Culinary Class Wars 33 Chefs & Restaurants: A Guide to the Best in Korean Cuisine
Explore the ultimate guide to the chefs and restaurants featured on Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars." All About Seoul introduces you to over 30 chefs and their signature dishes, making it easy for food lovers to discover the best of Korean cuisine. Perfect for adding a culinary adventure to your Seoul travel itinerary!
Source: Netflix Korea
Netflix Korea has captured global attention once again with its new survival show, Culinary Class Wars ("흑백요리사"), showcasing Korea’s top culinary talents.
Featuring 100 chefs—80 "black spoon" (흑수저) chefs and 20 "white spoon" (백수저) chefs—the competition has been a hot topic among food lovers worldwide.If you’re interested in K-Food and the culinary scene in Korea, All About Seoul (AAS) has already featured a number of Korean fine-dining restaurants on our website.
Make sure to check it out if you’re interested in knowing more about Seoul’s foodie scene.
Not only are we bringing you all of the latest information on Seoul and everything it has to offer, but All About Seoul is your go-to when it comes to all things K-medical tourism and planning medical tours for aesthetic and wellness procedures such as Korean nose jobs and even Korean jaw reduction.
Back on the foodie topic, we have compiled a “Culinary Class Wars” chef list with more than 30 of the contestants from the show and noted their respective restaurants.
Note: This list is in no particular order.
The Hosts
Baek Jongwon - Various Restaurants
Source: Netflix Korea
Baek Jongwon is debatably one of the most famous chefs in Korea. He is known for being a master of many Asian cuisines and has restaurants and cafe franchises all over Korea. You can even find his ready-to-go meals in convenience stores around the country.
Signature menu: Too many to name (as he has many restaurants specializing in different cuisine).
Ahn Sungjae was the second host of the show, being renowned for owning the only Michelin 3-Star restaurant in Korea (as of 2024) in the form of the restaurant Mosu.
Signature menu: Abalone Taco
Restaurant address: Temporarily closed - At the moment, the Mosu Restaurant is being renovated and moving to a new location. It will reopen later this year or in early 2025.
Edward Lee is a renowned chef from the United States who owns three different restaurants, namely 610 Magnolia, Succotash Prime, and Nami Korean Steakhouse. He previously won the program “Iron Chef: America.”
Signature menu: Various Korean-American fusion dishes.
Choi Jihyung is the owner of Lee Buk Bang. Lee Buk Bang has the world’s first North Korean sundae course dining menu and has been Michelin star rated for five years.
Signature menu: North Korean Sundae
Restaurant address: 36-1 Mapo-dong, Mapo-Gu, Seoul
Restaurant address: 805 Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
11. Cho Eunju - Touch the Sky
Source: Hotel & Restaurant Magazine
Specializing in French cuisine, Cho Eunju is a chef at a restaurant called Touch the Sky. She has gold medals in the culinary arts, proving the superior quality of her skills.
Jang Hojoon is the CEO of an F&B company called Negi which has a range of different restaurants ranging from bistros to fine-dining restaurants specializing in different cuisines, mainly Japanese.
Signature menu: Too many to name (as he has many restaurants specializing in different cuisine).
Lee Youngsook Chef is another chef who has had success on a cooking show before. She won the second season of “Korean Food War” and specializes in mushroom dishes.
Considered the master of Chinese cuisine in Korea, the veteran chef Yeo Gyeongrae owns the restaurant Hong Bo Gak (which can be found in the Grand Ambassador Seoul Hotel).
Nam Jeongseok’s restaurants are a great choice for those who are health-conscious and want to enjoy good food but in a healthy manner.
If you’re concerned about health and wellness, then All About Seoul is the perfect place for you. Facilitating top-quality medical tours, not only can we help you reserve and visit the “Culinary Class Wars” restaurants as part of your medical tour, but we can help you book aesthetic procedures including plastic surgery.
1. Kim Miryung (Auntie Omakase #1) - Andongjip Son Kaguksi/ Cheerful Drinking Table
Source: Netflix Korea
Auntie Omakase #1 (whose real name is Kim Miryung) is known for her incredibly popular Korean omakase restaurant called Cheerful Drinking Table and her noodle restaurant Andongjip Son Kalguksi.
Signature menu: Andong Hand-cut Noodles, Omakase
Restaurant address:
Andongjip Son Kalguksi - 1022 Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul
Cheerful Drinking Table - 341 Nohae-ro, Chang-dong, Dobong District, Seoul
Cooking Maniac (whose real name is Yoon Namno) runs two bistro eateries called Deepin, with the main branch being in Sindang and the sister branch being in Oksu.
Goddess of Chinese Cuisine (whose real name is Park Eunyoung), true to her name is the mentee of legendary Yeo Gyeongrae and boasts a broad skillset. She has also worked at Hong Bo Gak for over ten years.
Napoli Matfia (whose real name is Kwon Sungjoon) specializes in Italian cooking and is the owner-chef of the Toledo Pasta Bar which offers Sicilian cuisine.
Kwon Sungjoon also happens to be the Culinary Class Wars winner for this season.
Comic Book Chef (whose real name is Cho Kwangho) is one of the standouts on the show as he is completely self-taught and has memorized his recipes from comic books.
He owns two restaurants called ChoKwang101 and ChoKwang201.
Chef Spark (whose real name is Shawn Park) also specializes in Italian cuisine and owns the restaurant Bistro Spark. He will be opening an additional restaurant soon, too.
Restaurant address: 11-40 Hangangdaero 76gil, Yongsan District, Seoul
10. Lim Heewon (Celebrities’ Chef) - Buto Hannam
Source: Netflix Korea
Celebrities’ Chef (whose real name is Lim Heewon) is the owner of Buto and takes pride in creating fusion dishes. He has cooked for many celebrities, which is where he gets his nickname.
Restaurant address: 32 Hannamdaero 27ga-gil, Yongsan District, Seoul
11. Lee MiYoung (Master of School Meals) - Habuk Elementary School
Source: Netflix Korea
Master of School Meals (whose real name is Lee Miyoung) is a former elementary school nutritionist who made a name for herself at Habuk Elementary School. She has recently retired.
12. Kang Seungwon (Triple Star) - Trid Seoul
Source: Netflix Korea
Triple Star (whose real name is Kang Seungwon) gained his nickname from working in several Michelin 3-star restaurants including Mosu (of judge Ahn Sungjae).
Currently he owns the Michelin star fine-dining restaurant Trid Seoul.
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