Season 2 of Netflix’s culinary competition Culinary Class Wars returned on December 16, 2025, with a dramatically expanded line-up, pitting some of South Korea’s most established chefs against a new generation of underground talent. Unveiled through Netflix Korea’s official channels, the season brings together 100 chefs in total, combining 80 “Black Spoon” challengers, 18 elite “White Spoon” chefs, and two additional White Spoon figures whose identities remain undisclosed.
The White Spoon chefs include figures who have helped define modern Korean fine dining, run Michelin-starred kitchens in Seoul and New York, revived temple cuisine, and shaped hotel, presidential, and international restaurant dining over decades. And while the series centres on a high-stakes battle of skill and hierarchy, many of the most recognisable names come from restaurants diners can actually visit beyond the screen. From two-Michelin-star tasting rooms and Japanese kappo counters to Italian trattorias, Nordic-Korean fusion restaurants, and long-standing hotel institutions, here are all the restaurants you can put on your must-try list.
Also, savour the delicious dishes you saw on Culinary Class Wars Season 1 by visiting the restaurants of the show’s top 11 Black Spoon chefs.
‘White Spoon’ Chefs’ Restaurants From Culinary Class Wars Season 2
Haobin at Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel — Chef Hu Deok-juk
Step into Haobin on the second floor of The Ambassador Seoul, A Pullman Hotel, and you’ll be greeted by warm orange tones, crystal chandeliers, and elegant Chinese tableware that set the stage for an inviting yet graceful meal. Michelin and now Culinary Class Wars Season 2-recognised Chef Hu Deok-juk, now in his sixties and Cantonese-trained, runs the kitchen personally, drawing on more than five decades of experience to serve refined regional Chinese dishes. Be sure to try his signature soup, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, the first of its kind in Korea.
- Address: 2F, Ambassador-Pullman Hotel, 287 Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, 04618, South Korea
Udon Kaden — Chef Jung Ho-young
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At Udon Kaden in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul, Chef Jung Ho-young brings 24 years of experience and three years of Osaka training to every bowl. The restaurant specialises in hand-crafted udon, with noodles aged and folded for perfect texture and broth simmered slowly to build rich, layered flavours. Signature dishes include Bukkake Udon in summer, beef tendon udon in winter, and the carefully deboned fried hairtail. Beyond Udon Kaden and Izakaya Kaden in Yeonhui-dong, Chef Jung also operates udon and shabu-shabu restaurants in Hapjeong, Jeju, Apgujeong, and Bucheon.
- Address: 173 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Also, read Chef Louis Han’s recommendations for the top spots for where to eat and drink in Seoul if you’re looking to have a good time.
Soul (1 Michelin star, Seoul) — Chef Kim Hee-eun
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Soul in Haebangchon, led by Michelin-starred Chef Kim Hee-eun and Yoon Dae-hyun, serves modern Korean cuisine that blends local ingredients with familiar flavours. “Within the heart of this culinary haven, Chef Kim Hee-eun and Yoon Dae-hyun share more than just a partnership in life; they share a culinary bond that crafts extraordinary gastronomic adventures,” describes the Michelin Guide, adding, “the two chefs artfully delve into the diverse food cultures and ingredients found in Korea, infusing each dish with familiar, comforting flavours reminiscent of everyday life.”
- Address: B1F, 35 Sinheung-ro 26-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 04337, South Korea
Mosu Seoul and Mosu Hong Kong — Chef Im Seong-geun
Mosu in Seoul, South Korea’s popular three-star Michelin restaurant, is led by Chef Sung Anh, winner of Hansik Battle Season 3. He serves modern Korean cuisine with French techniques, including seasonal tasting menus with precise, layered flavours. Diners can experience Mosu Hong Kong under his guidance, making both locations must-visit destinations for serious food enthusiasts.
- Address (Mosu Seoul): 4 Hoenamu-ro 41-gil, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea
- Address (Mosu Hong Kong): Cultural District, 3/F, M+ Tower, West Kowloon, 38 Museum Dr, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Also, save our guide to Seoul’s finest luxury hotels.
Trattoria Sam Kim and Osteria Sam Kim — Chef Sam Kim
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Chef Sam Kim, known for Italian cuisine and appearances on MBC’s Pasta and JTBC’s Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, runs Trattoria Sam Kim in Mapo-gu and Osteria Sam Kim in Apgujeong-dong. Both serve approachable yet refined Italian dishes, from fresh pasta to seasonal appetisers, making them must-visit spots for diners seeking authentic Italian flavours in Seoul.
- Address (Trattoria Sam Kim): 10-3 Dosan-daero 49-gil, Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea
- Address (Osteria Sam Kim): 55 Yanghwa-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Kozacha or Kojacha (1 Michelin star, 2022 to 2024) — Chef Choi Yu-gang
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Chef Choi Yu-gang’s Kozacha is one of Seoul’s most distinctive Chinese restaurants, earning a Michelin star from 2022 to 2024. The Cheongdam-dong restaurant focuses on elevating familiar Chinese and Korean-Chinese dishes rather than reinventing them. Signature plates include chilled abalone salad served in an imperial peacock dish, and shark fin braised in superior stock. It’s the kind of place diners bookmark for a rare, deeply polished take on Chinese cooking in Seoul.
- Address: 17 Hakdong-ro 97-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06072, South Korea
Also, check out these shopping malls and markets in Seoul for a good dose of Korean retail therapy.
Namu (Malmö) — Chef Jennie Walldén
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Namu, in central Malmö near Lilla Torg, is chef Jennie Walldén’s confident take on Korean cooking through a Nordic lens. The Swedish MasterChef winner plays up Korean flavours with seasonal Scandinavian ingredients across sharing plates and tasting menus, backed by a sustainability-minded kitchen and a strong cocktail programme at sister bar Gaji next door. Expect familiar comforts like tonkatsu alongside bolder, more experimental dishes, with highlights such as the Beef Gangnam Style bulgogi. It’s a smart, unfussy spot that earns its Bib Gourmand, and a place worth putting on your must-try list.
- Address: Landbygatan 5, Malmo, 211 34, Sweden
Kochi and Mari (Michelin-starred, New York) — Chef Shim Sung-chul
Chef Sungchul Shim didn’t come to New York to open a Korean restaurant. He came because he wanted to cook. Twenty years on, that long game has paid off in Kochi and Mari, two Michelin-starred restaurants that rethink Korean flavours through the lens of fine-dining technique, and now GUI, his newest opening in the Theatre District.
If you’ve eaten your way through Korean barbecue or stews and think you know the cuisine, this is where it gets interesting. Shim folds the food he grew up with into a classical framework shaped by years of formal training, pairing galbi and brothy dishes with unexpected moves like panna cotta finished with jang. The menu is built for sharing, a quiet reminder that Korean food has always been communal. “We have a classical menu, but, something fun in our personal way,” Shim told WABC Eyewitness News.
- Address (Mari): 679 Ninth Ave., New York, NY, 10036, USA
- Address (Kochi): 652 Tenth Ave., New York, NY, 10036, USA
Goryori Ken (1 Michelin star) — Chef Kim Geon
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Tucked above street level in Gangnam, Chef Kim Geon’s eight-seat counter puts you close enough to see every cut, pour, and finishing touch. The cooking is modern Japanese at its most disciplined, rooted in kappo tradition and built around seasonality, texture, and umami rather than spectacle.
Kim, who was revealed as one of the ‘White Spoon’ chefs for Culinary Class Wars Season 2, opened the restaurant in 2016, refined it after a brief reset in 2019, and earned a Michelin star that it held from 2022 to 2025 through sheer consistency. Expect a tasting menu that moves with quiet confidence, from pristine sashimi to deeply savoury grilled eel, all designed to pair naturally with a smart, sake-forward drinks program.
- Address: 2F, 15-3 Eonju-ro 152-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06021, South Korea
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(Feature image credit: Netflix K-Content/Youtube)
This article first appeared here
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.