The Back Food Truck, Haebangchon: A Fried-Egg Burger After Namsan, View Included

Nobody climbs a hill for a burger. At least, that's what I thought.

That day I was walking the Namsan trail. The sky was blue, and N Seoul Tower looked close enough to touch. Somewhere along the way I got hungry, and at the top of the Haebangchon hill, there it was: The Back Food Truck.

Verdict up front: the hill was worth it.

A 30-second glossary

• Haebangchon — literally "liberation village." A hillside neighborhood right below Namsan, between Itaewon and Yongsan: narrow alleys, stairs, and a lot of uphill.
• Namsan & N Seoul Tower — the mountain in the middle of Seoul and the tower on top of it. Locals just call it Namsan Tower.
• Maeul bus — a "village bus," a small local bus that runs short routes into neighborhoods the subway doesn't reach.
• Suje beogeo — "handmade burger," the Korean term for a craft burger joint.
• Break time — many Korean restaurants close between lunch and dinner. Here it's 15:00–17:00.

The walk is part of the meal

Haebangchon sits on a hill right below Namsan, between Itaewon and Yongsan. Narrow alleys, stairs, and uphill stretches that just keep going. So most good food here is an experience that includes the walk. Stroll with Namsan Tower overhead, come back down, eat a burger. That alone fills half a day.

Here comes the burger

The burger arrives wearing a fried egg like a hat. The yolk is plump and intact, the edges fried crispy. A single skewer runs straight through the middle, and without it, this thing looks like it would topple.

Cut it in half and the cross-section introduces itself: egg, melted cheese, tomato, greens, and a thick patty. Take a bite and the yolk runs down and mixes with the juices from the patty. Messy hands are a small price to pay. It's really, really good.

The secret menu item: the view

The restaurant takes up two floors, and out on the terrace you get the whole city in one view. Past the rooftops of Haebangchon, a forest of buildings stretches out, and on a good day even the clouds look like a painting. You come for a burger and leave with more photos than you planned.

What other diners say

Here are the numbers from Naver Place (Korea's go-to map and review app) as of September 2026, with the keyword labels translated, roughly. The reaction to the view really stands out.

• ⭐ Visitor rating 4.36 · 2,442 reviews
• 🥇 "The food is delicious" 965 people
• 🌆 "Great view" 696 (the second most-picked keyword)
• 🙂 "Fresh ingredients" 238, "Friendly staff" 208
• 📝 Most-mentioned topics in reviews: taste (632) > satisfaction (510) > the view (168)

Naver's one-line summary reads, roughly, "crowned Haebangchon's signature restaurant." It's not often that the view is the third most-talked-about thing in reviews of a burger place.

Menu and prices

Menu	Price
American cheeseburger (140 g)	₩9,500
The Back Burger	₩10,800
Bacon cheeseburger (140 g)	₩10,800
Mozzarella cheeseburger	₩10,800
American cheeseburger, double	₩12,800
Mexican burger	₩14,800
Cuban sandwich	₩8,500
Chili cheese fries / truffle oil french fries	₩13,900
Fish and chips	₩18,900

How to order (even with zero Korean)

• The burger names are English loanwords (치즈버거 is just "cheeseburger"), so pointing works fine. Point and say "Igeo hana juseyo" — one of these, please.
• Taking it to go? Say "Pojang-iyo" — it's for takeout.
• Mind the clock: break time is 15:00–17:00, last order is 20:30, and it's closed on Mondays.

Visit info

📍 The Back Food Truck (더백푸드트럭) · 45 Sinheung-ro 20-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul (1F & 2F)

• 🚇 Getting there: It's up a hill, more than 1 km from the nearest subway stations (Sookmyung Women's Univ. Station on Line 4, Noksapyeong Station on Line 6). Take a taxi or a maeul bus, or better yet, walk there as part of a Namsan stroll.
• 🕐 Hours: Tue–Sun 11:30–21:30, break time 15:00–17:00, last order 20:30, closed Mondays (hours may change over the Seollal and Chuseok holidays)
• 💰 Price: burgers ₩9,500–14,800
• ✅ Good to know: takeout, delivery, group seating, mobile payments
• 🗺️ Maps: Google Maps · Naver Map — Google Maps finds the spot and handles subway routes in Korea, but for walking directions Naver Map is more reliable.

Jayden's verdict

Who climbs a hill just for a burger? Me, apparently. And I'll climb it again.

• Burger: ★★★★★
• View: ★★★★★
• Coming back? Yes. Next time I'm aiming for a terrace seat around sunset.