2 Best Restaurants in Jeju-do, South Korea

This small, unassuming joint in downtown Jeju has only one item on the menu: gogi guksu (a hearty soup of thin wheat noodles, pork broth, and thick slices of pork meat), served with a side of kimchi and a couple of green chili peppers. You can find this local specialty throughout Jeju, but few places do it better. They don't skimp on the pork, and the broth is especially rich and filling. As the celebrity signatures covering the walls would attest, this place is quite popular, with lines forming from the morning. Still, turnover is such that you're unlikely to wait too long.

This lively spot in one of downtown Seogwipo's entertainment districts has just one thing on the menu: duruchigi (spicy stir-fried pork and vegetables), which you cook yourself on a skillet at your table. It's cheap, tasty, and filling. Be sure to grab a bowl of rice from the communal steamer and fry it up in the leftover sauce. They don't sell alcohol, but they let you bring your own booze, and there are nearby convenience stores to assist you in this endeavor. It can get crowded at night, but the atmosphere is energizing.