We all know the classic Korean foods that come up when you search up Korean food: Korean bbq, bibimbap, kimchi stew, spicy rice cakes, so on and so forth. You can find a gazillion resources on must-eat Korean foods when you visit Korea.
But Korea has SO MUCH more to offer. Our culture is influenced by a hodgepodge of Koreans that studied abroad, and we are so geographically and culturally close to Japan that we became damn good at making their food (but in a Koreanized version).
Whenever I show my American friends and family around Seoul, I take them to eat at places they’ve never seen in America nor a list of Korean foods online. And I have come to be known as “the one who knows all the best places to eat”. I get asked for food recommendations more often than I want to respond to them.
When I first moved to Korea, I was so amazed by all the scrumptious food that I went on a food tour around Seoul on my own and gained 10 kg in the first 6 months of living here. In a city taken over by diet culture, you knew I was serious about food when I didn’t let the extra pounds weigh me down from walking around to eat more.
Anyway, check these out. Most of these aren’t Korean food per se, but you can find these in any major area of Seoul. Prepare to be blown away 🤯💨
You probably all know pork katsu. It’s in every Korean food court in America. But they are usually super thin and mostly bread. When I came to Korea, I saw these thick, beautiful, juicy Japanese-style katsu. They are so soft and and the breading is super thin and crisp. These are trending in Korea so there are at least 5 Japanese katsu places in every region of Seoul. I take everyone new to Korea to eat this and every single person loved it. So go treat yourself to a Japanese-style katsu!
You’ve all heard of bibimbap, but this is an evolved 21st century version. It’s called sotbap! In a hot stone bowl, they put rice with a bunch of toppings you haven’t seen in a bibimbap before. There are veggie versions, but sotbaps usually have some sort of protein. These two in the photos are my favorite. The first one is octopus with thin seaweed pieces and sesame seeds. The second is steak and chive. They come with a sauce that you mix in with the rice and toppings. And you eat it with side dishes they give you!
This is Japanese ramen. I’ve been so used to the thick tonkotsu broths and the spicy ramen broths. But Korea has some major variations. The first is a deep chicken broth with sous vide chicken. It was even featured in the Michelin guide! The second photo is a duck ramen with yuzu sauce. WHAT. Yes you heard that right. I stumbled upon it and it was such a new and refreshing experience. Even other than these two, Korea offers so many variations of ramen that you should explore and try them all!!
Korea probably eats 90% of chicken worldwide. We eat A LOT of chicken. It’s usually fried and mixed with some sauce – garlic sauce, soy sauce, spicy sauce, etc. But this old-style whole roasted chicken is making a comeback. And it hits the perfect spot in your soul. It is spatchcocked and served on top of crispy rice. Eat it with pickled radish and kimchi and you get spiciness, sweetness, acidity, crispiness, softness – everything in one bite.
This is another Japanese dish – soba noodles. But once again, Koreans have made it their own. They serve it hot or cold with a variety of toppings and additional sauces to put in the broth. These two photos show a couple of my favorite types – the first is soba with perilla seed oil and the second is thick noodles made with matcha. On a hot summer vacation, you can plan your entire trip on just searching for the best soba, and it’ll probably be worth it (:
Hutomaki the “king sushi”. They are filled with veggies, egg, and multiple types of fish. And they are humongous – almost the size of your palm. You would think that you are supposed to take multiple bites since they are so big, but you would be wrong. You have to dip it in soy sauce and stuff the whole thing in your mouth. You get the full flavor that way, but you should really avoid eating it on a date.
Mazesoba seems to have originated in Taiwan but have become a Japanese dish (Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong). It’s thick udon-type noodles with seasoned ground meat and other toppings. You mix it all together and the saucy meat flavors everything. It is packed with umami and spice and is such a feel-good food.
Last on our list is another Japanese dish – gyukatsu. Instead of pork, this katsu is made of beef. It is fried super lightly with breading outside. The beef stays uncooked, and they give you a pan to cook it on. This way, you get the best of both worlds – a medium rare, hot steak and the bready goodness of a katsu!
There are far more you should explore in Korea, but the point is to not just go for the classic Korean foods. Korean restaurants have developed so much to serve amazing food in the best vibes. You really can’t find anything like it in America. Fly bird, fly! And go traverse!
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