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SEOUL FOOD #1 - My Top 10 Must-Try Korean Foods

#1 - Korean Fried Chicken 한국 치킨

(AKA the only good KFC)

You may be thinking, what’s so special about fried chicken? WELL. You’ve never had Korean fried chicken. Imagine the crunchiest, tenderest, most flavorful fried chicken you’ve ever had-- then times it by 100. That is what Korean fried chicken is like. Soft, juicy, tender on the inside. Crunchy, flavorful, and not overly greasy on the outside. 

In addition, there are so many delicious flavors to try! Honey, garlic, soy sauce, spicy, yangnyeom, and more. All of them wonderful and paired perfectly with some mekju 맥주 (chimek 치맥) or, for non beer drinkers like me, some cola (chicole 치콜). 

It’s the perfect food whether you’re having a late night out with some friends, going for a picnic, or ordering takeout to your room at 2am (Hey, we’ve all been there). 

#2 - Korean BBQ 

Okay, so I love Korean BBQ. The above photo was taken on my birthday at a very popular Korean BBQ place in Chicago’s Chinatown. It wasn’t the best I’d ever had, but it was still great. That’s one thing I really love about Korean BBQ: I’ve never been disappointed by it. It’s always good. 

It’s a really fun dinner to get with a large group of friends or for a celebration. There’s something so special about making delicious food and sharing it with friends. Korean BBQ is a great example of the communal nature that a lot of Korean food has. Eating is something that’s meant to be done together. I love that cultural aspect of getting Korean BBQ.

That, and the food itself is so. freaking. good. Samgyeopsal 삼겹살 , bulgogi 불고기 , marinated or no-- it’s all delicious. Plus you get pretty much unlimited banchan 반찬 (side dishes). You can also order soups, pajeon, dumplings, etc and stuff your face as much as your heart desires (and budget allows, it can unfortunately get pretty pricey).  Oh, and don’t forget the soju! 건배! 🥂

#3 - Budaejiggae (Army Stew) 부대찌개

Buddaejjiggae is a spicy, hot-pot style soup made with ingredients like hot dogs, spam, sausages, and sliced cheese brought over by American soldiers during the Korean war, combined with Korean ingredients like kimchi, spicy peppers, ramyeon, tteok, and more. Originally it was a cheap food, made with surplus foods found on American army bases in Korea. Now, however, it is a delicious dish that can be found in restaurants all over Korea. 

What I love about this dish is how comforting it is. It’s the perfect food for a rainy day. I can just picture it: sitting around a table with some friends, talking, laughing. Through the steamed up restaurant windows we can see the rain outside, dripping umbrellas rest in a stand by the door. The hot, spicy soup warms us up from the inside out. 

Ah, I miss Korea.

#4 - Soon Too Boo Jiggae 순두부찌개  

Another soup perfect for a rainy day. Soft Tofu Soup. Spicy, salty, and so filling. This is my personal favorite Korean food; no matter how many times I eat it I never get tired of it. 

It’s also pretty easy to find at Korean restaurants here in the States. If I’m ever craving Korean food, this is usually my go-to. 

#5 - Naengmyeon 냉면

Cold noodles. Wait, what? I know, it probably sounds weird, but this is a food I quickly fell in love with in Korea. Buckwheat noodles served in an icy beef broth, topped with cucumber and other chopped veggies. My favorite kind also comes with a spicy sauce. Spicy, cold noodles. Weird, but amazing. 

It’s the perfect food for a hot day. Now that it’s summer (and constantly hot) here in Chicago, I’ve found myself craving these noodles a lot. They’re just so unbelievably refreshing. 

#6 - Tteokkbokki 떡볶이

Spicy Rice Cakes. For lovers of street food and spicy food, this is one you can’t miss. The texture may be a little off-putting if you’re not used to it; it’s a similar gummy texture to mochi. 

You can often find this in street stalls or kimbap shops (the kind that sells everything). If you go to a restaurant that only sells tteokkbokki, they usually have non-spicy options. I once ate one that had a tomato based sauce and mozzarella cheese-- almost like pasta.  

#7 - Pajeon 파전  

Okay, I’m going to lump two things into this category, despite them being pretty different. Pajeon is a savory pancake, and the two most common ones are kimchi and haemul (seafood). Both are delicious-- a little greasy but very flavorful.

Kimchi pajeon 김치파전 and haemul pajeon 해물파전 are often served with makgeolli 막걸리, a Korean rice wine served in bowls. I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest makgeolli fan; it makes me bloated and the taste isn’t my favorite. However, I love pajeon enough that I would go to a makgeolli place just for that. That is how good pajeon is. 

(Also, even though it’s not my favorite, makgeolli is a must-try drink in Korea.)

#8 - Jjin Mandu 찐만두 

Steamed dumplings. I have a special place in my heart for dumplings, of all kinds. Korean steamed dumplings in particular are one of my all time favorites. 

While I was in Korea-- and low on cash-- I would often get 5 steamed dumplings for dinner for around $5 USD. They were giant and came with free rice, kimchi, pickled radish, and some other banchan. A perfect cheap meal: delicious, comforting, and not that unhealthy. 

#9 - Dak-galbi 닭갈비

Spicy stir fried chicken. This is another one of my favorite cook-in-front-of-you, meant-to-be-shared Korean dishes. Marinated diced chicken served in a spicy, gochujang-based sauce with other ingredients such as tteok, cabbage, scallions, ramyeon, and sometimes topped with melted cheese. 

You can usually get it in varying levels of spicy. If you choose to go the extra-spicy route, beware. You’ll need the cheese. 

#10 - Samgyetang 삼계탕

This is one of the most unique foods I had in Korea, because it has a whole chicken in it. Yes, you read that right. A whole chicken. 

Samgyetang is a chicken and ginseng soup. It’s traditionally eaten in summer and supposed to be really healthy and good for your body. I’ve only eaten it once; I ordered a half size and it was still so filling I could barely finish it. 

Compared with other Korean foods, the flavor of this soup is very mild. It isn’t spicy, or salty, or sweet. You get to really taste the chicken, ginseng, and other ingredients like garlic and jujube. 

It’s a very unique Korean food, so I had to put it on this list. 

That’s it-- my top 10 Korean foods I think everyone needs to try! Of course, there are many other Korean foods that I love. This was really fun to make, I hope to make some more posts like this in the future. In the meantime, I think I need to make a trip to my local Korean grocery store for some kimbap haha

Thanks for reading! :)