Guides to Korean dishes, street food, food markets, and what to order in Seoul.
Korean convenience store food is one of the most useful discoveries you can make while exploring Seoul. These stores are more than places to buy bottled water and snacks — for travelers, they can provide a quick breakfast, an inexpensive lunch, a late-night meal, coffee, desserts, toiletries, and simple foods to take back to a…
Learning how to book restaurants in Korea can feel confusing at first. You may find a restaurant on social media, only to discover that its reservation page is in Korean, the phone number does not accept international calls, or the restaurant uses a waitlist instead of advance reservations. The good news is that foreign visitors…
Ordering food may be one of the most exciting parts of a trip to Korea, but it can also feel surprisingly stressful the first time. You may enter a restaurant and see a menu written mostly in Korean. The staff may point toward a kiosk instead of taking your order. A tablet may already be…
Food is one of the best reasons to visit Seoul, but choosing what to eat can feel surprisingly difficult on your first trip. You may already know Korean barbecue, bibimbap, kimchi, and tteokbokki from Korean dramas or social media. Once you arrive, however, you will find hundreds of unfamiliar dishes, busy local restaurants, shared menus,…
Introduction: Korean Food Is Not Always Spicy Many first-time visitors arrive in Seoul with one big food question: “Is all Korean food spicy?” The answer is no. While Korea is famous for dishes like tteokbokki, kimchi jjigae, spicy ramyeon, and fiery chicken dishes, Seoul also has many mild, comforting, beginner-friendly Korean restaurants that are perfect…
Solo dining in Seoul is much easier than many first-time visitors expect. If you are traveling alone in Korea, you do not need to survive only on convenience store food or café desserts. Seoul has many casual restaurants, noodle shops, market stalls, food courts, and counter-style places where eating alone feels completely normal. That said,…
Namdaemun Market is one of the best places in Seoul to experience a traditional Korean market without traveling far from the city center. Located near Myeongdong, Seoul Station, and Sungnyemun Gate, it is easy to add to a first-time Seoul itinerary. But for many foreign visitors, Namdaemun Market can feel confusing at first. The market…
If you are visiting Seoul for the first time and searching for what to eat at Gwangjang Market, you are probably looking for more than a simple list of famous foods. Gwangjang Market can be exciting, crowded, noisy, and slightly overwhelming all at once. The food looks amazing, vendors move quickly, seats are often shared,…