In vivacious Seoul, you can find excellent Korean food almost anywhere, from street vendors in small lanes to elegant restaurants within 5-star hotels. Many of these dishes have been enjoyed by Korean royal families solely for more than 2,000 years.
Korean cuisine is now so well-known that both locals and visitors describe it as savory, spicy, hearty, and nutrient-rich treats that can be savored any time of day. We've put up a list of the top Korean dishes in Seoul that you just must try when visiting the nation's capital.
Kimchi
This traditional Korean cuisine has a history extending back more than 2,000 years to the Shilla Dynasty. Korean cabbage, radish, pumpkin, onion, ginger, scallion, chili powder, crushed garlic, and salty fish are combined to make kimchi, which is then allowed to ferment.
This regional dish, with more than 200 versions accessible in Seoul, is consumed on its own, with white rice, and as an ingredient in porridges, soups, and rice cakes. Additionally, kimchi serves as the foundation for numerous foods that are derived from it, including kimchi fried rice, kimchi pancakes, and kimchi stew (kimchi jjigae).
Bibimbap
A full and healthy dish that is often offered in restaurants, food courts, and street markets is called bibimbap, which is another item you really must eat while in Seoul. Bibimbap can be served as either a meat-based dish or as a vegetarian dish, depending on the region and ingredients utilized.
Warm rice, beef or chicken, raw egg, mixed veggies, soy sauce, and a dab of chili pepper paste are the main ingredients of the most popular type of bibimbap. Hoedeopbap, a variant of classic Korean mixed rice meal that is perfect for seafood enthusiasts, swaps the meat for raw seafood like salmon, tuna, or octopus.
Red rice cakes (tteokbokki)
Bulgogi
Thin slices of marinated beef sirloin are cooked with chopped onions, green peppers, and garlic over charcoal to produce the distinctively smokey flavor of bulgogi. To improve the flavor and tenderness of the meat, it is marinated for 2 to 4 hours before grilling in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, garlic, onions, ginger, and sugar.
Along with ssamjang (a spicy paste) and kimchi, this meal is frequently served with a side of leafy leaves like lettuce and spinach, which are used to wrap a slice of grilled beef.
Korean stew (jjigae)
Jjigae comes in a wide variety of forms in Seoul, but often this Korean stew is made with meat, seafood, or vegetables in a broth that has been spiced with gochujang, gaenjang, soybean paste, or salted fermented shrimp (saeujeot). Jjigae has a consistency akin to a western stew and is frequently served as a palette cleanser in between heavier courses.
Budae jjigae (army stew), which includes bacon, sausages, and Spam meat as well as ramyeon noodles and rice cakes blended with gochujang paste for a spicy flavor, is one of the most well-known jjigae dishes in Seoul.
Jajangmyeon
Jajangmyeon is a fusion dish of Korean and Chinese cuisine that uses thick handmade wheat noodles and is topped with raw cucumber slices, salty black soybean paste, chopped pork, and veggies. This hearty noodle dish, which starts at 5,000 won, is excellent for when you need a quick dinner that won't break the bank.
Additionally, singles typically consume it on Black Day, which is observed annually on April 14. On Valentine's Day, those who do not receive gifts dress in all black and congregate to eat foods with a black color, including jajangmyeon.
Samgyeopsal
Another typical Korean meal, samgyeopsal, cooks chunky slices of pig belly on a grill right at the table and requires just rudimentary cooking abilities. Following that, it is wrapped in lettuce or sesame leaf and served with dipping sauces and toppings including kimchi, button mushrooms, green onions, raw garlic, and green chili peppers.
Samgyeopsal, a meal beloved by Seoul's young professionals, is frequently enjoyed with one or two shots of soju alcoholic beverage.
Address: 18, Baekbeom-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Open: Daily 11:00 – 23:00
Telephone: +822 719 4848
Korean fried chicken
Korean fried chicken reinvents the classic American fast food in its own special way. Unlike its American equivalents, the chicken is double-fried in vegetable oil before being covered in a sweet-spicy sauce (some places include green pepper within the batter for a stronger kick).
As a result, the inside of the meat is extremely moist, and the lightly battered skin is crispy and low in fat. It is a well-liked late-night treat that is frequently paired with beer.
Spicy cold noodle (bibim nengmyun)
In a stainless steel bowl, Bibim Nengmyun is served with cold broth, julienned cucumbers, Korean pear slices, boiled eggs, and cold-boiled beef slices. Although seaweed and green tea are also used in other varieties, the long, thin noodles are created from flour and buckwheat or sweet potatoes.
The noodles are typically offered uncut since they stand for longevity and good health, although customers can ask waiters to cut the noodles anyway they choose.
Ginseng chicken soup (samgyetang)
Samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) is frequently consumed by the locals between the months of June and early September because they believe that the body needs to renew its energy throughout the summer.
A little spring chicken filled with chestnuts, garlic, dried jujubes, ginseng, sticky rice, and gingko nuts forms the base of this healthy soup. The mixture is then slowly simmered until the beef is quite soft and the rich liquid has a faintly bitter yet pleasing flavor.
