Koreans have a long culinary history and a rich food culture. Before we came to Seoul, we only knew about kimchi, bibimbap, and pork bone soup. With a bit of help from our Korean friends and some adventurous spirit, we had a glimpse of the diversity of Korean cuisine. One thing to note is that most Korean foods are spicy. We were able to request for a non-spicy version of the dish most of the time, but don't be surprised if their judgement of a dish's heat is different than yours.
Kimchi and Noodle Soups
Kimchi, seafood noodle soup, and dumpling noodle soup
Our first meal in South Korea was in a homey restaurant which served different kinds of noodle soups. In Korea, kimchi is such a staple that it would be impossible to have a meal without it. Each restaurant has its own secret way of making it. I found that I especially like kimchi that is not chopped. I was told that it takes longer to make kimchi like that and not many restaurants are willing to do so but it preserves the sweetness of the vegetable better.
Persimmon
Persimmon is a sweet and slightly tangy fruit with a soft texture. The persimmons in South Korea were especially sweet and soft. We totally fell in love with them. Our hostel host also told us that Koreans would also store their persimmons in the fridge and ate them like ice cream in the off season. When it is in season, it can usually be brought cheap from street vendors.
Yeongwol Grapes
Unlike the grapes in North America, the Yeongwol grapes are not seedless and their texture is much softer and a lot juicier. You can easily buy a package of Yeongwol Grapesin the supermarket.
Shave ice
Red bean shave ice with rice cakes
The Korean shave ice is a must have dessert during summer time. The ice is very soft and we especially love to top it with red beans and rice cakes.
Ssal Tteok (Rice cake) ice cream
Rice cakes are so popular in Korea that they are also made into an ice cream flavour in Baskin Robbins.
Ginseng Chicken Soup
The Ginseng Chicken Soup is an amazingly heartwarming dish you can try in South Korea. The chicken is stuffed with ginseng and sticky rice and is cooked with the broth inside a clay pot. Not only does it taste good, it is also good for your body.
To get the authentic taste of ginseng chicken, I would recommend Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang. It is a hundred year old restaurant specialized in Korean ginseng chicken soup. Besides ginseng chicken, the fried chicken in this restaurant was the best we had in South Korea.
Seolleongtang (Ox Bone Soup)
Seolleongtang is a broth made from ox bones and briskets. It is served with rice noodles inside. The clear broth contains no MSG and is supposed to be healthy for your body.
One of the popular restaurant for seolleongtang is Imun Seolleongtang. It has been in business for over a hundred years but is a little hard to find as it's hidden at the back of a building. Some may find the soup a little bland. So, you can put in a bit of salt for taste.
Hanwoo
Hanwoo is a Korean native breed of small cattle. Its meat quality is often compared with Kobe beef but at a much more affordable price. One of the most popular places to try hanwoo is at Hanwoochon. The server will cook the beef right in front of you and will time it perfectly.
However, since we wanted a more local experience, we went to the Majang Meat Marketinstead. It is a local meat market and you can find beef with many different cuts. Obviously, we went there for the hanwoo beef and they were packaged already with the associated grade. We picked the one with the highest grade (1++) and cooked it in one of the restaurants inside. For the quality you get, the price is quite reasonable.
Gejang
If you are okay with sashami (raw fish), you can take a step further and try gejang, which is raw crab marinated with soy sauce. Make sure you ask for a bowl of steamed rice to go along with the crab. It's one of the tastiest snacks I ever had.
Gejang can be found in many street food vendors in Gwangjang Market. Besides gejang, you can also find other traditional food like dumplings, and pancakes.
Steamed Dumplings
Besides dumpling soup, steamed dumplings are also a must try dish in South Korea. The dumpling skin is thin and silky smooth. The fillings are plentiful to give you a very satisfying feeling when you put one into your mouth. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water again.
The best steamed dumplings I found in Seoul are served in Myeongdong Kyoja. It is a Michelin mentioned restaurant conveniently located inside Myeongdong. The staffs were friendly but were busy all the time. If my memory serves me right, there was a reasonable minimal charge per person.
Fried Chicken
Korean fried chicken is probably featured in every Korean TV drama with a contemporary setting. The popular chain fried chicken restaurant is called Kyochon Chicken. Unfortunately, since Koreans tend to order their fried chicken as take out, these restaurants are usually not located in the busy tourist districts.
Kyochon Chicken is known to serve one of the best Korean fried chicken in South Korea. It serves chicken with no antibiotics. You can also choose different sauce to go with your chicken. We chose honey and it was pretty good. However, we still think that Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang has juicier fried chicken. There are quite a few stores in Seoul but they are not conveniently located because Koreans tend to get take out for their fried chicken. So, plan your trip accordingly. Here is one of its location in [Google Maps].
Makgeolli
Makgeolli is a Korean alcoholic beverage made with rice. It is milky and tastes slightly sweet and is customary to drink with Korean fried pancakes. You can find it in every Korean supermarket and is considered a healthy drink.
Jjigae
Jjigae is similar to Western stew. There are different varieties of jjigae and the one we tried had pork belly. Since jjigae is a homey food, I would high suggest you try it in a local restaurant to get the feeling.
If you need recommendation for a local restaurant for jjigae, I would recommend 진아네 용산포차. It is packed with locals during weekday nights. However, on weekends, it's relatively quiet. None of the staffs speak English but they were very patient and tried to be helpful. At the end, we enjoyed an amazing pot of jjigae, some egg rolls and bulgogi.