Learn Hardcore Korean: geuneun geu sikdangi maseobsdago haeseo gyeolguk dareun sikdangeuro gasseo. - He said that restaurant wasn’t good, so he eventually went to another restaurant.

It links a quoted statement to a reason: “because (someone) said that… / since it’s said that…”. It comes from -다고 하여서 > -다고 해서. In this sentence, it gives a hearsay-based reason for the action in the main clause.

Note: -다고 해서 can also be used in “Just because X (doesn’t mean Y)” patterns, but here it’s the simple causal “because (they say) X” use.

Who is doing the “saying” in 맛없다고 해서? It’s not stated.

Korean often omits the subject when it’s clear or unimportant. Here it means “because (people/they/someone) said it’s not tasty.” You can specify it if needed:

친구들이 그 식당이 맛없다고 해서… (because my friends said…)
다들 그 식당이 맛없다고 해서… (because everyone says…)
네가 그 식당이 맛없다고 해서… (because you said…)

Why use 맛없다고 해서 instead of 맛없어서?

맛없어서 = “because it’s not tasty (as experienced/known fact).” It sounds like the speaker or subject actually tasted it.
맛없다고 해서 = “because (someone) said it’s not tasty.” It explicitly frames the reason as hearsay. Use the former for direct experience; the latter for reported information.

Can I use 맛없다길래 or 맛없대서 instead?

Yes, both are common and natural in conversation.

맛없다길래 = contraction of 맛없다고 하길래; “since I heard/you said it wasn’t tasty (so I…).” Often feels like you acted on what you just heard.
맛없대서 = contraction of 맛없다고 해서; same meaning as the original but more colloquial. Example: 친구가 맛없다길래/맛없대서 결국 다른 식당으로 갔어.

Why is it 그 식당이 (subject marker) and not 그 식당은 (topic marker)?

Inside the quoted clause (the content of “saying”), 이/가 is the default, neutral subject marking: [그 식당이 맛없다]. Using 은/는 would topicalize/contrast: 그 식당은 맛없다고 해서… can imply “As for that restaurant (as opposed to others), it’s said to be not tasty…”. Both are grammatically fine; choose based on nuance.

Is 그는 natural? Don’t Koreans usually drop “he/she”?

In everyday speech, Koreans often omit third-person pronouns or use a name/title.

Natural conversational options: omit it, or use a name/title (e.g., 민수는…), or casual 걔는 (for someone younger/close).
그는 is fine in narration or when contrasting (e.g., “He, unlike others, …”). In casual chat it can feel bookish unless there’s a reason to emphasize “he.”

Why 다른 식당으로 with -으로? Could I say 다른 식당에?

With motion verbs like 가다, both -에 and -으로/로 can mark a destination.

-에: neutral “to.”
-으로/로: “to/toward,” often used when indicating a change or choice among options (nicely fits the idea of “switching to another restaurant”). Form rule: after a vowel or ㄹ, use -로; after other consonants, use -으로. Hence 식당으로, 서울로, 집으로.

What nuance does 결국 add, and where can it go?

결국 means “in the end/eventually,” implying some process or alternatives before the final outcome. Placement is flexible:

결국 그는 … 갔어.
그는 결국 … 갔어. Adding -은 (결국은) adds contrastive emphasis: “in the end, at least/after all.”

The ending is 갔어. What register is that, and what are polite versions?

갔어 = informal non-deferential past (casual). Politer versions:

갔어요 (polite casual)
갔습니다 (formal) For a more narrative/written feel with 그는, you might use 갔다 or 갔습니다. For casual speech with a friend, (걔는) … 갔어 is natural.

How does -다고 attach to different word types?

Descriptive verbs (adjectives): A-다고 → 맛없다 → 맛없다고
Action verbs: V-ㄴ/는다고 → 가다 → 간다고, 먹다 → 먹는다고
Noun + copula: N(이)라고 → 학생이다 → 학생이라고 Also: 있다/없다 → 있다고/없다고 (they’re descriptive verbs, so -다고, not -(이)라고). Commands/suggestions use -(으)라고 / -자고 (different pattern).

Is there a softer/more natural way to say “not tasty”?

Yes, depending on tone:

맛이 없다 (neutral)
별로다/별로래 (“so-so / not great”)
입에 안 맞다 (“doesn’t suit one’s taste”) – polite/indirect Examples:
그 식당이 별로라고 해서…
그 식당이 입에 안 맞는다고 해서…

Why is it 맛없다고 (dictionary form) and not 맛없었다고 (past) in the quote?

Quoted clauses often use the base form to state a general property. 맛없다고 해서 implies “it’s said to be not tasty (in general).” Use past if the report is about a specific past occasion:

어제 갔던 그 식당이 맛없었다고 해서… (I heard it was bad when they went yesterday.)

Is repeating 그 in 그는 그 식당이 awkward?

No. The first 그 is the pronoun “he,” and the second 그 is the demonstrative “that (restaurant).” They refer to different things, so the repetition is normal. If context is clear, you can drop the subject: 그 식당이 맛없다고 해서 결국 다른 식당으로 갔어.