Here Are The Restaurants Of The Black & White Spoon Chefs on Culinary Class Wars

The Korean cooking show, Culinary Class Wars (흑백요리사) has topped the Netflix charts in multiple countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan & more. The show sees 80 black spoons against 20 accomplished, experienced star chefs, also known as the white spoons.

As of this article’s publication time, the show is still ongoing, with interesting episodes that include individual and team challenges.

If you’re a fan of the show like us, you’ve probably thought of trying their cooking or dining at their restaurants. Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve compiled a list of restaurants owned by the chefs in Culinary Class Wars.

P.S.: this list might contain spoilers, so consider carefully before scrolling.

Jump To:

• White Spoon Chefs
  1. Kim Do-yoon
  2. Nam Jeong-seok
  3. Park Jun-woo
  4. Edward Lee (Final 8)
  5. Kim Seung-min
  6. Bang Ki-soo
  7. Oh Se-deuk
  8. Lee Young-sook
  9. Seonkyoung Longest
  10. Choi Kang-rok
  11. Hwang Jin-seon
  12. Jeong Ji-seon (Final 8)
  13. Jang Ho-jun (Final 8)
  14. Ahn Yu-seong
  15. Joseph Lidgerwood
  16. Fabrizio Ferrari
  17. Choi Ji-hyung
  18. Cho Eun-joo
  19. Yeo Gyeong-rae
  20. Choi Hyun-seok (Final 8)
• Black Spoon Chefs
  1. Triple Star (Final 8)
  2. Napoli Mafia (Final 8)
  3. Self-Made Chef
  4. Cooking Maniac (Final 8)
  5. Hidden Genius
  6. Comic Book Chef
  7. Side Dish Chef
  8. 1,2,3
  9. Meat Gangster
  10. Auntie Omakase #1 (Final 8)
  11. Genius Restaurateur
  12. Celebrities’ Chef
  13. Yeong Chicken
  14. God of Seasoning
  15. Seung Woo’s Dad
  16. Master of School Meals
  17. Yakitori King
  18. Chinese Cuisine Goddess

White Spoon Chefs

Starting off the list with the white spoon chefs.

Kim Doyoon

Nicknamed Mashimaro, Chef Kim Doyoon owns 2 establishments, Yun Seoul (윤서울) & Myeon Seoul (면서울). The first is a 1-star Michelin restaurant, while the latter is featured in the 2025 Michelin Guide. Yun Seoul focuses on fermentation, aging, and drying techniques while Myeon Seoul is a heavily noodle-focused restaurant.

Yun Seoul: Naver Maps | Catchtable
Myeon Seoul: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Nam Jeongseok

Chef Nam Jeongseok is a master of vegetarian cuisine and is widely known as the number one chef when it comes to vegetables. He currently has 2 restaurants: Local Eat (로컬릿) & Green Bowl (그린볼).

Local Eat: Naver Maps | Instagram
Green Ball: Naver Maps | Instagram

Park Junwoo

You’ve probably seen Park Junwoo on the Korean variety show, Please Take Care of My Refrigerator. He was the runner-up for Masterchef Korea 1 and is currently running a dessert cafe known as Aux Petits Verres (오쁘띠베르) in Seochon.

Aux Petit Verres: Naver Maps | Instagram

Edward Lee

One of our favorite contestants from Culinary Class Wars is Chef Edward Lee. The winner of Iron Chef back in 2010, Chef Edward Lee has appeared as a judge along with Gordon Ramsay before. He is the chef-owner of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky, and an author of 3 books: Buttermilk Grafitti, Bourbon Land & Smoke and Pickles.

Can Chef Edward Lee please open up a restaurant serving a Tofu Omakase course because we’re dying to try it!!

610 Magnolia: Google Maps

Kim Seungmin

Chef Kim Seungmin beat Chef Park Junwoo to become the winner of Masterchef Korea 1. He is now running a Japanese restaurant in Aewol-eup, Jeju known as Morino Aruyo (모리노아루요).

Morino Aruyo: Naver Maps | Instagram

Bang Ki-Soo

Chef Bang Ki-Soo was the executive chef of Bicena, a restaurant that received a 1 Michelin Star the first time the Michelin Guide was launched in Seoul. He currently runs a Korean BBQ Joint known as Gitdeun (깃든).

Gitdeun: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Oh Se-Deuk

Another celebrity chef, Oh Se-Deuk has also made appearances on the Korean variety show, ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’. He currently runs 2 restaurants in Jeju, Chinnmeal Jeju (친밀) is a burger restaurant, while Openfire (오팬파이어) is a Western restaurant.

Chinnmeal Jeju: Naver Maps | Catchtable
Openfire: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Lee Youngsook

Resembling a warmhearted grandmother, Chef Lee Youngsook is the winner of a competition known as Korean Food Battle and was a ‘master’ for another white spoon chef in a spin-off of that competition. She currently has a restaurant specializing in Mushroom Jeongol in Chungnam, Buyeo.

Nakyung Mushroom: Naver Maps | Instagram

Seonkyoung Longest

Currently active as a Youtuber, Chef Seonkyoung Longest is a Korean American who has participated in Masterchef US Season 4. Currently, she doesn’t have a restaurant you can visit, but you can still watch some of her recipe videos on YouTube.

Choi Kang Rok

Having made quite an impression during the team challenge with his mashed potato sauce idea is Chef Kang-Rok, who’s also the winner of Masterchef Korea 2. He currently operates Restaurant NEO, a place serving something similar to an omakase.

Restaurant NEO: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Hwang Jinseon

Chef Hwang Jin-seon has been part of Restaurant Jin Jin, a Michelin 1 Star restaurant from 2017-2019. The restaurant now has a Michelin Bib Gourmand instead. Unlike the usual Korean Chinese restaurants, the menu has items like Jjajangmyeon or Jjamppong. It’s also one of the many restaurants on this list that’s conveniently located in a more foreigner-friendly location, Hongdae.

Jin Jin: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Jeong Ji-seon

Known as Korea’s first female Chinese star chef, Chef Jeong Ji-Seon made a huge impression with her skills in the individual challenge, where she whipped up sugar threads for her dish. Her Chinese restaurant, Tian Mi Mi has 2 locations, one in Gangnam and one in Hongdae.

Tian Mi Mi Gangnam: Naver Maps | Catchtable
Tian Mi Mi Hongdae: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Jang Ho-Jun

Chef Jang Ho-Jun is known as the King of Japanese Cuisine and is the CEO of Negi Company, which houses various Japanese dining concepts. The more well-known ones are Cavistry & Modern Oden.

Cavistry: Naver Maps | Catchtable
Modern Oden: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Ahn Yu-Seong

Chef Ahn Yu-Seong is also a Japanese chef and is part of the 16 master chefs in Korea. Unlike most chefs on this list, he has restaurants in Gwangju instead of Seoul. One of the three restaurants under his arm is Jangsu Naju Gomtang (장수나주곰탕), a spot in Gwangju specializing in the Korean dish.

Jangsu Naju Gomtang: Naver Maps

Joseph Lidgerwood

Chef Joseph Lidgerwood is an Australian chef who’s currently the owner-chef of EVETT (에빗 ), a 1 Michelin Star restaurant in Seoul. He has worked in Michelin 2 & 3-Star establishments such as Noma.

EVETT: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Fabrizio Ferrari

Chef Fabrizio was the owner-chef of a restaurant called Al Porticciolo 84 in Northern Italy, which obtained a 1 Michelin star for 15 consecutive years. He decided to move to Korea, closed down the restaurant, and is now operating Fabry Kitchen in Yongsan, Seoul.

Fabry Kitchen: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Choi Ji-Hyung

Chef Choi Ji-Hyung is a North Korean cuisine specialist and was sadly eliminated after his 1-on-1 battle with Triple Star.  He is currently the owner and chef of Leebukbang (리북방), a restaurant specializing in North Korean dining.

Leebukbang: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Cho Eun-joo

While she wasn’t the best team leader in the team challenge in our opinion, Chef Cho Eun-Joo is a two-time winner of the world’s top three cooking competitions. She is currently at Touch The Sky (터치더스카이), a restaurant located in the iconic 63 Building in Seoul.

Touch The Sky: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Yeo Gyeong-rae

With over 50 years of experience, Chef Yeo Gyeong-rae is a culinary expert when it comes to Korean Chinese cuisine. With so much experience, lots of chefs mentioned that he should be a judge rather than a participant.

Hongbogak: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Choi Hyun-seok

Last but not least, Chef Choi Hyun-seok – the celebrity chef that most of us are familiar with. Did you know that he has a towering height of 190cm?! His most iconic restaurant is probably Choi Dot located in Apgujeong. Apart from that, he also has 2 other dining establishments, Central Reducer & Dahlia Dining.

Choi Dot: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Black Spoon Chefs

Triple Star

One of the most eye-catching chefs in terms of skill and teamwork is Triple Star. The reason behind his name is simple: he has worked in three restaurants with three Michelin stars. He is currently the chef-owner of Trid (트리드), a restaurant in Cheongdam.

Trid: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Napoli Mafia

The Napoli Mafia, as seen in the show, speaks fluent Italian and flips risotto with skill and flair. His amazing interpretation of his memories with his great-grandmother has advanced him to the finals, and is now the winner of Culinary Class Wars!

He currently owns Via Toledo Pasta Bar, a restaurant serving Sicilian food. He got us wanting to try most of his dishes, from his iconic risotto to convenience store chestnut tiramisu!

Via Toledo Pasta Bar: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Self-Made Chef

Like his name suggests, he is a self-made chef having started doing deliveries since year 1 of high school. The meatball dish left quite an impression as he beat out White Spoon Chef, Yeo Gyeong-rae. He is currently the chef & owner of Doryang (도량), a Chinese restaurant in Seoul.

Doryang: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Cooking Maniac

Named after his crazy passion for cooking & food, Cooking Maniac has attracted quite a bit of attention from the White Spoon Chefs because of the way he cooks. To experience his passion for cooking, you can find him at Deepin, a Dining Bar in Seoul.

Deepin: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Hidden Genius

Never has someone made us want to eat a dish cooked on a competition show that much. Hidden Genius passed the first round by making one simple dish: Aglio Olio! Despite it being store-bought linguine, he impressed Judge Ahn Sung-jae with his unconventional cooking method. He currently owns an eatery known as Pono Buono (포노 부오노).

Pono Buono: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Comic Book Chef

How does someone learn to cook this well through comic books? Comic Book Chef feels like a character out of a comic book. He impressed Chef Paik Jong-won with his comic book recipes and was picked to advance for the team challenges despite losing the 1 vs 1 round.

Cho Kwang 201: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Side Dish Chef

He has experience working in Michelin restaurants, but is currently the CEO of MAMALEE Market which specializes in side dishes, hence his name. The store also has a pub on the 2^nd floor where you can indulge in other menu items.

MAMALEE Market & Pub: Naver Maps | Catchtable

1, 2, 3

The reason behind his name is simply because he has worked in 1-, 2- and 3-star Michelin restaurants. More iconically, he has worked together with Chef Ahn Sung-jae, the judge on Culinary Class Wars. He is currently running a Korean woodfire restaurant in Gangnam.

Bornyon: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Meat Gangster

As a meat lover, Meat Gangster’s version of Galbi-jjim piqued our interest. The Korean-inspired dish looks straight out of a Western restaurant and captures Chef Paik Jong-won’s heart. You can experience his skills over at Gunmong (군몽).

Gunmong: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Auntie Omakase #1

Along with the Master of School Meals, Auntie Omakase #1 showed off her knife skills during the team challenge. Her restaurant is unique as it doesn’t have a fixed menu. She simply uses the fresh ingredients of the day and decides what she wants to cook for her customers.

Happy Table (즐거운 술상): Naver Maps | Catchtable

Genius Restaurateur

Every business she starts is said to do extremely well, which is why she named herself Genius Restaurateur. Her bibimbap dish left quite an impression, despite the slightly flat-looking colours. She owns a restaurant in Euljiro, serving up modern Korean dishes.

Euljiro Boseok (을지로보석): Naver Maps | Catchtable

Celebrities’ Chef

Apart from having cooked for various celebrities like Lee Hyo-ri, this particular chef left quite an impact with his Vegetarian Sashimi. He currently owns Buto (부토), a modern Korean bar in Hannam-dong.

BUTO: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Yeong Chicken

A specialist in Chicken cuisine, he is the owner and chef of Namyeong Dak (남영탉), a restaurant that has a 4.8-star score on Catchtable. The restaurant is currently one of the most popular among the Black Spoon Chefs and attracts long queues even before opening.

Namyeong Chicken: Naver Maps | Catchtable

God of Seasoning

Looks like Namyeong is a hot spot for good food because the God of Seasoning also owns a restaurant in Namyeong. It’s called Edamame and they serve Korean-Chinese food!

Edamame: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Seung-Woo’s Dad

Seung-Woo’s Dad is a popular Korean YouTuber doing content on food and has over 1.4 million subscribers! You can watch his videos here.

Master of School Meals

Cooking up a typical school meal for Chef Ahn Sung-jae and allowing him to experience a taste of his childhood is the Master of School Meals. She cooked for elementary schools and doesn’t operate any eatery at the moment. We can only imagine how her cooked meals taste like… probably like a mum’s hug.

Yakitori King

The Yakitori King is one of the best chefs in town when it comes to Yakitori. He owns Yakitori Mook, and it has 2 outlets – one in Yeonnam, and one in Garosugil.

Yakitori Mook: Naver Maps | Catchtable

Chinese Cuisine Goddess

Not only does she have looks that could rival K-pop stars, but the Chinese Cuisine Goddess is also the disciple of Chef Yeo Gyeong-rae. She was picked by Chef Paik Jong-won to proceed to the next stage despite losing her 1-vs-1 challenge. From what we gathered on the internet, she is part of Black Sheep Restaurants in Hong Kong.

Culinary Class Wars Restaurants

It’s amazing how the show has already caused most of the restaurants on this list to be fully booked out. However, do keep this article handy when you plan your future Korea trips! Who knows? You might just score a seat at one of these Culinary Class Wars restaurants.

• Other Korean Apps You Might Need in Korea Besides Catchtable

Who do you think will be the ultimate winner of Culinary Class Wars, and do you think there’ll be a Season 2? We sure hope so.

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