Korean food: 20 dishes to try and where
The Korean dishes visitors should not miss, what each one is, and the neighbourhood or city where it is best, with our guides to each place.
Korean barbecue (samgyeopsal, galbi)
Pork belly or marinated short ribs grilled at your table, wrapped in lettuce with garlic and sauce. Usually for two people or more.
Where to try it: Hongdae, Mangwon & Hapjeong
Bibimbap
Rice topped with vegetables, egg and chilli paste, mixed at the table. Jeonju is its home town.
Where to try it: Jeonju Hanok Village
Bindaetteok (mung bean pancake)
Crispy pancakes fried in front of you, best with makgeolli rice wine.
Where to try it: Gwangjang Market & Jongno 5-ga
Yukhoe (beef tartare)
Raw seasoned beef with pear and egg yolk; Gwangjang Market has a whole alley of it.
Where to try it: Gwangjang Market & Jongno 5-ga
Tteokbokki
Chewy rice cakes in a sweet and spicy red sauce, the classic street snack.
Where to try it: Myeongdong, Sinchon & Ewha
Kimchi jjigae
Bubbling kimchi stew with pork and tofu, served with rice: everyday Korean comfort food.
Where to try it: Euljiro (Hipjiro)
Naengmyeon (cold noodles)
Buckwheat noodles in icy beef broth; several Seoul naengmyeon houses are in the Michelin Bib Gourmand list.
Where to try it: Euljiro (Hipjiro)
Fried chicken and beer (chimaek)
Crunchy Korean fried chicken with beer, best on a summer evening by the Han River.
Where to try it: Yeouido
Street food in Myeongdong
Egg bread, grilled cheese lobster, skewers and sweets from carts every evening.
Where to try it: Myeongdong
Dwaeji gukbap (pork and rice soup)
Busan’s signature soup, milky and rich, eaten with chives and shrimp sauce.
Where to try it: Seomyeon
Milmyeon
Busan’s wheat version of cold noodles, born during the Korean War.
Where to try it: Seomyeon, Nampo-dong, Jagalchi & BIFF Square
Ssiat hotteok
Sweet fried pancake stuffed with seeds and nuts, a Busan street snack.
Where to try it: Nampo-dong, Jagalchi & BIFF Square
Fresh raw fish (hoe)
Pick your fish downstairs and eat it upstairs at Korea’s biggest fish market.
Where to try it: Nampo-dong, Jagalchi & BIFF Square
Eomuk (fish cake)
Busan is famous for fish cakes, on skewers in hot broth or as bakery-style snacks.
Where to try it: Busan Station, Chinatown & Choryang Ibagu-gil
Jeju black pork
Thick-cut grilled pork from Jeju’s native black pigs.
Where to try it: Jeju City: Tapdong, Dongmun Market & Yongduam, Seogwipo Downtown, Olle Market & Cheonjiyeon
Hallabong and Jeju tangerines
Jeju’s sweet citrus, fresh in winter and in juices and desserts all year.
Where to try it: Jeju City: Tapdong, Dongmun Market & Yongduam
Dakgalbi
Spicy stir-fried chicken with cabbage and rice cakes, cooked on a big iron pan; Chuncheon is its home.
Where to try it: Chuncheon Myeongdong and Soyang River
Gyeongju bread
Small baked buns filled with red bean, sold all over the old capital.
Where to try it: Gyeongju Hwangnidan-gil & Daereungwon
Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)
A whole young chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng, eaten on the hottest days of summer.
Where to try it: Seochon
Sujebi and kalguksu
Hand-torn dough soup and knife-cut noodles, warming dishes for cold days.
Where to try it: Bukchon & Samcheong-dong