Itaewon is one of BenJi's favorite neighborhoods! Beaker is a great select shop with clothes, home goods, etc. This whole area is teeming with cute lil stores (Dodete/도데테, Grove Store/그로브스토어 한남동점, Mardi Mercredi/마르디 메크르디, ) cafes (Sous le Gui/수르기, MTL Hannam, Milestone Coffee), and restaurants (Summer Lane - a brunch spot, 부자피자 1호점 - a great pizza spot, make res, Jari Hannam/한남동자리 한남점 - a bomb Chinese spot, get the sweet and sour fried pork). Leeum Museum is also in walking distance which has a great permanent collection.
One of my favorite cafes in Itaewon with a beautiful space and cute shops in the bottom floors of the building. Get the canelés!! So yummy Hannam Atelier (한남작업실; https://www.instagram.com/hannam_atelier/?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=kci7d2kaadg) is also a great cafe in Itaewon with a modern Korean vibe, along with the ones listed above.
Cool multi-floor store in Apgujeong with a sunglasses shop, perfume / hand cream shop, and a bakery. Bunch of shops, restaurants, cafes nearby all in walking distance.
Michelin guide kbbq spot in Apgujeong-dong. Reservation is a must! Other good restaurants nearby in Apgujeong include Hanwoori (한우리 본점) (https://map.naver.com/v5/search/%EC%9D%8C%EC%8B%9D%EC%A0%90/place/11725907?c=17,0,0,0,dh) where you should get the beef and mushroom noodle stew, or 닭으로가 압구정본점 (https://map.naver.com/v5/search/%EC%9D%8C%EC%8B%9D%EC%A0%90/place/11710160?c=18,0,0,0,dh) where you can get spicy chicken bbq (dakgalbi)!
To all my kalguksu / Korean food lovers! This is a modest little spot where BenJi had many great homey Korean meals together. The owner is a lovely woman and is the go-to dog sitter for our fam. Her English is not so great but she might double your protein if you mention BenJi.. Other great restaurants in this neighborhood include Jangsoowon/장수원 (great naengmyun & bulgogi, it'll taste different from what you know!) and Samcha/삼차 방배카페골목점 (kbbq; get the galbi+pork belly/삼겹갈비).
A slightly old-timey vibe cafe with really great drip coffee. It became famous as Bong Joonho's hangout spot where he also wrote the movie Parasite. But let it be known that it was Minji's grandpa's favorite place first. You may spot him enjoying his solo coffee time. 서래수 also sells drip coffee packets which are great souvenirs/gifts to bring home. This area is called Seorae Village and is famous for having many French residents. Lots of nice cafes and restaurants; there's Montmartre Park nearby for a nice quick walk.
The OG Korean shaved ice / red bean porridge spot in a neighborhood called Dongbu-Ichon-dong, where Minji's parents used to live. A ton of great restaurants along the street too including Oh Tong-Yong, Ichon Budaejjigae, and Golmokjip.
Great contemporary art museum in a beautiful building at Bukcheon/Samcheongdong. This neighborhood still retains a lot of traditional Korean homes called "Han-ok" and old alleys. After museum you can walk to the Gyeongbokgung palace nearby, get some coffee or traditional Korean tea, maybe see Art Sunjae too (a smaller gallery), hit a whiskey bar/cafe called Bourbon/법원, or browse some clothes at Amomento/샵아모멘토.
A lofty cafe/select shop in Seongsu-dong, which is an up and coming neighborhood with a bunch of craft coffee, clothing, and home goods stores popping up in between warehouses.
Muti-store complex in Seong-su with stationery, clothing, coffee, etc. from independent Korean brands. Yoanna is one of my favorite shops there: (https://www.instagram.com/yoanna_shop/) Most stores are closed Mondays!
One of the newest and most popular department store in Yeoui-do, which is an office town/where the National Assembly is. A classic Korean department store experience involves checking out all the floors then culminating in B1 with all the yummy food stands :)