Summer Lane — Restaurant in Seoul

6/10 experience

I was surprised by how "unfinished" this restaurant is considering all the positive online reviews on TikTok.

The food and drinks are presented beautifully.

On the table is a room temperature jug of water with some mint and a slice of grapefruit in it. For me, the grapefruit made the water too bitter but my friend enjoyed the bitterness of it. We both thought them bringing out the jug as we sat down with cold water would've been better than room temperature water.

The window area where I was sitting had a lot of dust.

I ordered the aussie coffee. It comes filled completely to the top. Very easy to spill and difficult to pick up. Because the ice cream melts, the coffee overflows very quickly unless you drink it quickly. Less is more. The coffee quality is very good! They don't have gum syrup for their ice coffee if you don't like strong coffee. But once the ice cream melts then it sweetens considerably.

My meal was the pulled pork sandwich. It comes drenched in sauces so by the time the meal comes to you, the bread is very soggy and everything just tastes "wet". Would've been nicer to have the sauce on the side so that I could apply it myself. Then the bread would've maintained it's form. The pork itself tasted very average. The chips tasted amazing.

The exposed piping is part of it's aesthetic. Usually I love decor like that but this one was quite messy and just seemed rushed and unfinished. One of the roof corners had a lot of dust and cobwebs. I was shocked.

The staff spoke English and were professional albeit a bit cold.

The colour scheme attempts a "sand and beach" vibe with its blues and beige. But the application of it doesn't work and it gives more cafeteria vibes.

Overall: I...

Review: Coeliacs Beware – Pressured to Eat Gluten

I’m deeply disappointed with my experience at Summed lane and feel it’s important to warn anyone with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.

Before ordering, I informed the staff that I have coeliac disease and must follow a strict gluten-free diet. While there were limited gluten-free options, I managed to find a dessert that was safe for me. However, things took a strange and frustrating turn when the staff insisted I order a main meal as well, even though none of the available mains were gluten-free.

Despite me clearly explaining my medical condition, I was told I couldn’t “just order dessert.” They pressured me to choose a main dish that contained gluten, dismissing my concerns and making me feel extremely uncomfortable. It was as if they didn’t believe or care about my condition.

This is not only unprofessional, but incredibly irresponsible and dangerous. Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune condition, and exposure to gluten can cause lasting harm. No one should ever be coerced into eating something that could make them sick just to meet a restaurant policy—especially when those policies don’t account for dietary restrictions or health conditions.

I left without eating, upset and humiliated. If you have coeliac disease or need to avoid gluten for health reasons, I strongly advise avoiding this place. They are not allergy-aware, and the staff clearly lack proper training on how to treat guests with dietary needs...

Impolite staff! The food is good, but the portions are too small for the price you pay for each dish. The place would be nice if it wasn’t for the staff, who make the place unwelcoming and treat you like an intruder. The have a policy that each guest has to order from the food menu and they are ridiculously strict about it. I went there to say hello to my friends who I knew were having brunch there. I just wanted to step in, say hello and leave after a couple of minutes. My three friends were sitting by a four person table so its not that I would be taking up a potential guest’s space. The staff told me i can’t stay in the restaurant if I don’t order food, even if I’m just saying hi to my friends. The would take no argument. I ended up having to buy something to go to be able to sit with my friends for a quick chat (they were eating when I arrived, so we couldnt go somewhere else). The staff will also scold you any given opportunity if you step out of your table without wearing a mask. Overall even if the food has a good western flavor the two times I went there I was leaving stressed and annoyed. Definitely would...