What to eat in Seoul

Samgyeopsal

삼겹살

Thick pork belly you grill at the table: Korea's favourite night out.

Gukbap

국밥

Rice in hot soup: the cheap, filling bowl Koreans eat at any hour.

Tteokbokki

떡볶이

Chewy rice cakes in sweet, fiery red sauce: Korea's number-one snack.

Samgyetang

삼계탕

A whole young chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng, served bubbling.

Naengmyeon

냉면

Ice-cold buckwheat noodles in a clear beef broth — Seoul's summer obsession.

Kalguksu

칼국수

Hand-cut wheat noodles in hot broth: the bowl Seoul queues for at lunch.

Kimchi jjigae

김치찌개

Sour, spicy kimchi stew with pork and tofu — the everyday Korean meal.

Jokbal

족발

Pork trotters braised in soy and spices, sliced and wrapped in lettuce.

Dakhanmari

닭한마리

“One whole chicken” boiled in a pot at your table, with noodles to finish.

Bibimbap

비빔밥

Rice topped with seasoned vegetables, mixed with chilli paste at the table.

Korean fried chicken

치킨

Double-fried, shatteringly crisp chicken, best with a cold beer.

Bindaetteok

빈대떡

Thick mung-bean pancakes fried crisp in a market, with a bowl of makgeolli.

Hotteok

호떡

A crisp, chewy pancake with molten brown sugar inside — Korea's favourite winter street snack.

Bungeoppang

붕어빵

A fish-shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean — the smell of a Seoul winter.

Ganjang Gejang

간장게장

Raw crab cured in soy sauce — Koreans call it the “rice thief”.