8 restaurants run by the chefs of Culinary Class Wars

Netflix’s hit cooking reality series, Culinary Class Wars, has undoubtedly taken the world by storm. Well-loved by viewers across the globe, the show has been on the platform’s Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) list for the past few weeks.

Much like Netflix’s Korean reality show, Physical:100, this show has its own unique twist, comprising 100 talented chefs fighting to be the best in Korea. In the show, the contestants are split into two teams – 20 award-winning White Spoons and 80 Black Spoons.

Now that the show has aired its final episode, viewers are still left craving for more. In fact, some are going as far as travelling to South Korea to dine at some of the contestants’ restaurants. That being said, if you’re in search of some of the highly raved restaurants to visit on your next trip, look no further. Ahead, we’ve gathered some of the best places run by the chefs of Culinary Class Wars.

Paik Jong Won

By now, everyone’s probably familiar with Paik Jong Won. Besides being one of the two celebrity chef judges in the show, Paik Jong Won has also made a name for himself around the world as a restauranteur who hosts cooking shows and has his own chain of restaurants like Paik’s Noodle, Paik’s Bibim and Paik’s Coffee that you can find in South Korea and also in Singapore. 

Ahn Sung-Jae

A formidable force in the culinary world, Ahn Sung-Jae, was chosen to be the other judge for the cooking reality series for good reason. Having owned Mosu, one of the only restaurants in South Korea with three Michelin stars, we can totally understand why he’s so serious about his food. Recently, his restaurant ranked No.86 in The World‘s 50 Best Restaurants 2024, and we can totally imagine that his reservations have been off the charts ever since he made his debut as the judge in the show.

Mosu Seoul: 4 Hoenamu-ro 41-gil, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea

Kwon Sung-joon (Napoli Matfia) 

Based on his moniker, you can already tell that Napoli Matfia is no stranger when it comes to Italian classics, especially his pasta dishes. The Black Spoon chef made quite the impression during the show and it comes as no surprise that his Italian restaurant Via Toledo Pasta Bar in Wonhyoro-dong, Seoul has been fully booked ever since the show aired its last episode, in fact, it even crashed South Korea’s reservation system too.

Via Toledo Pasta Bar: 7-2 Wonhyo-ro 83-gil, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea

Choi Hyun-seok

Choi Hyun-seok is a chef and a TV personality who has years of experience under his belt. The celebrity chef and White Spoon contestant first started his culinary career in the 90s and has worked for restaurants like La Cucina, Elbon the Table and Tasty BLVD. Eventually, the talented chef opened his own restaurant, Choi Dot, in 2017, which serves Korean-European cuisine, followed by his Chinese fusion restaurant Central Reducer in Seongdong and the vegan restaurant Dahlia Dining.

Choi Dot: Gangnam District, Dosan-daero, Seoul, South Korea
Central Reducer: 7-1 Seongsuil-ro 6-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Dahlia Dining: 650-16 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea

Lee Mi-ryeong (Auntie Omakase)

Auntie Omakase stole the hearts of many when she whipped up some of the most delicious home-style Korean dishes on the show. And in case you didn’t already know, Auntie Omakase also has not one but two of her very own restaurants in South Korea located at Dongdaemun, called Andongjip Son Kalguksu and Cheerful Drinking Table at Dobong-gu.

Andongjip Son Kalguksu: 1022 Jegi-dong, Dongdaemun District, Seoul, South Korea
Cheerful Drinking Table: Dobong-gu, Chang-dong, Nohae-ro, Seoul, South Korea

Yoon Nam No (Cooking Maniac)

Yoon Nam No, who is also best known as Cooking Maniac, may have been introduced as a fierce-looking gangster at the start of the show, but his frenzied way of navigating around the kitchen has endeared fans of the show. During the show, he also revealed that he pursued his culinary career when his mother became ill with cancer, and wanted to help her keep her kitchen afloat. He also joined the competition just so that his mum could watch him on TV. Cooking Maniac also has his own fusion restaurant called Deepin located in Shindang and a bar called Deepin Oksu. 

Deepin: 63 Heungin-dong, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea
Deepin Oksu: 194 Dokseodang-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Jung Ji-sun

How can we forget the episode when Jung Ji-sun was making the Ba Si? For those who didn’t know, this talented chef is best known for her dim sum dishes. Outside of the show, she also runs her own chain called Tian Mimi located in Gangnam and Hongdae.

Tian Mimi: Mapo-gu, Yanghwa-ro, Seoul, South Korea

Cho Kwang-hyo (Comic Book Chef)

Who would’ve thought a comic book recipe could come to life on a plate? Cho Kwang-hyo, known as the Comic Book Chef, proves that anything is possible. In the show, he reimagines dishes inspired by his favourite comic books, leaving judges in awe of his creativity and skill. Beyond the show, he owns two unique tapas bars: Cho Kwang 101, offering Asian-inspired tapas with seasonal and experimental twists, and Cho Kwang 201, specializing in Chinese dishes adapted to suit Korean tastes.

Cho Kwang 201: Seoul Metropolitan City 8, Saemaeul-ro 10-gil, Songpa-gu