Korean Mart Cape Town is the most fun (and weird) date we’ve been on

You might think we’re weird for doing this as a date. But some dates should be fun and weird and effortless, okay? Watch how much fun it was haha. And this one was all three. We visited the Korean Mart Cape Town, which is linked to Gogi Restaurant in Observatory, and honestly we’ve been wanting to do this for the longest time after watching other people do it. Now we can say we’ve done it, and we get the hype completely.

Korean Mart Cape Town: how it works, step by step

Part of what makes this experience so fun is the process itself. It’s interactive in a way that a regular restaurant just isn’t. Here’s how it goes:

• Step 1: Pick your ramen, buldak, or whatever flavour is calling your name. There are so many options. It’s genuinely overwhelming in the best way.
• Step 2: Choose your drink from the shelves or the vending machine.
• Step 3: Grab your ice cups.
• Step 4: Go pay.
• Step 5: Buy your ramen tray for the machine and choose your toppings.

Aliasgher went full toppings. I skipped the toppings and got tteokbokki instead, which is something I LOVE. Both approaches worked perfectly, which tells you something about how good the base experience already is.

It’s honestly super exciting in a way that’s hard to explain until you’re standing there with your tray, choosing your toppings, watching the machine do its thing. It’s a whole experience, not just a meal. Also watching your ramen cook in a supermarket is so exciting haha

The Korean Mart is linked to Gogi Restaurant, which is halaal certified. The mart itself stocks both halaal and non-halaal items, so just check the labels if that’s important to you. There’s still plenty to choose from either way.

If you’re looking for a unique Cape Town date idea or just something different to do with a friend, the Korean Mart Observatory is exactly that. We’d been watching people do this for ages and finally ticking it off felt so satisfying. Go send this to someone you want to do it with, and then actually go do it.

Bookmark this for your the next time you’re looking for something fun to do! Want more travel recommendations, both in and outside South Africa? Follow us @afor_adventures or subscribe to our food & travel blog – always honest, always helpful.