Must-Try Foods in South Korea

One of the things we were looking forward to during our visit to South Korea was the food and it did not disappoint. Here is a list of the foods you must try!

NOODLE SOUP

Myeongdong Kyoja, located in Seoul, is a 3-star Michelin-starred restaurant. It is a family-owned restaurant that specializes in dumplings and noodle soup.

SOONDUBU JJIGAE (SOFT TOFU STEW)

Soondubu Jjigae, one of my favorite Korean dishes, is a spicy stew made with soft tofu, kimchi, and pork. You will find it in different variations.

BBQ PORK LETTUCE WRAPS

BBQ Pork Lettuce Wraps is a popular dish where you wrap meat, vegetables, rice, and sauce in the lettuce and enjoy!

JAJANGMYEON

These tasty noodles are made with black bean paste as well as other ingredients such as pork belly, zucchini, and onion. I couldn’t go to South Korea with having some Jajangmyeon! Sure enjoyed it with the side order of fried mandoo.

GRILLED FISH

When you visit Sokcho, look for a restaurant that makes grilled fish. We were told that it is hard to find restaurants that serve grilled fish. Sokcho is a port city with fresh seafood available year-round.

KOREAN PANCAKE

We learned that it is popular to have Korean Pancake (made with seafood and potato) and Makkoli (Korean Rice Wine) after hiking. We got to try a little of each after our 30-minute hike at Mt. Seorak National Park. We also had some delicious Vegetable Stuffed Squid, which is a popular dish in North Korea.

JAPCHAE

Japchae is another popular Korean dish made with sweet potato starch noodles and vegetables.

SAMGYETANG (GINSENG CHICKEN SOUP)

Samgyetang is considered to be a very healthy dish. It is made with a small chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng, garlic, date, and jujube and is eaten to replenish energy and cool off, even on the hottest days of summer.

GALBITANG (BEEF SHORT RIB SOUP)

Beef Short Rib Soup includes radish and onions, along with other ingredients. It was our first meal in South Korea and it hit the spot!

PORRIDGE

Porridge is another popular dish, which we even got to enjoy on our plane ride coming home. After our Shabu Shabu dinner (shown below) in Sokcho, the server made a delicious pot of porridge with the remaining broth. I was so excited to eat the porridge, I forgot to take a picture.

GRILLED ABALONE

One of the delicious ways to eat abalone.

JIMDAK (SPICY CHICKEN)

We enjoyed Jimdak for lunch in Andong. It reminded us of a spicy chicken hekka.

BIBIMBAP

Another one of my favorite dishes. We took a bibimbap cooking class but I wasn’t able to take pictures since we were cooking. Here is the bibimbap we had on our Asiana Airlines flight. You mix everything together with the rice and add gochujang sauce. A little sauce goes a long way. If you don’t like spicy, don’t add too much sauce!