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It’s time to eat. You couldn’t decide what to eat, you couldn’t find what you wanted at the local grocery store or you just don’t feel like cleaning up dishes from cooking. Looks like you’ve got to go out to eat! Where do you begin? In Korea, there are literally thousands and thousands of restaurants all over the country. Knowing a bit about your options will help you satisfy your hunger more quickly and completely. Take sometime and read through some of the options available to you. There are too many restaurants, mom and pop shops, franchises, etc. to list here, so it will just be something to whet your appetite.

To be totally honest as well, the following lists are by NO means all inclusive; rather they give a general idea of what you could expect in a Korean restaurant. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view), if you would like to learn all the various foods that Korea has to offer, you better be ready to try many dishes in many different places!

The Main Dishes

When deciding on exactly what you would like to eat, the easiest way to narrow down choices would be by selecting what type of meat you would like. (For vegetarians reading, there are many options. Please keep reading) Below is a list of different types of meat. If you see these particles listed, you’ll at least know what the base of the meal is.

• 소 (so) = cow/beef
• 닭 (dak) = chicken
• 돼지 (dway-jee) = pork/pig
• 해물 (hey-mool) = seafood
• 오징어 (oh-jing-awe) = squid
• 물고기 (mool-go-ghee) = fish (not specific)
• 조개 (cho-gey) = shellfish
• 게/그랩 (kay/kuh-rep) = crab
• 갈비 (kal-bee) = rib
• 고기 (go-ghee) = meat

Styles

There are also several other types of dishes of which you should be familiar. Vegetarians, you can start paying attention again. In fact, if you are vegetarian, when you walk in ask your waiter, “채식주의자를 위한 메뉴 있어요?” (Chay-shick-joo-uee-ja-reul wee-han mey-nyoo ee-saw-yoo?) This means, “Is there/may I see the vegetarian menu?” There won’t always be one, as Koreans very rarely are vegetarian. However, regular and vegetarian dishes alike will be served in the following styles:

• 국 (gook) = soup
• 탕 (t’ang) = soup
• 찌개 (chee-gey) = stew
• 죽 (jook) = porridge
• 전골 (jawn-goal) = casserole 구이 (goo-ee) = grilled meat
• 회 (hway) = raw fish
• 볶음밥 (bohk-eum-bap) = fried rice
• 튀김 (twee-gim) = fried
• 마른 (ma-reun) = dried

Veggies/Side dishes

Now, to this list you can add some vegetables and other types of side dishes. This list, to reiterate what was said before, is not all inclusive. There are several side dishes that are not present. One thing that you will learn while in Korea is that the exact style, taste, and portion of side dishes differ from restaurant to restaurant, from city to city, and region to region. To list all of them would be impossible. The following list is meant to give you some insight into the things that may be included in a meal. Such things are:

• 면 (myun) = noodle*
• 두부 (doo-boo) = tofu*
• 과일 (kwa-eel) = fruit
• 야채 (ya-chey) = vegetable
• 고구마 (go-goo-ma) = sweet potato
• 감자 (kam-ja) = potato
• 당근 (dahng-geun) = carrot
• 오이 (oh-ee) = cucumber
• 호박 (ho-bahk) = pumpkin
• 마늘 (ma-neul) = garlic
• 고추 (go-choo) = spicy pepper 떡 (ddawk) = Korean rice cake
• 땅콩 (ddahng-kohng) = peanut
• 토마토 (toe-ma-toe) = tomato
• 시금치 (she-geum-chee) = spinach
• 양파 (yahng-pa) = white onion
• 파 (pa) = green onion
• 오렌지 (oh-ren-jee) = orange
• 레몬 (reh-mohn) = lemon
• 포도 (poh-doh) = grape
• 사과 (sa-gwa) = apple
• 수박 (soo-bahk) = watermelon

*these dishes may be found both as the main dish, as in mul naengmyeon (물냉면) or sundubu (순두부).

Let’s Get a Drink!

Koreans, on the whole, have their own strong drinking culture. Wherever you, you will most likely see Koreans sharing a drink with their meal (groups of girls aren’t really apt to be seen drinking in groups). Without going into the specific drinking cultural practices, it’s important to still know what is on the menu, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic


Non-Alcoholic drinks:

• 물 (mool) = water
• 사이다 (sa-ee-dah) = cider (almost like sprite)
• 콜라 (kohl-la) = cola
• 아이스티 (ah-ee-suh-tee) = iced tea
• 주스 (joo-suh) = juice
• 우유 (oo-yoo) = milk
• 커피 (kaw-pee) = coffee
• 차 (cha) = tea

Alcoholic drinks:

• 소주 (so-joo) = soju (sort of the Korean vodka)
• 막걸리 (mak-kawl-li) = makgeolli - unfiltered fermented rice drink.
• 동동주 (dohng-dohng-joo) = dongdongju - similar to makgeolli, only less refined.
• 복분자 (bohk-boon-ja) = sweet blackberry wine
• 맥주 (mek-ju) = beer
• 위스키 (wee-suh-kee) = whiskey
• 와인 (wa-een) = wine
• 양주 (yahng-joo) = assorted Western alcohol

After all that, it might be good for you to know some dishes, just to overcome the initial shock of walking into a restaurant and the gaze of the waiter. Below are 15 dishes that native English speakers have voted their most favorable:

2. Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) Called Korean bacon, it is grilled pork belly, dipped in sesame oil and salt, or wrapped in a lettuce or sesame leaf with soybean paste, fine strips of green onion and garlic.

3. Bindaetteok (빈대떡) Mung-bean pancake made of bracken, mung-bean sprouts and chopped kimchi.

5. Kalguksu (칼국수) Hand-rolled noodles in a mild beef or chicken broth.

7. Manduguk (만두국) Mild to bland soup made with dumplings stuffed with a combination of meat and vegetables.

8. Haemul Jeongol (해물전골) Very spicy seafood casserole mainly made of squid, octopus, shrimp and clams.

9. Jangeo Gui (장어구이) Broiled eel seasoned with sweet and tangy sauce.

11. Ssambap Jeongsik (쌈밥정식) Assorted vegetables mixed at the table with steamed rice. Lettuce, garland chrysanthemum, cabbage, parboiled pumpkin leaves and sesame leaves are used for wrapping boiled rice or barley. It’s not a spicy combination, unless dipped in seasoned soybean paste or red pepper paste.

12. Yangnyeom Tongddalk (양념동닭) Roast chicken covered with sweet and sour sauce.

13. Pajeon (파전) Korean pancake fried with green onions, seafood and mushrooms. Seafood can be added as well.

Now that you know what you are eating, you have to know WHERE to go to get the food you want. There are several different types of Korean restaurants which serve a variety of the above listed dishes and some which offer options not listed. Each of the types of restaurants also has its own price range, from extremely pricey to extremely inexpensive (almost ridiculously so!) and most offer side dishes of varying complexity and number. Each of these side dishes, called pahn-chan (반찬), are all you can eat and will usually be refilled automatically by the staff There are very, very cheap options, such as the carts on the street with venders selling all sorts of snacks (from chicken sticks (닭꼬치) to silk worm pupa (번대기, see below)). However, we’ll start one step up from those.

feet or other spicy fare. Soju and beer are typically found in these “covered wagons,” more the former than the latter. This is also the place where it’s possible to pick up the most Korean, as generally “covered wagons” are frequented by older Korean men, at the end of their drinking meetings, who won’t bother themselves by speaking English. These places offer a jovial atmosphere and are really a great place to try! Prices are very cheap and a meal for two people would run you around $6 USD. With a bottle of soju, add about $1.50.

Some places offer different kinds or flavors of beer, but usually it is Cass or Hite, the major brands of beer in Korea. Hofs, too, are especially jovial places, usually the second or third round for the business men on their nights out with each other. Here, they can share beer, soju and some anju (안주, which is the food that goes along with drinking) all for a fair price. A plate of chicken and one 3,000 CC pitcher of beer (about 3 liters) will run you in the neighborhood of $25 USD.

The Traditional Drink Place (주막)

Though becoming more rare these days, and outside of the mom and pop corner shops, these are the places to visit to taste the traditional beverages (동동주, 막걸리, 소주) and also some of today’s traditional drinks, including beer (맥주), soju (소주) and flavored soju cocktails (소주칵테일). The joo-mak (주막) are places where people can be surrounded in a traditional atmosphere, drinking the 농주 (nohng-joo) or “farmer’s alcohol”, and not paying too much for it. The standard price for a bowl of dongdongju goes for about $5 USD. With the mandatory anju (안주), a visit to this place could run you about $15-20 USD, which isn’t too shabby at all.

The Kimbap Houses (김밥집)

If you happen to be short on cash, or just looking for some restaurant option that does not offer alcohol, you should definitely visit a kimbap house. Kimbap is a roll of ham, egg, rice, radish and cooked rice inside a sheet of dried seaweed (it looks almost like a sushi roll). There are various fillings that can be put into these, from tuna (참치김밥, chahm-chee-kim-bap) to cheese (치즈김밥, chee-juh-kim-bap). They also offer additional dishes, each for no more than around $5-6. These dishes usually aren’t more complicated than some fried rice dishes, rice cake dishes or soups and come with simple side dishes. Again, for two people, a visit to a kimbap house will run you about $12 USD.

or pork rib (dwaejeekalbisal, 돼지갈비살). With prices that are not cheap, but definitely affordable and the barbeques that are right on the table, these places are definitely something to experience. Each place that you visit has its own unique atmosphere, allowing you to visit various “barbeques” without needing to worry about the weather forecast. The meat houses generally run most of the night. For a few bottles of soju or beer, plus two servings of Korean bacon and a soup to go along with it, you would probably spend around $30-35 USD.

but they all have things in common; there are a few different slices of the fish offered, along with the raw fish served in a salad and all of it paired with soju or beer. The prices here can range from intermediate to quite expensive, depending on what you order and in what amount. In most cases, though, the quality of the food served is more than worth the price. Even in Seoul and some of the other cities located hours away from the plentiful oceans, fish served here is extremely fresh, bold and worth the small fortune paid. While other dishes are offered, a serving of caviar, sliced raw fish, salad and a few bottles of soju could easily set you back at least $40-50 USD. Again, it’s expensive, but well worth the costs!

NON-KOREAN OPTIONS

Now that you’ve had the crash course in Korean cuisine, what if you decide that you want something else? What else could be offered in Korea? Not to worry, there are definitely restaurants to fulfill every pang of your palate. Seemingly all cultures and tastes can be found in Korea, though Seoul definitely has the largest selection. Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese places can be found throughout the country and usually inexpensively. If you live outside of Seoul, you will need to look harder to locate some of these places. If you are looking to have something a little closer to home, try one of the following options : Fast Food Chains

To find the fast food nearest you, there’s a list of the chains’ Korean locations (sorry, not all of the chains have English websites):
McDonalds
Burger King
KFC
Papa John’s
Domino’s Pizza
Pizza Hut

Sit Down Places

Hopping on the bandwagon, some big chains have followed the fast food restaurants, enticing the Korean palate with the finest choices from the Western menu, specifically steaks. T.G.I. Friday’s, Bennigan’s and Outback Steakhouse have all found their way here and established quite the reputation with the Korean populace. Perhaps their popularity inspired Korean’s to establish their own answer to the Western steakhouse. VIPS took the idea of a steak house with in house salad bar/buffet and helped steer it towards a Korean audience.


Special mention must also be given to a rather successful mix of Korean and Western cuisine, Carne Station. With several locations serving Seoul-ites, Carne Station takes the Western idea of all you can eat for cheap to its glorious/dangerous extreme; for around $26 USD, you are given free reign to choose as much Korean grilled meats as you like (you are still responsible for the grilling), in addition to veggies, spaghetti, burritos, sushi and last, but certainly not least, all you can drink alcohol ? ranging from beer to soju to whiskey to wine to tequila. Obviously, this restaurant could not remain a secret for long, so ensure that you get a seat, advanced reservations are a MUST! Here are the restaurants’ websites (again, not all of them are in English. Also, watch out for the pop-up ads offering various discounts when you use special Korean credit cards):


T.G.I. Friday’s
Outback Steakhouse
Bennigan’s
VIPS
Carne Station
When In Korea… In Korea, as in every culture, there are foods and tastes which may seem odd or unusual to the uninitiated. Korea is no different, offering some seemingly absurd/outrageous choices of fare to what could easily be a very delicious menu. Below, are listed some of the most unusual choices which have boggled, disgusted, surprised and intrigued many a Western visitor.

Heavily regulated and protested by animal-loving agencies everywhere, the number of restaurants offering this most controversial of meats has dwindled recently. However, it’s still present in rural Korea and there are a number of Koreans (mostly men) who have tried the soup once, if not regularly. The thing to keep in mind, as stated many times, is that Korea is a land totally different from you own. Koreans have their own culture, language, beliefs and even tastes, which do differ from what you would consider the norm. This soup is no different. Used for ages as a source of protein, dog meat is thought to boost stamina and to keep one cool during the summers.


Koreans, very fond of pocket-sized pooches, do use dog meat, but not in the way you’d expect. They don’t steal pets from people’s houses or off the street; rather, they use dogs specifically bred for that purpose. If you oppose the dog soup, by all means don’t try it. However, don’t protest against the people or establishments that serve it. Instead, protest those places that treat the animals inhumanely, as you should for any animals that are considered “normal” food sources such as cow, pig, chicken, etc. verall, the taste is not particularly strong and it can compliment a cold bottle of soju.