하쿠시, Hakusi, has been a hard restaurant to pin to a map — mostly because it keeps changing addresses. Garosugil first, then Hannam, and now, as of this year, a quiet stretch of Cheongdam. The 2026 Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan caught up with it at the new address and awarded it a star. What has carried through all three moves is the thing the kitchen is built around: charcoal-grilled eel.
One Chef, One Fire, Several Cities
Hakusi (하쿠시) is chef Choi Seong-hoon’s restaurant — the name evokes the Japanese for a “blank sheet of paper,” a fitting starting point for a kitchen built around one technique. Choi honed his craft in kitchens abroad, most notably on the grill station at Ryu Gin, the celebrated fine-dining restaurant in Hong Kong. That’s where the restaurant’s identity comes from: charcoal isn’t used only for flavour here, but treated as a precise cooking technique in its own right, controlled closely from start to finish.
That grill-first philosophy first opened as Hakusi in the alleys near Garosugil, where the restaurant earned Michelin recognition during its earlier years. It later moved to Hannam. This year it opened its third chapter in Cheongdam, and this time the Michelin inspectors didn’t just list it — they awarded it a star.
Getting to the New Address
Hakusi is now on Eonju-ro 157-gil in Gangnam-gu, in a pale, understated white building that reads more like a small gallery than a restaurant — fitting for the name. Inside, the space is compact and open: a counter facing directly onto the kitchen, so the grill work at the heart of the menu happens a few feet from where you’re sitting rather than out of sight.
The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday. Tuesday through Friday it serves dinner only, from around 6 p.m., with a later à la carte window in the evening; Saturday adds a lunch seating. Hours have shifted with each move, so it’s worth confirming the current schedule when you book.
What’s on the Menu
Hakusi runs a charcoal-focused course, and its signature is unagi — presented in two contrasting preparations that show how differently the same fish can read depending on what’s done to it after the fire. Other seasonal, grill-driven dishes round out the meal, but the eel is the centrepiece the restaurant is known for.
Unagi, First Pass — With Sansho
The eel arrives first in something close to its purest form: grilled over charcoal and dusted with sansho pepper, the citrusy, faintly numbing Japanese spice that traditionally accompanies unagi. The sansho is meant to cut through the fattiness of the fish rather than mask it — a version of the dish that leans on the quality of the ingredient and the grill work rather than heavy seasoning.
Unagi, Second Pass — Wrapped Like Peking Duck
The same fish returns in a completely different register: wrapped in a thin, delicate pancake with fresh basil, in a presentation that borrows openly from Peking duck service, then dipped in a basil vinegar. It’s a more playful, citrus-bright take on the same protein, and serving the two versions in sequence is clearly the point — the kitchen invites you to compare them.
After 8 P.M. — À La Carte and the Legacy Tasting Menu
Later in the evening, the format opens up. Individual dishes become available à la carte, and alongside them sits a tasting menu built from some of Hakusi’s earlier signature plates from its Garosugil and Hannam days — a way for longtime regulars to order the dishes they remember from the restaurant’s previous addresses, even after the move.
Practical Information
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Name | Hakusi (하쿠시) |
| Chef | Choi Seong-hoon (최성훈), who worked the grill at Ryu Gin (Hong Kong) and in kitchens abroad |
| Cuisine | Japanese, charcoal-grill focused, with a signature unagi |
| Format | Set courses early evening; à la carte and a legacy tasting menu after 8 p.m. |
| Hours | Tue–Fri dinner (from ~6 p.m.); Sat lunch and dinner. Closed Sun & Mon. Confirm current hours when booking |
| Address | Eonju-ro 157-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (서울 강남구 언주로157길) — Naver Map |
| Reservations | CatchTable |
| History | Opened near Garosugil, relocated to Hannam, now in Cheongdam |
| Recognition | One Star, Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2026 (newly awarded) |
How to Get a Reservation
- Book through CatchTable well ahead of your date. A Michelin star freshly attached to a restaurant this small tends to compress the available inventory fast, and Hakusi’s move to Cheongdam is still recent enough that demand is climbing.
- Aim for an early seating if you want the full course experience, and a later one — after 8 p.m. — if you specifically want to order à la carte or chase the legacy dishes from Hakusi’s earlier locations.
- Confirm the current address before you go. Given how many times this restaurant has relocated in the past few years, it’s worth double-checking the CatchTable listing or Naver Map pin on the day, rather than relying on an old address you might have saved.
Why Hakusi Matters
Seoul’s newest wave of Michelin stars has mostly gone to restaurants built around Korean ingredients filtered through a chef’s time abroad — Restaurant San, GiwaKang, Gaggen. Hakusi is a different kind of story: a restaurant that has spent years building around charcoal and a signature grilled eel, moving addresses three times without losing the thread, and picking up its first star once it landed somewhere Michelin’s inspectors clearly felt matched the ambition of the cooking. If you’ve been to the Garosugil or Hannam versions before, the Cheongdam room is worth a return visit — the fire hasn’t changed, even if the walls around it keep moving.
Frequently Asked Questions: Hakusi
What is Hakusi known for?
A charcoal-grill-focused course whose signature is unagi (eel), served in two distinct preparations in the same sitting — one classic, with sansho pepper, and one wrapped in a thin pancake with basil in a style that borrows from Peking duck service.
Who is the chef at Hakusi?
Choi Seong-hoon (최성훈), who worked in kitchens abroad — most notably on the grill station at Ryu Gin in Hong Kong — before building Hakusi around charcoal cooking.
Has Hakusi always been in Cheongdam?
No. It originally opened in the alleys near Garosugil and earned Michelin recognition in its earlier years, then relocated to Hannam before moving to its current Cheongdam location, where it received its first Michelin star in the 2026 guide.
Do I need to book ahead?
Yes — dinner only, no lunch service, and demand has picked up noticeably since the Michelin star was announced. Book through CatchTable as early as you can.
Is there an à la carte option?
Yes, after 8 p.m., alongside a tasting menu built from some of the restaurant’s earlier signature dishes from its Garosugil and Hannam years.
Curious about more of Seoul’s newest Michelin-recognised openings? Gaggen, GiwaKang, and Restaurant San are three more recent additions, and our roundup of Seoul’s six restaurants on Asia’s 50 Best 2026 covers the city’s more established fine dining tier.
