Since Jeju Island in South Korea is expensive, you ideally want to eat where the locals eat if saving money is your priority. It is hard to find a good value while still saving money though, am I right? Well this list will help you out if you want to try out some delicious Western style food and you have a budget to keep! If only if you knew where the locals ate dinner — and now you do! Here is a list of the best places and where you will find all the locals eating Mexican food, Indian food, steak, burgers, and salads, as well as drinking their morning coffee:
1. Cafe Aewol Monsant 카페 애월 드 몽상
If you are situated in the northwestern part of Jeju Island, head to this lovely café on the banks of the beautiful waterfront. Famously owned by Big Bang’s G-Dragon, this café sits along a seaside backdrop, perfect for having a coffee and dessert, with a view. A homemade piece of cake here is delicious but will set you back 8,000 KRW (7 USD) a slice, and a cup of coffee is about the same price. They offer free Wi-Fi, nice bathrooms and an amazing backdrop for taking pictures. You can easily spend half a day at this café drinking coffee, enjoying the inside atmosphere as well as the outside view.
Address: 2546 Aewol-ri, Aewol-eup, Cheju, Jeju-do
Price: from 8,000 KRW / 7 USD
Opening Hours: 9 am to 8 pm
Contact: +82-64-799-8900
2. Macho Grill
If you are looking for amazing, authentic and affordable Mexican food on Jeju Island, look no further! Their nachos are enough for two people to share, and come with tons of toppings. Their guacamole is fresh, with a perfect balance of flavors. The chicken nachos (at 12,000 KRW / 10 USD) or chicken quesadillas (at 14,000 KRW / 11 USD) are probably the best items on the menu. The spicy grilled chicken is seasoned in delicious spices and then cut up and put in the quesadilla. The sauce that comes with it is a bit spicy, so beware, but is delicious nonetheless. The quesadilla is also packed with fresh cheese, peppers, and onions and cooked in a pan that coats the outside with a bit of cheese as well. I have to say, Macho has a goldmine here!
The owner is very kind, will chat with you for hours, and speaks excellent English. It really is never super busy here except on weekend nights, so if you come on Friday or Saturday, be prepared to wait! Their kitchen is small and they usually only have one or two cooks making all of the food. They have quite a nice size space for customers here though, and can also probably hold a small birthday or other group celebration. Keep in mind that they are closed on Mondays, but open Tuesday-Sunday for lunch and dinner.
Address: 46, Sindae-ro 20-gil | B101, Jeju, Jeju Island
Price: from 14,000 KRW / 11 USD
Opening Hours: 12 pm to 9 pm. Closed on Mondays.
Contact: +82 010-8369-8811
Facebook: Macho Grill
3. Bagdad Café
Our favorite Indian spot of anywhere in South Korea is this delicious café in downtown Jeju City. Down one of the side streets off of the main shopping road downtown, visitors will find this small but airy Indian restaurant. They have been serving amazing Indian food in this location for years and everything on the menu is spectacular. They offer the typical Indian dishes like butter curry, palak paneer, sag, chicken tikka, and masala curries. The cooks also cater to vegetarians and the food is certified as halal by the Korean Muslim Federation. The chefs speak English, so they are happy to take any special food or allergy request you may have. They also have house red or white wine on sale here from 5,000 KRW (3.5 USD), which is a steal, to pair with your dinner.
Address: 38 Seogwang-ro 32-gil, Idoi-dong, Cheju, Jeju-do
Price: from ~8,940 KRW / 8 USD
Opening Hours: 11 am to 11 pm
Contact: +82 064-757-8182
Facebook: Bagdad Café
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4. Goofy Foot
This is a California-themed, surf-style bar in downtown Jeju City, serving up some of your favorite Western dishes. They have big juicy burgers, sandwiches, and salads, which are all big enough to share. Their menu is not large at all, selling only three staples, but they cook them all to perfection. Our favorite dishes here were the chicken Caesar salad and the macaroni sandwich. The chicken Caesar salad came with two large gilled and marinated chicken breasts, which were delicious, a homemade Caesar dressing and a whole head of lettuce cut up next to it! From 7 pm to 9 pm they usually do a 20% discount off of your entire bill, so that is a great time to eat or drink there on a budget.
Feel free to pair your delicious food with a cold beer, strong mixed drink, or wine, as they have all three on offer here for reasonable prices (around 6,000 to 8,000 KRW / 5 USD to 7 USD during happy hour). If you are coming here just for the drinks, the Adios is a personal favorite — strong and balanced and with 20% off only about 7,200 KRW / 6.50 USD! Goofy Foot usually plays a mix of pop and rock while you sip your drink or wait on your food, but also has darts, a big TV, and pool table to occupy your free time.
Address: 416-2 Seogwi-dong, 2nd flr, 010-2689-4173
Price: from ~8,940 KRW / 8 USD
Opening Hours: 6:30 pm to 3 am
Contact: +70 4177 4173
Facebook: Goofy Foot
5. Seoul Kitchen
Located near the main Seogwipo sightseeing area, this restaurant is serving up as much chicken, beef, and seafood as you can handle! You can opt for different cuts of steak, pastas, salads, or seafood. The atmosphere is very open and bright, and a great place for a leisure lunch before heading on a tour to any of the nearby nature walks. The chicken salad here is nice and light, but still filling, and the steak dishes are also a nice-sized portion. Prices are quite reasonable considering the area does not have many food options, and the quality of their ingredients (beef, chicken, and seafood) is above average compared to mainland Korea.
Address: 1489-8 Jungmun-dong, Seogwipo, Jeju-do
Price: from approximately 1,3411 KRW / 12 USD
Opening Hours: 11:30 am to 10 pm. Closed on Sundays.
Contact: +82 064 739 8765
Facebook: Seoul Kitchen
Food for all tastes
No matter what type of food you are looking to eat on Jeju Island, we are confident that within our list you can find it! We hope you will enjoy at least one of our delicious top picks — if you have the time, try all five!