Woo Lae Oak — Restaurant in Seoul

Discriminatory and Humiliating Experience – Foreigners Beware!!!

I visited this restaurant with my elderly parents, hoping to enjoy a nice meal together. Despite the pouring rain in Seoul, we patiently waited in line for nearly an hour.

When it was finally our turn, I stepped away briefly to take a phone call. In the meantime, my parents were seated and placed our order. To our shock, the server began aggressively demanding “money, money”, “cash, cash”, and repeatedly insisted “pay first” — even before the food was prepared. Despite my return and attempts to clarify, they refused to proceed unless we paid the full amount in cash upfront.

Although this payment policy seemed strange, we tried to be understanding, thinking it might be a local custom. But we soon realized all the Korean locals were allowed to eat first and pay after the meal. Some even received complimentary fruit like watermelon at the end — something never offered to us.

The difference in treatment was blatant and deeply disappointing. The server spoke to us in a harsh, commanding tone throughout, making the entire experience feel oppressive and humiliating. It was clear we were treated differently simply because we are foreigners.

Do they think foreigners are more likely to dine and dash? This kind of assumption is offensive and unacceptable.

If you’re a foreigner considering this restaurant, be prepared to be treated with suspicion and disrespect. This was not just bad service — it was discrimination,...

If you're like me, you probably googled or reddited your way to this restaurant and thought "Oh, a Michelin guide restaurant that serves the Korean cold noodles in broth? Nice!" Well, I hate to be the bringer of bad news but my wife and I agreed this place is WAY overrated for noodles and not worth it at all. There's a reason they charge you before you're brought the food.

It's not the noodles you're thinking of. Think about it. What makes the famous Korean naengmyun taste good? The savory broth. The tangy vinegar. The hot mustard. The sweet and refreshing topping. Basically, the fact that it's an extremely balanced dish.

The noodles served here have none of that. I ate half of it and could not believe I liked the kimchi banchan more than the main dish itself The taste of the noodles falls flat because the broth is DESPERATELY lacking ANY salt, acid, sweetness, OR heat. I was literally pouring SODA into the broth to see if I could salvage my money's worth. I am big sad and will definitely be checking out another place to try and end the day with a satisfying meal so I don't have to go to bed weeping over how shockingly mediocre my...

Woo Lae Oak is a Michelin Bib Gourmand and the unassuming restaurant with no reservations was both our longest wait as well as our best meal

Serving stellar food since 1946, Woo Lae Oak is most known for their Pyeongyang cold buckwheat noodles served either with broth or in a spicy sauce

Both renditions are stellar and better than any version I’ve had prior with the broth version having a beefy stock component with zero sourness and the spicy version tasting both crisp and refreshing with only a modest spiciness

Their other notable dish is tableside grilled bulgogi although two orders minimum are required for any grill order

Luckily, the Hanwoo beef quality and flavor is so outstanding that we ended up ordered two more additional orders (for a total of four orders)

Would definitely go back again and highly recommend even with the one hour weekday wait

📷 Bulgogi ₩37,000 USD $28 Marinated Beef Barbeque 150 grams / Pyeongyang Naengmyeon ₩16,000 USD $12 Buckwheat Noodles in Chilled Beef Broth / Bibim Naengmyeon ₩16,000 USD $12 Spicy Sauce Buckwheat Noodles

📍Woo Lae Oak (Ulaeog)...