BTS & Hollywood Stars’ Favorite Food in Korea — 4. Eat Like a Local

Eat Like a Local: neighborhood Korean chicken dinner illustration with English text
K Cultures · Celebrity Food Trails in Korea 4/4

Tom Cruise Seoul restaurants — AI-created illustration of a Korean fried chicken dinner scene
Mission: Find your favorite spot · AI-created illustration

Price references for these Tom Cruise Seoul restaurants were checked on November 3, 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours may change. The series title covers BTS and international celebrities collectively; it does not mean that every person visited every venue. Some featured visitors are musicians or other public figures rather than Hollywood actors.

This guide covers two Tom Cruise Seoul restaurants: a neighborhood Korean fried chicken spot in Gongdeok and a group barbecue dinner in Samseong, with prices and maps.

A restaurant you visit once becomes a travel memory. A restaurant you return to years later becomes a place of your own. That is why Tom Cruise’s Seoul dining stories feel unusually familiar.

He returned to Barun Chicken’s Gongdeok Park Xi branch in 2025 after a visit in 2023. An interview with the brand’s operator confirmed the return and described it as an unofficial visit unrelated to a marketing arrangement. Cruise has not personally explained the precise reason for choosing it again.

Barun Chicken: an action star’s neighborhood dinner

Reporting on the 2023 visit mentions the chicken dishes then called Hyunmi Basak and Barun Yangnyeom Chicken. Seeing a performer known for extraordinary action scenes enjoying a familiar chicken dinner gives the story its everyday charm. Because it is a regular neighborhood branch, it is also the more casual of the two Tom Cruise Seoul restaurants in this guide.

The branch is in Gongdeok, close to the Gyeongui Line Forest Park area. For example, a chicken dinner followed by a neighborhood walk makes a simple evening plan, with room to experience everyday Seoul beyond the celebrity connection.

Barun Chicken, Gongdeok Park Xi — Location
152 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Directions & restaurant photos on Naver Map · Open Google Maps

Puerco: grilled meat, then spicy noodles

The restaurant name transcribed as “Cuerco” in the source video is Puerco. In 2023, Cruise dined at its Samseong location with around 30 people, including the director, cast members and security staff. Reported orders included the Hanwoo special, pluma, ribeye cap and Hanwoo spicy Jjapagetti.

The much-discussed bill of approximately ₩5 million was for the entire group. However, it was not a one-person meal price or a typical visitor budget. In addition, the detail about finishing a meat-heavy dinner with noodles is part of what makes the story recognizable to Korean diners.

Puerco, Samseong — Location
2F, 35 Teheran-ro 87-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Directions & restaurant photos on Naver Map · Open Google Maps

Menus, prices and locations

RestaurantMenu & reference price (KRW)Address
Barun Chicken, Gongdeok Park XiCurrent listing: brown-rice fried chicken ₩19,900
One-chicken Sundugi set: ₩30,800
152 Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Puerco, SamseongOriginal set: ₩92,000
Puerco set: ₩116,000
Hanwoo special: ₩223,000
2F, 35 Teheran-ro 87-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
Puerco noodle optionHanwoo spicy Jjapagetti: ₩18,000 in one published listing2F, 35 Teheran-ro 87-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

The historical name “Hyunmi Basak” is kept separate from the current listing “Hyunmi Fried.” Puerco prices differ between sources, including the Hanwoo special, so confirm the current price, portion weight and suggested number of diners when reserving. As a result, the table works best as a starting point rather than a fixed bill.

Tom Cruise Seoul restaurants: a casual evening in Gongdeok or a group meal in Samseong

For an easy dinner, choose chicken in Gongdeok. For a larger gathering, consider grilled meat in Samseong. These are different parts of the city, so select the one that works with your hotel or daytime plans instead of trying to combine both into one evening. In short, both Tom Cruise Seoul restaurants are easiest to enjoy as part of a relaxed local evening rather than a celebrity checklist.

A memorable trip does not always need an elaborate menu. Crispy chicken, noodles shared after barbecue and a short walk can be enough. Follow the story of a visiting star, then add your own evening to it.

More from the Celebrity Food Trails in Korea series

Sources and photo information

Use the links beneath each map to see actual restaurant photos. The illustrated header is AI-created and does not depict an actual celebrity visit or restaurant interior.