In Korea, food is for the soul as well as for the stomach. Meals are meant for sharing, and eating is seen as a means to better health and well-being. Known for spicy flavors, Korean food culture is all about the sauces and condiments and, in turn, fermentation – exemplified by the national treasure that is kimchi and fiery gochujang (red chili paste).
Koreans love eating out, and dining options range from casual bites at a market stall to regal banquets at traditional restaurants. In the big cities, food trends come and go at a breathless pace, making contemporary dining in Korea – especially street food – ideal content for social media feeds.
Whatever takes your fancy, start with our beginner’s guide that details the top 11 things to eat and drink in South Korea.
1. Get your grill on at a Korean BBQ
Hands-down the best hands-on eating experience in Korea, there’s something about sizzling meat with friends on a tabletop grill that really gets the conversation (and drinks) flowing.
The first step at a Korean BBQ restaurant is to select your cuts: beef, typically galbi (short ribs) or bulgogi (thinly-sliced sirloin marinated in sweet soy sauce), and pork, such as samgyeopsal (streaky pork belly). After grilling, wrap each meaty morsel in ssam (vegetable leaves) before eating, along with optional fresh garlic, green pepper, kimchi and spicy ssamjang (soybean and red-pepper sauce). And don’t forget the beer.
Where to try it: Go to Hongik Sutbul Galbi for an authentic Korean BBQ experience in Seoul.
2. Savor an elegant Korean banquet
For a more refined dining experience, hanjeongsik (sometimes translated as a set menu or table d’hôte) is a royal spread of banquet dishes all served at once: fish, meat, soup, dubu jjigae (tofu stew), rice, noodles, steamed egg, shellfish and a flock of banchan (cold side dishes). It’s a delightful way to sample a wide range of seasonal Korean food in one go.
At the best places, the dishes will be served in regal bangjja (bronze) tableware, set out aesthetically on the table according to color and taste profile, like an edible work of art.
Where to try it: Set in a renovated traditional hanok house, Korea House is Seoul’s first choice for hanjeongsik.
3. Chow down on the perfect bibimbap
Comfort in a bowl, bibimbap is the definitive Korean staple: rice topped with vegetables, sometimes meat, chili paste and egg. The ingredients are laid out in a bowl according to the five primary colors of Korean food – white, yellow, green, red and black – representing the five elements. Just add a squirt of red gochujang, stir it all up and enjoy. Bibimbap comes from the food-mad city of Jeonju, along with its delicious variant, dolsot bibimbap, served in a hot stone pot that encourages a satisfying layer of crusty rice to form at the bottom.
Where to try it: Hanguk-jip in Jeonju is a long-running bibimbap institution in a temple-like building.
4. Appreciate the culinary joy that is kimchi
In Korea, kimchi really does show up at every meal (even breakfast!) – what started out as a pickling method to preserve cabbage and radish through the harsh winters has become a cornerstone of Korean cuisine. But that is by no means a bad thing: sour-spicy kimchi is said to lower cholesterol, supercharge gut health and prevent the flu.
One of the best ways to appreciate kimchi as a main course rather than a cold side dish is kimchi-jjigae, a bubbling stew made with kimchi, tofu, veggies and gochujang – just don’t be surprised if it comes with a side of kimchi.
Where to try it: You will find kimchi in every restaurant and street food spot in Korea. For the most exquisite version of this culinary staple, visit Kwonsooksoo (with 2 Michelin stars) in Seoul, which puts a creative twist on traditional kimchi-making recipes.
5. Go for a fried chicken and beer blowout
A pairing so perfect it even has its own portmanteau, chimaek refers to fried chicken (chikin) with beer (maekju), enjoyed at restaurants and hof (pubs) all over Korea. The beer tends to be frothy jugs of draft lager (Hite and Cass are local favorites), while the fried chicken is typically served either “plain” or liberally glazed in a gochujang-based sweet, spicy, sticky sauce; order banban (half-half) to get a mixed plate done both ways. The best Korean fried chicken should be light and extra crisp, thanks to double-frying and a paper-thin coat of batter.
Where to try it: if you’re looking for the best Korean fried chicken and beer experience in Seoul, Kkanbu Chicken qualifies.
6. Dine out on Korean street food
Street hawkers in Korea range from simple food carts to pojangmacha (street tent bars) with tables, chairs and cold beers. Odeng (fishcake skewers) are usually made from Alaska pollock or Golden threadfin bream and cooked in vats of broth. Seafood-based street food like this is essential eating in Busan. Another highlight is dakkochi, grilled chicken skewers with a smoky charred flavor and a sticky, tangy barbecue sauce. On the sweet side, look out for dalgona (melted sugar candy) and bukkumi (half-moon-shaped pan-fried glutinous rice flour cakes with red bean filling).
Where to try it: Dongdaemun Market in Seoul offers some of the best street food in South Korea.
7. Slurp a bowl of ginseng chicken soup (on a hot day)
It might seem counterintuitive to eat bubbling hot soup in high summer, but Koreans believe in the concept of “yi yeol chi yeol” (translated as “fighting heat with heat”), and that eating hot food makes you sweat and feel cooler. Samgyetang is a fabulously tasty chicken soup, typically featuring a whole bird stuffed with ginseng, jujube, ginkgo nut and other healthful herbs, best enjoyed on sambok days – the three hottest days of the year. Ginseng is thought to boost energy, helping your body combat the draining effects of the heat and replenishing its lost internal warmth.
Where to try it: Tosokchon is the best place for ginseng chicken soup in Seoul. There will almost certainly be a line, but their samgyetang is heavenly.
8. Drink makgeolli and eat pajeon (on a rainy day)
A traditional farmer’s brew made from fermented rice wine, think of makgeolli as the more civilized (distant) cousin of soju. Much lower in alcohol, it has a cloudy appearance and a mellow yogurt flavor. Artisanal makgeolli bars in Seoul serve quality drops (minus the aspartame found in many commercial varieties), where it’s often paired with pajeon, a savory pancake made with green onions, plus optional kimchi or seafood. Something about this comforting combo inspires quiet reflection; Koreans particularly like it on rainy days.
Where to try it: Muldwinda is a sophisticated makgeolli bar in Myeong-dong with a great collection of liqueurs and tasty anju options.
9. Treat yourself to yummy Korean desserts
Life is good if you have a sweet tooth in South Korea. There are two main categories of desserts here: hangwa (or traditional Korean confectionary made from grain flour) and tteok (an umbrella term for various rice cakes). Street carts are where you go to sample as many varieties as possible. Favorite sweet staples include hotteok (a flour dough pancake with different fillings), bungeo-ppang (a fish-shaped pastry with red bean paste), and hodu-gwaja (walnut cookies). During summer, everyone munches on patbingsu, the sweet red bean shaved ice dessert, which is great for cooling down.
Where to try it: Go to one of Seoul’s traditional tea houses to taste dasik, a type of pressed hangwa served during tea ceremonies.
10. Get tteokbokki and more in the Seoul food “towns”
There’s no better place to get into South Korean food than Seoul. Not only does the capital have the most restaurants in the country, but there’s also a strong local food scene you can immerse yourself in. And the Korean megalopolis makes it very easy — Seoul has special “towns,” or entire street sections that serve just one local dish.
Start with Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town, a cluster of eateries serving the legendary tteokbokki – chewy rice cakes in pans of spicy, saucy gochujang, often with slices of sundae (Korean blood sausage). There’s a Sundae Town too, and it’s located outside the Sillim Station in Sillim-dong. Another local delicacy is jokbal (or braised pig feet) and Gongdeok Market has an alley with many spots serving it.
Where to try it: Markets are where you find the biggest choice of Korean foods, and Seoul has many. Must-visits include centrally-located Myeongdong Night Market and Namdaemun, which are among the best places to eat in Seoul. For a more local experience with fewer tourists and lower prices, head to Mangwon Market.
11. Accompany your soju with anju (Korean drinking snacks)
The drinking culture is big and varied in South Korea. Rice-made vodka-like soju reigns supreme among the country’s alcoholic beverages. But it rarely goes without anju, the special foods that serve as a tasty side dish to alcohol consumption. The simplest snack combination is a set of dried fruits, nuts and finger foods (such as Alaska pollock with peanuts or dried anchovies). But then there are also more sophisticated anju like samgyeopsal-gui (grilled pork ribs), nakji-bokkeum (stir-fried octopus), golbaengi-muchim (moon snail salad) and yangnyeom-gejang (spicy raw crab).
Where to try it: Itaewon is a go-to area for nightlife and drinking establishments that serve anju.
Vegetarians and vegans
Although Korean cuisine uses lots of vegetables, much of it is pickled or cooked with meat or seafood. Vegetarians can order bibimbap without meat or egg, but your dubu jjigae (tofu stew) may be made from beef or seafood stock, and beoseot deopbap (mushrooms on rice) may contain a little pork. Even kimchi is often made with fish sauce.
Seoul has a good choice of international vegetarian and vegan restaurants, but for everyday Korean dining, the only assuredly meat-free meals are those served at Buddhist temples or restaurants.
Where to try Korean vegetarian food: Plant Cafe & Kitchen is a must-visit address in Seoul for varied vegan food and a greenery-filled interior.
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