The story
Crafted with passion, served with love
Smoke, Char, and a Serious Wine List
In Apgujeong, one of Seoul's most design-conscious neighbourhoods, IMOK Smoke Dining occupies the B1 floor of a low-key address on Apgujeong-ro 2-gil. The name and the concept are direct: this is a restaurant built around smoke, fire, and the deep, layered flavours that Korean BBQ produces when it is taken seriously.
What sets IMOK apart from the broader landscape of Korean BBQ in Seoul is the pairing philosophy. Wine Spectator awarded the restaurant its Best of Award of Excellence for 2025 — a distinction that signals a wine programme well above the ordinary, curated to hold its own alongside bold, smoke-driven food. It is a rare combination in any city, and a genuinely unusual one in the Korean BBQ category.
A Destination for Lunch and Dinner
IMOK serves both lunch and dinner, making it accessible for a midday meal as well as an unhurried evening around the grill. The basement setting lends the space an intimate, focused atmosphere — the kind of room where the food and the wine command full attention.
For anyone exploring Seoul's dining scene with an eye for places that have earned independent recognition, IMOK Smoke Dining offers something specific: the primal satisfaction of Korean BBQ, elevated by a cellar that a rigorous international guide has seen fit to honour.
Recognition