FatManSeoul

Seoul has an amazingly diverse range of restaurants that cater to all kinds of tastes, but the area south of North America has been shockingly underrepresented. Things are looking up (or is that down south?) though with a spate of newer places looking to bring cuisine from Central and South America to those living south of the DMZ. Comedor, specializing in empanadas, has moved from street stall digs on the main drag of Itaewon to the alley immediately to the south.

Start your gastric juices with a gigantic herbal tea, terere.   You’ll get a small wooden cup filled with unidentifiable but fragrant herbs, and a gigantic barrel of water you take from the spout and let brew for a few minutes before slurping through the straw/strainer provided.   One serving of this packed enough liquid refreshment for three adults, without ever finding the bottom of the pot.

The sopa pararaguaya is a real highlight ~ imagine, if you will, creamed corn made solid, or the creamiest, soupiest corn bread imaginable. With a little earthy sweetness of onion and corn and the savory edge of cheese, this bread is true comfort food. Meanwhile, the chipa packs a bit more cheese flavor into a much more compact package, but may be too dry for some diners tastes, with a distinctively solid crumb.

But what most people come to Comedor for are their selection of empanadas. These fried pastries can be sweet or savory, but it’s the meaty later that grace the plates here.

Ordered as a set or individually, the empanadas are a great, cheap, and filling lunch. Beef, chicken, ham and cheese, and corn are all available, with thick, gooey cheese spilling out of most of them (our apologies to the lactose intollerant – only the beef comes without) and crisp pastry shells. The only thing they won’t be kind to is your waistline. Corn was a particular favorite, with the sweetness of the corn lightening and sweetening the entree, and beef also won out for its prominent meatiness.

One alley south of the main drag by Itaewon Station (and just across the way from the Wolfhound), Comedor is run by an ethnic Paraguayan (and naturalized Korean) so the food is about as close to authentic as you’re going to get in these parts. Service can be a bit distracted, but is generally pretty friendly.  It has a bit of a low key “lunch counter” vibe, but attracts some pretty prestigious company, including the Ambassador of Paraguay. If it’s good enough for him, it should be good enough for you. It will also be good enough for your wallet, with most everything under 5,000 won.
02-749-2827