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30 Korean foods to eat in Seoul

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Grilled & meat

  • Samgyeopsal삼겹살

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

  • 갈비

    Galbi갈비

    Marinated beef or pork ribs, grilled at the table.

    Guide coming soon

  • 불고기

    Bulgogi불고기

    Thin beef in a soy and sugar marinade, sweet and savoury.

    Guide coming soon

  • 닭갈비

    Dak-galbi닭갈비

    Spicy chicken stir-fried with cabbage and rice cakes on a big iron pan.

    Guide coming soon

  • Jokbal족발

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

  • 보쌈

    Bossam보쌈

    Sliced boiled pork, wrapped in cabbage with spicy radish.

    Guide coming soon

  • Korean fried chicken치킨

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

Soups & stews

  • Gukbap국밥

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

  • Samgyetang삼계탕

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

  • Kimchi jjigae김치찌개

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

  • 순두부찌개

    Sundubu-jjigae순두부찌개

    A bubbling spicy stew of extra-soft tofu, often with a raw egg cracked in.

    Guide coming soon

  • 부대찌개

    Budae-jjigae부대찌개

    “Army stew” of ham, sausage, kimchi and instant noodles, born after the Korean War.

    Guide coming soon

  • 감자탕

    Gamjatang감자탕

    Pork spine stewed for hours with potato, perilla seed and greens.

    Guide coming soon

  • Dakhanmari닭한마리

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

Noodles

  • Naengmyeon냉면

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

  • Kalguksu칼국수

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

  • 짜장면

    Jjajangmyeon짜장면

    Noodles in black bean sauce, the favourite of Korean-Chinese restaurants.

    Guide coming soon

Rice

  • Bibimbap비빔밥

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

  • 김밥

    Kimbap김밥

    Rice and fillings rolled in seaweed and sliced: a cheap, quick meal.

    Guide coming soon

  • Ganjang Gejang간장게장

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

Street food & snacks

  • Tteokbokki떡볶이

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

  • 어묵

    Eomuk어묵

    Fish cake on skewers, simmered in broth. Stalls usually let you sip the broth for free.

    Guide coming soon

  • 순대

    Sundae순대

    Korean blood sausage filled with glass noodles. In Seoul it comes with salt to dip.

    Guide coming soon

  • 만두

    Mandu만두

    Dumplings filled with pork, tofu or kimchi, steamed or pan-fried.

    Guide coming soon

  • Bindaetteok빈대떡

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

  • 해물파전

    Haemul-pajeon해물파전

    A savoury pancake thick with spring onion and seafood. Order makgeolli with it.

    Guide coming soon

  • 계란빵

    Gyeranppang계란빵

    Sweet bread baked with a whole egg on top, a winter street snack.

    Guide coming soon

Sweet things

  • Hotteok호떡

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

  • Bungeoppang붕어빵

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

  • 빙수

    Bingsu빙수

    Shaved milk ice piled with red beans, fruit or injeolmi rice cake.

    Guide coming soon