The best things about Korean department stores are the food courts found in the basement levels. Not only can you get an affordable meal, but you can also pick up a variety of grocery items.

Since they are always on the basement level, you can just catch the subway home.

One of my favorites is the Shinsegae Department Store in Gangnam. Not only because it’s stylish, but you can also get really good cheeses and even prosciutto here, at a price, of course.

I especially love the baked goods sections.

And as you can see, the cupcake craze has also hit Korea.

Korean bakers make some of the best looking cakes. And in the past few years as better flours and European ingredients have been imported into the country, the cakes taste much better than they used to.

There are plenty of inexpensive places to get a meal – everything from pizza and pastas to hot steaming bowls of kalgooksu and steamed dumplings.

The top levels of Korean department stores may have clothes, jewelery, makeup, accessories and other goodies. But for me, the basement is where the action happens!