Thanksgiving Roundup
by Brian Dye http://kissmykimchi.com
with additional information by Daniel Gray

One of the downsides of being an American abroad is that when one of our holidays rolls around you may find yourself waving the stars and stripes alone on the Fourth of July or barbecuing a single hot dog for Memorial day. This tragedy reaches new heights during a holiday like Thanksgiving. Back home we would be surrounded not only by friends and family but tables laden with delicious home cooked dishes like mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and, of course, turkey!  Thankfully, for us Yankee Thanksgiving fanatics, there are options in Seoul aimed at Americans as well as anyone else that wants to join in the festivities.

Rebecca and I teamed up to deliver you this list of what’s happening so far, of course this being Korea, not all the times and dates are totally set yet. Be sure to call up the restaurants and make a reservation because most of these restaurants will be filled far in advance. But before I get into the restaurant list, yet me give some options for those who want to cook their own turkey.

Costco has 7.7 kilo turkeys for sale for W80,000. You can get the rest of the fixings there too. If you lack a membership card then I recommend going to www.ezshopkorea.com. They will deliver everything to your home, for a small fee. The Hannam Mart and Haddon House also have turkeys and fixings for sale around this time. Haddon tends to be a tad cheaper than Hannam. They both have a range of different sizes of turkeys. Hannam Mart 702-3313. Haddon House 794-0511.

If you want the truly American taste then I recommend you make a friend with a military personnel. The Dragon Hill Lodge on the Yongsan Military base has fully cooked meals in the Itaewon area for military personnel (and friends.) Last year the prices ranged from 95-100 dollar. Each set is enough to feed 8 with leftovers.

The Decided:

Toque
Date: Thursday 126/11/09
Time: 6-8pm
Prices: 35,000W adults, 20,000W children
Menu: Buffet style with turkey, stuffing, salad, gravy, etc.
Note: Please RSVP
Phone: 794-3834
Address: 682-1 Hannam Dong, Yongsan Gu, Seoul
Email: toquediner@hotmail.com

Big Rock
Date: Saturday 28/11/09
Time: 6:30pm
Prices: 35,000W estimated
Menu: Buffet style dinner menu with turkey and all the trimmings.
Note: Reservations recommended
Phone: 02 539-6650
Address: Go out Gangnam Station exit 7 and make the first right and walk up the hill.
Email: info@bigrockbeer.co.kr

Chef Meili
Date: Thursday 26/11/09 and Saturday 28/11/09
Time: 5pm
Prices: 35,000W estimate
Menu: Set menu of cream soup, turkey with all the trimmings, stuffing, veggies, pumpkin pie.
Note: Reservations are required.
Phone: 02 794-7024
Address: Next to Gecko’s Terrace, across from the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon
Email: christianmeilinger@hotmail.com

Grand Hilton Seoul Hotel
Date: Thursday 26/11/09
Time: 6-9:30pm
Prices: 56,000W
Menu: Buffet style with turkey, potatoes, and combined traditional as well as international fare.
Note: Reservations are recommended.
Phone: 02 3216-5656
Address: 201-1 Hongeun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-710
Email: grandseoul@hilton.com

Renaissance Hotel Seoul
Date: Thursday 26/11/09
Time: Unspecified
Prices: 50,000W (lunch), 80,000W (dinner)
Menu: Although the specifics are undecided there will be a special Thanksgiving day set menu.
Note:
Phone: 02 555-0501
Address: 676 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu Seoul 135-915

The Undecided. These restaurants are planning to have thanksgiving, but, they haven’t decided on the date, time, or prices.

Loco Loca
Menu: Special set menu.
Note: The folks at Loco Loca definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: 796-1606
Address: 116-22 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu
 
Suji’s
Note: The folks at Suji’s definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: 02-797-3698
Address: 34-16 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu 2nd and 3rd flr
Email: info@sujis.net
 
USO
Note: The folks at the USO definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving lunch. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: (82.2) 795-3028/3063
Address: #104, Galwol-Dong, Yongsan-Ku, Seoul 140-150, Korea
Email: dproch@uso.org

Gecko’s Terrace
Note: The folks at the Gecko’ Terrace definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: 02) 749-9425
Address: 128-5 Itaewon-dong,  Yongsan-gu
Email: geckosterrace@hotmail.com
 
COEX Intercontinental Hotel
Note: The folks at the COEX Intercontinental definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: 02 559-7631
Address: 524 Bongeunsa-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-975
Email: seoul@interconti.com
 
W-Seoul Walkerhill
Note: The folks at the W-Seoul Walkerhill Hotel definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: 02 465 2222
Address: 21 Gwangjang-dong, Gwangjin-gu 2133

Millennium Seoul Hilton
Note: The folks at the Millennium Seoul Hilton definitely have plans to host a Thanksgiving dinner. However, they have yet to finalize the menu, prices or date. They recommend contacting them closer to the big day.
Phone: 02 317-3114
Address: Namdaemun-ro, Chung-gu Seoul 100-676
Email: Seoul@hilton.com