Currently, Culinary Class Wars, a Netflix program where chefs compete through cooking, is extremely popular in South Korea. The program itself was a huge hit, and now, even after its conclusion, restaurants run by chefs who participated in Culinary Class Wars continue to attract large crowds.
If the restaurant allows app reservations, it’s often so popular that accessing the site can be challenging. For those without reservation options, lines form early in the morning just to get a taste. Today, I’ll introduce some of the must-visit restaurants from the Culinary Class Wars chefs.
1. Napoli Matfia, Restaurant: viatoledo
This chef honed their skills at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Naples, Italy, and was already well-known among certain circles before the show. Now, they’re a celebrated chef with a restaurant that’s hard to book. If you enjoy authentic Neapolitan cuisine, this place is a must-visit—if you can manage to get a reservation. Recently, famous Italian footballers like Cannavaro, Del Piero, Pirlo, and Bonucci visited and left glowing reviews. The restaurant is located at 7-2 Wonhyo-ro 83-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 1F.
2. Jung Ji-sun, Restaurant: tianmimi
Jung Ji-sun captivated audiences with her unique Chinese-inspired dish, “pa si,” during the show. She’s a familiar face, having appeared on several Korean TV shows as a chef specializing in Chinese cuisine. Chinese food is a favorite in Korea, second only to Korean cuisine. Known as one of the top chefs of the new generation of Chinese cuisine, her restaurant offers a refined dining experience. You can find her restaurant on the 4th floor of Mercure Ambassador Hotel, 144 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
3. Choi Kang-rok, Restaurant: Neo
Known for winning a previous cooking show in Korea, Choi Kang-rok is beloved for both his culinary skills and his humor. He was considered a strong contender for victory this time as well. His culinary style is based on Japanese cuisine, and every dish is remarkably delicious. The restaurant is located at 101, 4 Samjeon-ro 12-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul.
Conclusion
These are some of the must-visit restaurants from the popular Culinary Class Wars chefs. It’s unfortunate I couldn’t cover every restaurant.
Just being part of Culinary Class Wars is an achievement in itself, as each chef was carefully selected from a wide pool of applicants. However, covering all 100 chefs would be too ambitious.
If you’re curious about any other restaurants or reviews from Culinary Class Wars chefs, feel free to leave a comment! I’ll provide more details or create a new post upon request.