If you’re looking for something different from the standard Korean neighborhood, Seoul has plenty of pockets of neighborhoods and districts that offer a more distinct and international flavor.
The Ichondong neighborhood in Yongsangu district may come off as a sleepy residential neighborhood on first glance but if you take the time to explore you’ll find that there’s something a bit different both in the language spoken and on many shop signs. That’s because Ichondong is home to the largest Japanese ex-patriate community in Korea. Scattered around you’ll find Japanese-style bakeries, Japanese grocery markets selling imported goods, and authentic restaurants.

In particular, the sushi and sashimi places in this area receives positive buzz but even if you’re not a seafood lover there are plenty of great donkatsu, udon, and Japanese home-style restaurants around while the various Japanese sweets and baked goods are not to be missed.

On the south side of the river, in the Banpo area, Seoraemaul is well-known as a neighborhood popular with French expatriate. If you’re searching for French style bread, cakes, and French restaurants, this is the area you’ll want to go. Many bakeries and eateries even stick to using ingredients like flour imported from France to truly recreate the tastes and flavors back home. In warmer seasons, you can pick up bites and goods for a picnic and head over to the Montmartre Park to enjoy a nice French-style picnic with great views of the city. A number of festivals are also held in Seoraemaeul throughout the year of which the French Christmas fair is among the most popular.

Though Seoul itself doesn’t have an official Chinatown, the many Chinese residents have established communities in pockets around the city. One of the biggest is in Daellimdong with many of the shops and restaurants reflecting the mostly eastern and northeastern Chinese population. But the food, baked goods, liquor, ingredients, and supplies here are quite diverse in their regional origins from China. You can get everything from mouth-numbingly spicy Szechuan dishes to lamb skewers and mutton dishes from China’s western regions. You can also find other similar Chinese neighborhoods near popular areas like Konkuk University with similar goods, eats, and products.

While there’s no official neighborhood for the Filipino community, a large makeshift “market” of sorts opens every Sundays around the Hyehwa Cathedral. Here, the local Filipino expats open stalls that sells ingredients, supplies, and homemade Filipino dishes. And while not in Seoul, the neighboring city of Ansan is easily accessible from Seoul by subway and bus and is known for the authentic Vietnamese, Indonesian, and other restaurants that reflect the strong Southeast Asian community there.

In Dongdaemun you can find the Central Asian Village- a Central Asian/Russian community. Cheap Russian vodka and beer, bakeries, restaurants and more are readily found here and many of the bakeries and restaurants are considered among the best and authentic. It’s located not that far from the popular Dongdaemun Shopping District making it a stop that’s easy to fit in before or after some shopping.

Of course, the most famous “international” neighborhood of Seoul is Itaewon which has bars and restaurants from all parts of the world. You can also easily pick up hard-to-find ingredients and goods from the many international marts around. The Seoul Central Mosque is quite unique for Korea and is especially beautiful to behold at night. The area around it also holds many halal shops and restaurants for practicing Muslims.

Itaewon is great to visit for global festivals and holidays such as American and Canadian Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc. Also, if you happen to be in Seoul during the annual Itaewon Global Village Festival, you won’t want to miss it as it features live music, dance, culture, performances, food and costumes from all over the world.