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Eat & make

Food — taste it, then make it

Where to eat, and hands-on classes to cook it yourself. Prices vary — we don't invent them.

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Find Korea's top-rated restaurants

Ratings and rankings live inside apps — and the most visitor-friendly ones work in English. These are ordered by how easy each is to use in English.

Google MapsEnglishEnglish reviews and interface — search a dish or area, then sort by rating.Open ↗CatchTable GlobalEnglishThe 'CatchTable Global' app reserves popular restaurants in English — no Korean phone number needed.Open ↗MICHELIN GuideEnglishStars and Bib Gourmand picks for Korea, fully in English.Open ↗TripadvisorEnglishEnglish rankings and traveller reviews for restaurants across Korea.Open ↗Naver MapEnglish in appKorea's most-used map — switch the app to English (Settings → Language); its visitor reviews are receipt-verified.Open ↗KakaoMapKoreanKorean, but the star ratings, photos and review counts read at a glance.Open ↗DiningcodeKoreanKorean 'best-of' restaurant rankings built from review data — use translate for the text.Open ↗Blue Ribbon SurveyKoreanThe Blue Ribbon Survey — Korea's restaurant-award guide (in Korean).Open ↗

💡 Korean-only apps still show star ratings, photos and review counts you can read at a glance — use your phone's camera translate for the words. For curated English picks, VisitKorea's official food guides are a great start.

🍜 Where to eat

Korean BBQGrill

Korean BBQ

Samgyeopsal (pork belly) and galbi grilled at your table, wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang and garlic. Staff often grill for you, and the meal usually ends with cold naengmyeon or a sizzling fried-rice finish.

Tteokbokki & street foodStreet

Tteokbokki & street food

Chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce, alongside hotteok, gimbap and fish-cake skewers from market stalls. Grab a paper cup and eat as you walk — it's the beating heart of Korean street food.

BibimbapClassic

Bibimbap

A rice bowl topped with seasoned vegetables, egg and gochujang — mix it all together before the first bite. The stone-bowl version, dolsot bibimbap, toasts a crispy rice crust onto the bottom.

Korean fried chicken (chimaek)Icon

Korean fried chicken (chimaek)

Extra-crispy double-fried chicken paired with cold beer — 'chi-maek' (chicken plus maekju) is a national pastime. Order it plain, in sticky-sweet yangnyeom sauce, or half-and-half to try both.

Naengmyeon (cold noodles)Summer

Naengmyeon (cold noodles)

Chewy buckwheat noodles in an icy, tangy broth (mul-naengmyeon) or tossed in a fiery sauce (bibim-naengmyeon) — a refreshing summer favourite. Snip the noodles with the scissors provided, then add vinegar and mustard to taste.

Halal & vegetarianDiet

Halal & vegetarian

Certified-halal restaurants cluster around the mosque in Itaewon, while Buddhist temple food offers refined meat-free cooking. Vegetarian and vegan spots are growing citywide, though it helps to check menus in advance.

Seongsu cafes & dessertsCafe

Seongsu cafes & desserts

Specialty coffee and inventive desserts fill converted warehouses in Seongsu, Seoul's trendiest cafe district. Come for the roasteries and photogenic interiors, and pair the visit with the neighbourhood's boutiques.

Jjigae & bunsik (comfort food)Comfort

Jjigae & bunsik (comfort food)

Bubbling stews like kimchi-jjigae, doenjang-jjigae and budae-jjigae, plus quick bunsik snacks — hearty, cheap and everywhere. Served in a stone pot with rice and banchan, they're the everyday comfort meal Koreans eat most.

Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)Restorative

Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)

A whole young chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng and garlic in a milky broth — a restorative summer classic.

Gamjatang (pork-bone stew)Hearty

Gamjatang (pork-bone stew)

A hearty, spicy pork-spine and potato stew simmered with perilla and greens — a late-night comfort favourite.

Dwaeji-gukbap (pork soup rice)Busan

Dwaeji-gukbap (pork soup rice)

Busan’s signature pork-and-rice soup — a warming bowl of broth, pork and rice you season to taste.

Jjimdak (braised chicken)Andong

Jjimdak (braised chicken)

Andong-style braised chicken with glass noodles, potatoes and vegetables in a savoury-sweet soy sauce.

Hotteok (sweet pancake)Street

Hotteok (sweet pancake)

A griddled street pancake filled with molten brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts — best in winter.

Japchae (glass noodles)Classic

Japchae (glass noodles)

Chewy sweet-potato glass noodles stir-fried with vegetables and a touch of sesame — a party staple.

Sundae (blood sausage)Street

Sundae (blood sausage)

Korean blood sausage stuffed with noodles and barley — a market and pojangmacha staple, often served with tteokbokki.

Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles)Comfort

Kalguksu (knife-cut noodles)

Hand-cut wheat noodles in a warming broth of anchovy, chicken or clam — simple, comforting home cooking.

Bossam (boiled pork wraps)Pork

Bossam (boiled pork wraps)

Tender boiled pork, sliced and wrapped in cabbage with salted shrimp, garlic and fresh kimchi.

Hoe (Korean raw fish)Seafood

Hoe (Korean raw fish)

Fresh raw fish, Korean-style and best by the coast — served with chogochujang or as a chilled mulhoe soup.

Gimbap (seaweed rice rolls)Cheap eats

Gimbap (seaweed rice rolls)

Seaweed rice rolls packed with vegetables, egg and more — the cheap, portable classic for a quick meal or picnic.

Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)Chuncheon

Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)

Chicken, cabbage and rice cakes stir-fried in a sweet-spicy sauce on a hot plate — the cheese-topped version is a favourite. A Chuncheon speciality, great for sharing.

Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)Comfort

Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)

A bubbling, spicy stew of silky uncurdled tofu with seafood or pork, served with rice and often a raw egg cracked in at the table.

Budae-jjigae (army stew)Sharing

Budae-jjigae (army stew)

A hearty hot-pot of kimchi, sausage, ham, instant noodles and cheese in a spicy broth — a post-war invention that is now comfort food for groups.

Ganjang-gejang (soy-marinated crab)Delicacy

Ganjang-gejang (soy-marinated crab)

Raw crab marinated in soy sauce until silky and briny — nicknamed the 'rice thief' because it is so good with rice. An adventurous local favourite.

Pajeon (savoury pancake)Rainy day

Pajeon (savoury pancake)

A crisp scallion pancake, often loaded with seafood (haemul-pajeon). Koreans love it with makgeolli rice wine, especially on a rainy day.

Bingsu (shaved-ice dessert)Dessert

Bingsu (shaved-ice dessert)

A mountain of fine shaved ice topped with sweet red beans (patbingsu), fruit, condensed milk or matcha — the go-to summer dessert to share.

🥟Classic

Mandu (dumplings)

Korean dumplings stuffed with pork, tofu and vegetables — steamed, pan-fried, or dropped into soup as mandu-guk.

🐷Pork

Jokbal (braised pig's trotters)

Pig's trotters slow-braised in soy and spices until tender, sliced and eaten with salted-shrimp sauce and lettuce wraps.

🥩Delicacy

Yukhoe (beef tartare)

Silky hand-cut raw beef seasoned with sesame oil and pear, often topped with an egg yolk — Korea's take on tartare.

🍲Comfort

Seolleongtang (ox-bone soup)

A milky ox-bone broth simmered for hours, served with rice and noodles — you season it yourself with salt and spring onion.

🥣Summer

Kongguksu (soybean noodle soup)

Chilled noodles in a cool, nutty soybean broth — a refreshing summer dish, usually eaten with a pinch of salt.

🔥Grill

Gopchang (grilled intestines)

Beef or pork intestines grilled at the table until crisp and smoky — a rich, much-loved dish to share over drinks.

🥢 Making experiences

Kimchi making classHands-on

Kimchi making class

Make and pack your own kimchi to take home; classes typically run with an English guide.

Bibimbap & bulgogi cookingCooking

Bibimbap & bulgogi cooking

Cook a full Korean meal from scratch with a chef, then eat what you made.

Tteok (rice cake) makingTraditional

Tteok (rice cake) making

Shape colorful traditional rice cakes — family-friendly and hands-on.

Makgeolli brewing & tasting19+

Makgeolli brewing & tasting

Learn to brew and taste Korean rice wine, usually with pairing snacks.

👩‍🍳Book a Korean cooking class or food tourMake kimchi, tteokbokki & more — or join a market food tourBook on Klook ↗

ⓘ Some links here are partner links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only list services we'd point a friend to.

🗺️ Regional specialties — worth the trip

Every region has its own signature dish. Tap a city to see where to stay nearby.

🍲Busan

Dwaeji-gukbap

Busan's beloved pork-and-rice soup — a milky pork-bone broth you season yourself with salted shrimp, chives and rice. Cheap, filling and open late.

🏨 Busan →
🐷Jeju

Jeju black pork (heuk-dwaeji)

Jeju's prized black-pig pork, grilled thick and dipped in salted-anchovy sauce. Richer and chewier than mainland pork.

🏨 Jeju →
🍚Jeonju

Jeonju bibimbap

The definitive bibimbap — rice crowned with dozens of seasoned vegetables, beef, egg yolk and gochujang in a brass bowl. Jeonju is its spiritual home.

🏨 Jeonju →
🍗Andong

Andong jjimdak

Chicken braised with glass noodles, potato and vegetables in a sweet-savoury soy sauce, big enough to share. Born in Andong's old market.

🏨 Andong →
🥣Gangneung

Chodang sundubu

Silky soft tofu set with clean East-Sea seawater instead of brine — the specialty of Gangneung's Chodang village, served warm and delicate.

🏨 Gangneung →
🔥Daegu

Makchang

Grilled pork or beef intestines, chewy and smoky, dipped in a garlicky doenjang sauce — a Daegu drinking-food institution.

🏨 Daegu →
🐔Sokcho

Dak-gangjeong

Sweet, shatter-crisp double-fried chicken from Sokcho's Jungang Market — sold by the boxful and famous nationwide.

🏨 Sokcho →
🍙Tongyeong

Chungmu-gimbap

Tiny plain seaweed rice rolls served with spicy squid and radish kimchi on the side — Tongyeong's portable harbour snack.

🏨 Tongyeong →
🥩Suwon

Suwon wang-galbi

Suwon's oversized marinated beef short ribs, butterflied and grilled over charcoal — a local specialty for generations.

🏨 Suwon →
🍖Gwangju

Tteok-galbi

Minced short-rib meat shaped into patties and grilled until caramelised — a refined southern specialty around Gwangju and Damyang.

🏨 Gwangju →
🥮Gyeongju

Hwangnam-ppang

A thin-skinned pastry packed with sweet red-bean paste, baked in Gyeongju's old Hwangnam district — the city's classic edible souvenir.

🏨 Gyeongju →
🦀Yeosu

Ganjang-gejang

Raw blue crab marinated in soy sauce until silky — the 'rice thief' that empties your bowl. Yeosu's southern coast is famous for it.

🏨 Yeosu →

Good to know

  • A restaurant full of locals is usually a good sign.
  • Many places have picture menus or English menus; convenience stores are great for cheap late-night eats.
  • Side dishes (banchan) are free and often refillable.
  • For halal food, the Itaewon area has the most certified options.
  • Class prices and durations vary by operator — check the details when you book.
📷 Photo credits