The Flying Pan brunch cafe in Seoul, was one of my very first reviews, and for years it was considered as the absolute crème de la crème of the Seoul brunch scene. Whilst I have revisited since I wrote my first review back in 2012, it has been quite some time since I last ate there (years in fact). So when a friend suggested we meet there for lunch, I was excited to see if the food was as good as I remembered.
The Flying Pan - Itaewon
The Flying Pan - Itaewon
The Flying Pan - Itaewon
The Flying Pan - Itaewon
The place has hardly changed a bit, there is is still the same sign outside, a big table to share in the middle, and a dozen or so smaller tables littered around the outside of the room. While the restaurant itself hasn’t changed much, the menu has really bulked up. All of the classic favourites are still there, along with quite a few new items.
While the Flying Pan isn’t known for a being a spot to get a boozy brunch, they do have mimosas on the menu, which cost 13,000. We were all on a booze free day so ordered a Cold Brew Coffee (4,000) and a San Pellenrino (4,500). There are also beer and wine on the menu but no cocktails. However they do have ades and smoothies which can easily become cocktails if you pack your own liquor.
One dish I always used to order was the Flying Pan’s Breakfast (17,000) which consists of sauteed mushrooms, poached eggs, basil pesto, toast, potato salad, tomato, spinach, and hummus. As my friend ordered it I thought I would branch out and get something else but it still looked as good as ever. This breakfast was mushroom city, if you love mushrooms as much as I do you will not be disappointed and I was kind of kicking myself for not ordering it.
I opted for the Eggs Benedict (16,000). It usually comes with salmon or ham, but I asked for bacon instead which they were happy to oblige me with. Back in my last visit in 2012 it was one of the only places to get eggs benedict and I know my beloved always ordered the salmon version. Unlike the standard eggs benny, the poached eggs come on a thick slices of french bread. The hollandaise was quite buttery and the bacon was crispy. It was a pretty good rendition, and I especially loved the creamy potato salad and grilled tomato on the side.
My veggie friend decided to order the Scrambled Egg Pancake (19,000). This traditionally comes with sausage, scrambled eggs, rye pancakes, spinach, and tomato along with pesto and maple syrup but as a vegetarian she had it sans sausage. It was quite a lot of food but she hoovered up the whole dish in minutes so I’m pretty sure she liked it.
Overall I think Flying Pan has stood the test of time, they were pretty busy on a weekday lunchtime and I am told they can still get a queue on weekends. The prices have gone up but it isn’t surprising since the quality of the dishes is still there. There are cheaper places around town but just barely. I will be visiting it a lot more often in the future, especially as I live so close by now.
The Flying Pan is located at 123-7 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Itaewon Station (line 6) and come out of exit 2. Walk straight and take the first left. You will see The Flying Pan up ahead on the right hand side. For more information you can call them on 02-793-5285 or check out their facebook page. They are open from 9am-10pm.