20 Korean Dishes to Try on Your First Trip

By Dragon Kim · Updated October 2, 2026 · 7 min read

Which grilled meat, rice and noodle dishes should I try?

Start with bibimbap, bulgogi and samgyeopsal, which are mild, easy to order and common in every city. These six dishes are the foundation of most first meals.

1. Kimchi: Fermented vegetables, most often napa cabbage and radish. Visit Seoul says more than 200 varieties are recognised, from fiery to non-spicy white kimchi (Visit Seoul).
2. Bibimbap: A warm rice bowl topped with seasoned vegetables and red chili paste, and mixed before eating. VisitKorea uses it as its example of Korea's "culture of mixing" (VisitKorea).
3. Bulgogi: Thinly sliced beef marinated in a sweet soy mixture and grilled. It is mild, so it suits anyone avoiding chili.
4. Galbi: Marinated or plain short ribs, usually grilled at the table.
5. Samgyeopsal: Grilled pork belly, which VisitKorea calls the "people's food". You wrap pieces in lettuce or perilla leaves with ssamjang sauce (ssam) and eat them in one bite (VisitKorea).
6. Japchae: Stir-fried sweet-potato glass noodles with vegetables. It is savoury rather than spicy, and Visit Seoul also lists it among market foods.

Practical example: a group of four can share one grill of samgyeopsal and galbi, then add a bibimbap or japchae so that nobody is left with only meat.

Which soups, stews and cold noodles are worth ordering?

Try one mild soup and one spicy stew: samgyetang or bukeoguk for mild, and kimchi-jjigae or sundubu-jjigae for spicy. Korea serves hot soups with rice as a full meal, and VisitKorea groups several of them as recovery food after a long night out.

7. Kimchi-jjigae: A spicy kimchi stew, usually with pork or tuna, eaten with rice. It is a standard set-meal order.
8. Sundubu-jjigae: Soft tofu boiled with clams, pork, spring onion, garlic and chili powder in a bubbling red broth (VisitKorea).
9. Samgyetang: A whole young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, garlic, jujubes and ginseng, served steaming hot on the idea of "fighting heat with heat". Visit Seoul names Tosokchon Samgyetang near Gyeongbokgung Station (Visit Seoul).
10. Yukgaejang: Spicy beef soup with bracken, mung bean sprouts and leek in a chili-based broth (VisitKorea).
11. Bukeoguk: Dried pollack soup with radish and spring onion, with a milky, clear and mild broth (VisitKorea).
12. Sukju namul bap: Bean sprout soup served with steamed rice and an egg, another gentle option VisitKorea lists among its recovery meals (VisitKorea).
13. Jjamppong: A spicy seafood noodle soup of Chinese-Korean origin, cooked over high heat for a smoky flavour (VisitKorea).
14. Naengmyeon: Chewy buckwheat or starch noodles in chilled beef broth (Pyeongyang style, subtle) or mixed with a spicy sauce (Hamheung style) (Visit Seoul).

Practical example: if the group is split on spice tolerance, order a mild soup such as bukeoguk with a spicy stew and share the rice and banchan.

Which street food, market snacks and drinking food should I try?

Eat tteokbokki, gimbap and bindaetteok at a traditional market, and save chimaek for an evening. Markets are the cheapest and fastest way to sample several dishes in one stop.

15. Tteokbokki: Chewy rice cakes simmered in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. Visit Seoul's market guide names Mangwon Market for it (Visit Seoul).
16. Gimbap: Seaweed rice rolls with vegetables, egg, pickled radish and seasoned meat. Visit Seoul lists mini gimbap at Gwangjang Market, where one stall's version is nicknamed "mayak" gimbap (Visit Seoul).
17. Bindaetteok: A crisp mung bean pancake and a Gwangjang Market specialty (Visit Seoul).
18. Yukhoe: Seasoned raw beef (beef tartare), also sold at Gwangjang Market (Visit Seoul). Eat it only at busy, reputable stalls.
19. Sundae: Korean blood sausage stuffed with glass noodles, sold at Gwangjang Market and other markets (Visit Seoul). Its savoury flavour is an acquired taste for some visitors.
20. Chimaek: Fried chicken with beer, enjoyed outdoors in places such as Banpo Hangang Park (Visit Seoul).

At Gwangjang Market, Visit Seoul lists the food alley as open daily from 09:00 to 23:00, while the main market is closed on Sundays. Hours can change, so confirm before you go.

How much do these dishes cost?

Expect about 7,000 to 16,000 won for a single bowl of soup, stew or noodles at the Seoul restaurants VisitKorea recommends. Grilled meat is priced per portion and usually costs more per person, and prices vary by neighbourhood and year.

These are the figures listed on the VisitKorea hangover-food guide for named restaurants. Treat them as a guide to the range, not a quote, and check the menu before you order.

How do I order and eat at a Korean restaurant?

Sit down, order a main dish for each person, and eat the rice and soup with your spoon.

1. Choose a main dish for each person. A stew or soup normally comes with rice and banchan, which makes it a complete meal.
2. Say your spice level. If you want less chili, ask for a mild dish before the kitchen starts cooking.
3. Use the spoon and share side dishes. Banchan are placed in the middle for everyone, and kimchi is part of every table.
4. Wrap the meat if you are grilling. Place a piece in lettuce or a perilla leaf with ssamjang, then eat it in one bite.
5. Pay at the counter. In many restaurants you pay at the register on your way out.

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