CJ Foodville Operated N Seoul Tower Fine Dining Fully Booked
Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky '123 Lounge' Renovated
Popular with Special Menus and Seasonal Events
As Christmas and the year-end approach, the competition for reservations at special dining venues is fierce. Fine dining restaurants offering Korean or Western menus with the backdrop of Seoul’s cityscape, along with seasonal events, are gaining popularity.
According to industry sources on the 12th, fine dining brands located at the N Seoul Tower observatory in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, operated by CJ Foodville, such as the Korean restaurant ‘HanCook,’ the French restaurant ‘N Grill,’ and the Italian restaurant ‘The Place Dining,’ have already sold out reservations for Christmas Eve dinner on the 24th of this month. Including lunch reservations, the overall booking rate has reached 70-80%, and it is expected to be fully booked soon. These establishments accept reservations via phone, Naver, and the Catch Table application, with inquiries continuing. Although lunch and dinner reservations for December 31, the last day of the year, are more available than for Christmas, the companies expect these to sell out soon as well.
These venues are highly popular because guests can enjoy elegant course menus while admiring the night view of central Seoul with Namsan as the backdrop. Despite prices exceeding 100,000 KRW per person, couples, friends, and families eager to spend Christmas and the year-end more specially have quickly filled the seats. Among them, N Grill offers a limited course menu under the concept of ‘Season’s Greeting,’ featuring winter seasonal local ingredients as well as the world’s three delicacies: caviar, foie gras, and truffles. A CJ Foodville representative stated, "Since the transition to the endemic phase, demand for celebrating the year-end at N Seoul Tower’s fine dining restaurants has noticeably increased."
At N Seoul Tower, a Christmas tree photo event is also being held in collaboration with Trip.com to celebrate Christmas and the year-end. Visitors who take photos of the large tree in the N Seoul Tower plaza and upload them to their personal social networking services (SNS) will be entered into a draw to win coins redeemable for airline tickets on Trip.com and hotel accommodation vouchers. A ‘Wish Mailbox’ that delivers special memories is also in operation. A package consisting of an observatory ticket, wish postcards, and lucky coupons will be sold online. If visitors write wish postcards and place them in the Wish Mailbox located in the plaza, they can receive them after March next year.
A couple is dining with the Seoul night view in the background at the 123 Lounge in Lotte World Tower Observatory Seoul Sky. [Photo by Lotte World]
Seoul Sky, the observatory at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, Seoul, has also been newly renovated and is actively welcoming year-end customers. Located 500 meters above ground, it is the highest fine dining restaurant in Korea. Guests can enjoy panoramic views of the Han River and central Seoul’s nightscape. The company has increased indoor seating capacity by about 16% through the renovation. Additionally, 23 new dining menu items have been introduced. Since reopening late last week, reservations for Christmas and year-end meals are currently manageable, but the company expects full bookings soon.
To commemorate the reopening, two Christmas and year-end packages are being offered. The ‘123 Christmas Special’ and the ‘Goodbye 2023 Special’ provide special dinner courses available from December 23 to 25 and on the 31st. These dinners include hotel-style dining paired with wine. Considering that the venue is well-known as a proposal spot and attracts many visitors for that purpose, a ‘private proposal space’ has been newly created. Previously, the company prepared events only for applicants, but with the renovation, a private proposal flower path and floral decorations have been installed, along with a photo zone. Additionally, on the night of the 31st, a countdown event welcoming the New Year will be held on the 118th floor, and on January 1 next year, a ‘Sunrise Package’ will be available, allowing guests to watch the sunrise from the observatory and enjoy New Year’s dishes such as rice cake soup.
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