Best Korean food to try: what to eat in Korea, dish by dish
Planning what to eat in Korea? Here's the honest tasting shortlist — fourteen must-try dishes, from Korean BBQ and bibimbap to tteokbokki, fried chicken and bingsu. For each one: what it is, how it tastes, and exactly where to find it, so you eat well from day one instead of guessing at a Korean-only menu.
The short version
Start with Korean BBQ for the communal table experience, a bowl of bibimbap when you want something balanced, and tteokbokki from a market stall for the street-food rite of passage. Korea is far more than chili heat — clear soups, sweet glass noodles and soy-glazed fried chicken keep non-spicy eaters very happy. Eat where locals eat, use the free refillable side dishes, and you can eat extraordinarily well on a modest budget. Here are the fourteen dishes worth your appetite, each with what it is and where to find it.
The fastest way to eat like a local on day one: a guided Korean food tour or market crawl. A good guide walks you past the language and ordering friction straight to the stalls and hole-in-the-wall spots you would never find alone — and the best food tours and cooking classes sell out in season.
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14 Korean dishes to try, and where to find them
Loosely grouped: the sit-down mains, then soups and noodles, then street food and snacks, then dessert and drink. Each entry says what it is and where to look — no filler.
- 01
Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal & galbi) 삼겹살 · 갈비
The quintessential Korean meal: pork belly (samgyeopsal) or marinated short ribs (galbi) grilled at your own table, wrapped in lettuce with garlic, ssamjang and kimchi. It is communal, interactive and the easiest first meal for a group — you grill, you wrap, you share. Hanwoo (premium Korean beef) is the splurge version.
Where: BBQ restaurants everywhere; meat-grill streets in any city. Mapo and Gangnam in Seoul are famous BBQ districts.
- 02
Bibimbap 비빔밥
A bowl of rice topped with seasoned vegetables, egg, often beef, and gochujang, mixed together at the table. Balanced, customizable (go light on the chili if you like) and naturally vegetable-forward — a reliable, satisfying choice that suits almost any palate. Jeonju is the city most associated with the dish.
Where: Sit-down restaurants nationwide; Jeonju for the celebrated regional version.
- 03
Tteokbokki 떡볶이
Chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet-and-spicy gochujang sauce — the icon of Korean street food. Comforting, addictive and cheap, often eaten with fish cakes (eomuk) and fried snacks (twigim) on the side. The benchmark snack of a Korean market crawl.
Where: Market stalls and street-food alleys; Sindang-dong in Seoul is the spiritual home of tteokbokki.
- 04
Korean fried chicken 치킨
Double-fried for an extra-crisp shell, glazed in soy-garlic (mild) or spicy yangnyeom sauce. Crunchier and lighter than most Western fried chicken, and a national obsession — traditionally paired with beer in the 'chimaek' (chicken + beer) ritual.
Where: Fried-chicken chains and pubs everywhere; order soy-garlic if you want a non-spicy version.
- 05
Kimchi & kimchi jjigae 김치 · 김치찌개
Kimchi — fermented, seasoned cabbage — is the national side dish you will meet at every meal. Beyond the banchan, try kimchi jjigae, a bubbling stew of aged kimchi, pork and tofu that is one of the most beloved home-style comfort dishes in Korea.
Where: Kimchi arrives free with most meals; kimchi jjigae at any casual or home-style restaurant (백반/분식 spots).
- 06
Sundubu-jjigae 순두부찌개
A fiery, comforting stew of silky uncurdled tofu in a red, seafood- or pork-based broth, served bubbling in a stone pot with a raw egg cracked on top. Cheap, filling and deeply satisfying — a perfect cold-weather or hangover meal. You can ask for a milder version.
Where: Casual tofu-stew restaurants nationwide; a staple of the lunchtime menu.
- 07
Naengmyeon 냉면
Chewy buckwheat noodles served either in an icy, tangy broth (mul-naengmyeon) or with a spicy sauce (bibim-naengmyeon). A refreshing summer signature — cold, sour and bracing — and a classic palate-cleanser to order alongside Korean BBQ.
Where: Naengmyeon specialists and most BBQ restaurants; especially popular in summer.
- 08
Samgyetang 삼계탕
A whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, garlic and jujube, simmered into a clean, restorative soup. Mild, nourishing and the opposite of spicy — Koreans eat it to beat the summer heat. A great choice for travelers who want something gentle and wholesome.
Where: Samgyetang restaurants; Tosokchon near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul is the best-known spot.
- 09
Japchae 잡채
Sweet, glossy stir-fried glass noodles (made from sweet potato starch) tossed with vegetables, sometimes beef, and sesame oil. Mildly sweet, savory and not spicy at all — a crowd-pleaser and a reliable order for anyone wary of chili heat.
Where: Korean restaurants and banquet menus nationwide; common as a shared side.
- 10
Gimbap 김밥
Rice and fillings (egg, vegetables, ham, tuna and more) rolled in seaweed and sliced — Korea's portable, inexpensive everyday meal. Mild, customizable and ideal for a quick lunch, a picnic or a long train ride. The easy, no-pressure introduction to Korean flavors.
Where: Gimbap shops on nearly every block; convenience stores for the grab-and-go version.
- 11
Haemul pajeon 해물파전
A savory, crisp-edged pancake of green onions and seafood, fried until golden and torn into shareable pieces. Best enjoyed with makgeolli (rice wine), especially on a rainy day — a Korean tradition. Comforting, mild and great for sharing.
Where: Pubs (주점), traditional markets and pajeon specialists; markets in Busan and Jeonju are known for it.
- 12
Hotteok 호떡
A warm, chewy street pancake stuffed with melted brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts, griddled until crisp. The classic Korean street dessert — cheap, satisfying and best eaten hot on the spot. The Busan seed-filled (ssiat) version is a local favorite.
Where: Street-food stalls and markets, especially in colder months; Busan's BIFF Square for ssiat hotteok.
- 13
Bingsu 빙수
A mountain of finely shaved milk-ice piled with toppings — sweet red bean (patbingsu), fresh fruit, matcha or condensed milk. Light, shareable and refreshing, it is the signature Korean dessert and a summer essential, though cafés serve it year-round.
Where: Dessert cafés and bingsu specialists citywide; a café-culture staple.
- 14
Soju & makgeolli 소주 · 막걸리
Soju is the ubiquitous clear distilled spirit poured at almost every Korean table; makgeolli is a cloudy, lightly fizzy and slightly sweet rice wine that pairs beautifully with savory pancakes. Trying both is part of understanding how Koreans eat and socialize — sharing, pouring for others and toasting together.
Where: Restaurants, pubs and convenience stores everywhere; makgeolli breweries and traditional pubs for the best pours.
If you only eat three things
Short on meals? These three capture the heart of Korean eating. Everything else is a delicious bonus.
1. Korean BBQ
The communal grill-at-your-table meal. Interactive, shareable and the easiest first dinner for any group.
2. Market street food
Tteokbokki, hotteok and twigim at a traditional market — cheap, fresh and the real texture of how Koreans snack.
3. A comforting stew
Sundubu-jjigae or kimchi jjigae in a stone pot — the home-style soul food that makes Korea feel like Korea.
Taste it with a guide who knows the stalls
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A guided market food tour or a hands-on cooking class is the single best way to taste the dishes above the way locals do — it handles the language and ordering on your behalf and takes you to the spots you would walk past. The popular ones fill up in season, so it pays to book ahead.
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Frequently asked: eating in Korea
What is the one Korean dish a first-time visitor should try?
If you only eat one thing, make it Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal or galbi) — it is the most quintessential sit-down Korean meal and the easiest to enjoy with a group. You grill the meat at your own table, wrap it in lettuce with garlic, ssamjang and kimchi, and share the free side dishes. It is interactive, forgiving for non-Korean speakers (you point and grill), and it captures the communal heart of Korean eating better than any single dish.
What should I eat in Korea if I don't like spicy food?
Plenty of Korean food is mild. Korean BBQ, bibimbap (you can go easy on the gochujang), galbitang and seolleongtang (clear beef soups), japchae (sweet stir-fried glass noodles), gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), Korean fried chicken in a soy-garlic glaze rather than spicy, and bingsu (shaved-ice dessert) are all gentle on the palate. Korea is far more than chili heat, and a non-spicy eater can eat very well by leaning on soups, BBQ, noodles and the soy-based options.
Where is the best place to try Korean street food?
Traditional markets and street-food alleys are the best entry point. Gwangjang Market and Myeongdong's street stalls in Seoul, BIFF Square and Gukje Market in Busan, and the night-market scenes in most cities serve tteokbokki, hotteok, twigim, gimbap and skewers fresh and cheap. Markets are also where you taste dishes that rarely make it to sit-down restaurants. Carry some cash, as many stalls are cash-only, and a guided food tour is a low-stress way to navigate a market on a first visit.
Is Korean food expensive for tourists?
It does not have to be. Street food, market meals, gimbap, a bowl of noodles or a convenience-store meal are very affordable, while Korean BBQ, seafood and specialty restaurants cost more, especially in tourist districts. The honest middle path: eat where locals eat (side streets and markets rather than the main tourist drags), use the free refillable side dishes, and you can eat extremely well on a modest daily food budget. A premium BBQ or hanwoo (Korean beef) dinner is the splurge to plan for.
Do I need to speak Korean to order food in Korea?
No. Many restaurants in tourist areas have picture menus, English menus or tablet ordering, and pointing works almost everywhere. A translation app with the camera function handles Korean-only menus, and BBQ and hot-pot places are point-and-cook by nature. Learning a couple of words helps and is appreciated, but a visitor with no Korean can eat across the whole country comfortably.
Is a Korean food tour or cooking class worth it?
For a first trip, yes — it is one of the higher-value experiences. A guided food tour takes you to the market stalls and hole-in-the-wall spots you would walk past, explains what you are eating and how to eat it, and removes the language and ordering friction on day one, setting you up to explore confidently for the rest of the trip. A cooking class (kimchi, bibimbap or tteokbokki) is a hands-on way to take a recipe home. Both tend to sell out in peak season, so they are worth booking ahead.
What Korean dessert or drink should I try?
For dessert, bingsu (shaved milk-ice piled with red bean, fruit or matcha) is the signature, and hotteok (a warm sweet-filled pancake) is the classic street treat. For drinks, soju is the ubiquitous distilled spirit, makgeolli is a cloudy, lightly fizzy rice wine that pairs beautifully with savory pancakes, and a Korean café culture means excellent coffee and creative lattes everywhere. None require a hard-to-find venue — they are part of everyday eating.
How do Korean side dishes (banchan) work?
Banchan are the small free side dishes — kimchi, pickled vegetables, seasoned greens, fishcake and more — that arrive with almost every Korean meal. They are complimentary and usually refillable: if your kimchi runs low, you can ask for more at no charge. They are meant to be shared across the table and eaten alongside the main dish, not as a separate course. For a first-timer, banchan are one of the quiet delights of eating in Korea.
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