needs a caveat: booking sites list it at anything from ₩75,000 to ₩130,000, and the restaurant doesn’t publish one, so check when you book. Even at the top of that range it is among the cheapest starred lunches in the city.

The best value at each star level

• One star: after Exquisine, the cheapest are Korean. Bicena, on the 81st floor of Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, serves a weekday lunch course for ₩135,000 (about $100) with one of the best views in the city, and JUEUN, new to the guide in 2026, a Korean lunch course for ₩150,000 (about $110) beside the Gyeonghuigung palace.
• Two stars: Evett, where Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood cooks with Korean ingredients, serves an eight-course lunch on Fridays and Saturdays for ₩190,000 (about $140). Kwonsooksoo, for refined Korean cooking, has a lunch course for ₩210,000 (about $155).
• Three stars: Mingles, Seoul’s only three-star restaurant, serves its lunch tasting menu from ₩280,000 (about $210), against ₩350,000 (about $260) at dinner. Chef Mingoo Kang’s modern Korean cooking is built on jang, the fermented sauces of the Korean kitchen. See every three-Michelin-star restaurant in the world for how its price compares.

Starred Korean cooking for less

Many of Seoul’s starred restaurants cook French, Japanese or modern international food. If you want Korean cooking, these serve a starred Korean lunch:

• Onjium, Jongno: a research institute for Korean heritage that cooks dishes from historic court and family recipes, a short walk from Gyeongbokgung Palace. Lunch ₩200,000 (about $150), Tuesday to Friday only.
• 7th Door, Gangnam: modern Korean cooking built on fermentation and aging. Weekday lunch ₩180,000 (about $135).
• GiwaKang, Gangnam: new to the guide in 2026, with a lunch course for ₩220,000 (about $165).
• La Yeon, on the 23rd floor of The Shilla hotel: two stars, classic Korean dishes and views over Namsan. Lunch ₩250,000 (about $185); as a hotel restaurant it may add a service charge.

Five Bib Gourmand bowls for a fraction of the price

The Bib Gourmand is the MICHELIN Guide’s award for good food at a moderate price. It isn’t a star (see Bib Gourmand vs Michelin star), but in Seoul it goes to the cold-noodle houses, dumpling shops and broth kitchens that locals queue for. Five in the current guide:

• Woo Lae Oak, Jung-gu: Pyongyang-style cold buckwheat noodles, served since 1946.
• Hwangsaengga Kalguksu, Jongno: hand-cut noodle soup and big handmade dumplings, with a queue all day.
• Gaeseong Mandu Koong, Jongno: Gaeseong-style dumplings from a family recipe, in a converted hanok.
• Neungdong Minari, Yongsan: clear beef gomtang under a heap of fresh minari, Korean water parsley.
• Gosari Express, Sindang-dong: a vegetarian stall in Jungang Market.

How to book, and what to expect on the bill

• Book ahead. Most of Seoul’s starred restaurants take bookings through CatchTable, Korea’s main booking app, which has an English version; many ask for a deposit or a card to hold the table. The best-known restaurants fill weeks ahead, so book as soon as your dates are fixed.
• Lunch is often shorter. Some lunches run only on certain days (Evett on Fridays and Saturdays, Onjium from Tuesday to Friday), and a few restaurants are dinner only. The table above shows each restaurant’s days.
• No tip. Prices include 10% VAT, and tipping isn’t expected. Some hotel restaurants add a 10% service charge.
• Check what’s open. YUN, one of the cheaper Korean one-stars, has been temporarily closed since March 2026.

Our Seoul page lists all of the city’s starred restaurants with their lunch and dinner prices, wine pairings and Google ratings. For the rest of the world, see the cheapest Michelin star meals in the world.