What To Eat In Seoul – 12 Foods You Have To Try!

South Korea has some amazing food that hasn’t quite made it big around the rest of the world just yet. But like K-Pop and the rest of K-culture, their food is slowly making an impact.

The best place to eat Korean food is of course in its home country, and during my recent trip to Seoul I tried to eat as much Korean food as possible (all in the name of research for this blog of course!).

There are some staples here that you may have heard of and some you may have not. But I can almost guarantee you won’t have a bad meal in Seoul if you have one of these foods from one of hte local markets, street stalls or a quality restaurant.

Here is everything you should eat when you visit Seoul:

The Top Foods To Eat in Seoul

Korean fried chicken

Ok bare with me a minute here but Korea does have a traditional fried chicken and it is only first on this list because it was the first meal I had in Seoul!

I’ve had this twice now in Seoul, and both times I remember what a massive portion it was!

Fried chicken (chikin in South Korea) together with beer (maekju) known as “chimaek” is served in many South Korean restaurants in the evenings and you’ll often see work colleagues having this together. It is a bit of a comfort food and definitely not healthy but one that you must check out when visiting Seoul.

Salt bread

There isn’t much to say about salt bread, other than it is salty bread. But my word it is good. I got some from here but there are many such places all over the city. The bread was still warm and the saltiness of it made it even more delicious. I could imagine eating many of these if I were hungover after a few too many soju’s!

Mandu

Mandu are the name of Korean dumplings. Like dumplings in many parts of the world, they are normally savoury and can steamed,  boiled or fried. I found some at one of the markets but forgot to take a picture of them! But trust me when I say they are delicious with a bit of chilli sauce for a bit of a kick.

Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki are spicy rice style cakes. It is almost like they have mushed some rice together and then cooked it in a spicy baked bean juice (a smooth tomato sauce for those not from the UK and know what baked beans are!). I had mine on the side of the street from a small stall as a snack and it hit the spot perfectly.

Soft rice with a smooth sauce with a bit of a tang, perfect!

Kimbap – Korean sushi

Kimbap are often sold at street stalls as well and look similar to Japanese sushi, but to my untrained eye, have a lot more seaweed with the contents spilling out. Anyone familiar with sushi will love kimbap and it can be eaten as a snack on the go, from markets or in restaurants.

Korean BBQ

Korean BBQ is a must have in Seoul with an endless supply of places offering BBQ with the large extractor fan hanging over the middle of the hot plate like a chandelier. It is difficult to avoid having a Korean BBQ with many meats being offered to cook on the hot plate.

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is one of my favourite dishes anyway and I’ve had it in many places before eating it again in South Korea.

I found a really good place in Hongdae that only serves bibimbap and I had a beef one which was excellent.

It is beef with vegetables, often kimchi, and an egg served over a bowl of rice. It’s simple but delicious.

Kimchi

Kimchi is a type of fermented cabbage that goes with a lot of Korean cuisine. I have to be honest and say it isn’t one of my favourites, but you can’t go to Korea and not eat it!

Often found as a small red pile of cabbage that is served as a side dish, there are many types of kimchi to eat in Seoul and there are even cooking classes you can do that will teach you to make different types of kimchi. You can find that tour here.

Binttaetteok

A binttaetteok was on my list of foods to eat in Seoul when I visited as I don’t think I had ever had it before. I found it in Gwangjang Market from a small stall and had two of them. I saw them being cooked all over the market and in various other places in Seoul as well. They are a staple street food in the country and are a type of mungbean pancake. They are thick and greasy but delicious and I can imagine that they are very warming and hearty in the cold Korean winters.

Hotteok

Hotteok are thin pancakes that will often be found in markets and street side and is extra popular in winter. They are normally filled with sugar or honey and make a warm and sweet snack.

Jeon

Jeon can be a type of meat, egg or vegetables that are coated in egg and a flour before being fried. They aren’t coated in flour or batter like the fried chicken but only lightly dusted. I actually had this when I flew to Seoul and had some courgette that was lightly battered (called modeumjeon) for my breakfast.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi is meat that is thinly sliced and then normally marinated with a mix of soy sauce, sugar, oil and other spices depending on the recipe. It is then either served with another dish for you to eat or is served raw for you to cook as part of a Korean BBQ.

And to drink…

South Korea has some very famous drinks that you can wash down all these amazing foods with. One of my favourites is soju, a clear but often flavoured rice wine with a percentage of about 14%. A similar drink is makgeolli, a rice wine that is cloudy and white with a lower alcohol percentage. I managed to try this when I did a tour of the DMZ. There are also a number of beers and craft beers on offer in Seoul with Cass being one of the more popular brands.

Green tea is popular all over South Korea and is eaten with many meals. But a mention must go to the coffee scene in Seoul. There are literally hundreds of coffee roasters all over the city and coffee culture has fully taken over Seoul.

Summing up what to eat in Seoul

Korea has some amazing food and there are many more for you to try that aren’t listed here. However, this is everything I ate when I was in Seoul which just added to my love of Korean food!

With a mix of traditional Asian dishes served with rice to some dishes that are uniquely Korean, you’ll find something that you’ll love when you visit the capital of South Korea.

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.