Best Restaurants in South Korea 2026

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)

Thick-cut grilled pork belly cooked at the table on a charcoal or gas grill, wrapped in perilla leaves or lettuce with garlic, kimchi, and ssamjang paste. Korea's most beloved communal dining experience.

Where to try: Mapo Sutbul Galbi, Palsaik Samgyeopsal in Mapo, or any Korean BBQ restaurant

Price: $12-20 per person

Bibimbap (비빔밥)

Mixed rice topped with seasoned vegetables, gochujang chili paste, egg, and often beef. The dolsot version served in a stone bowl creates crispy rice at the bottom. Jeonju is the birthplace of the definitive version.

Where to try: Gogung Myeongdong (Seoul) or Gajok Hoegwan (Jeonju)

Price: $10-18

Kimchi Jjigae (김치찌개)

Korea's most beloved stew made with well-fermented kimchi, pork or tuna, tofu, and vegetables in an intense spicy broth. Always served bubbling in a clay pot with rice. The comfort food of Korean cuisine.

Where to try: Authentic jjigae restaurants throughout the country, best in traditional markets

Price: $8-12

Japchae (잡채)

Glass noodles made from sweet potato starch stir-fried with seasonal vegetables and beef in a sweet soy sauce. Originally a royal court dish, now a beloved side dish served at celebrations and Korean restaurants worldwide.

Where to try: Any Korean restaurant, particularly good at traditional hanjeongsik restaurants

Price: $10-15

Haemul Pajeon (해물파전)

Large savory seafood and green onion pancake with a crispy exterior and tender interior, best enjoyed with makgeolli (milky rice wine). A staple of Korean drinking culture consumed at pojangmacha tent bars.

Where to try: Gwangjang Market food stalls, traditional pojangmacha tents, or Tongin Market

Price: $8-15

Tteokbokki (떡볶이)

Chewy rice cakes in sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, often with fish cake and boiled eggs. Korea's most iconic street food available at every street cart and pojangmacha tent nationwide.

Find it at: Myeongdong street stalls, Gwangjang Market, Sindang Tteokbokki Town in Seoul

Hotteok (호떡)

Sweet filled pancakes stuffed with brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and chopped peanuts — crispy on the outside and oozing warm filling inside. Classic winter street food but sold year-round.

Find it at: Myeongdong street vendors, Insadong street stalls, traditional market entrances

Gyeran Ppang (계란빵)

Oblong bread with a whole egg baked inside — slightly sweet, fluffy, with a savory egg center. One of Korea's most unique and addictive street snacks, served hot from mobile carts.

Find it at: Myeongdong evening street stalls, major transit hubs, street cart vendors

Korean Corn Dog (핫도그)

Uniquely Korean hot dog dipped in rice flour batter and deep fried, rolled in sugar — available with cheese, half-cheese/half-sausage, and tteok (rice cake) filling variations. Very different from American corn dogs.

Find it at: Isaac Toast chain, Myeongdong street stalls, Hongdae food street

Odeng/Eomuk (오뎅/어묵)

Fish cake skewers simmering in a savory broth — the classic Korean winter street food traditionally costing just 500-1,000 KRW per skewer. Eat the skewers and drink the broth free from the hot vat.

Find it at: Dongdaemun Night Market pojangmacha row, traditional markets, winter street carts

Gwangjang Market (광장시장)

Seoul's oldest and most authentic covered market established in 1905, famous for its food alley where grandmothers prepare bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), mayak gimbap, and traditional raw meat dishes at communal wooden tables.

Hours: 9AM-11PM daily (food stalls busiest 11AM-9PM)

Namdaemun Market Food Court

The sprawling Namdaemun Market contains dozens of food stalls serving kal국수(knife-cut noodles), hotteok, dried seafood, and cheap Korean staples beloved by Seoul locals for over a century.

Hours: 5AM-10PM (varies by vendor, wholesalers open from midnight)

Jagalchi Fish Market, Busan (자갈치시장)

Korea's largest seafood market on Busan's waterfront where you select live seafood from tanks and vendors prepare it fresh as hoe (sashimi), grilled, or steamed upstairs in simple restaurants.

Hours: 5AM-10PM daily

Noryangjin Fish Market (노량진수산시장)

Seoul's main 24-hour wholesale fish market where haenyeo-caught seafood arrives daily. Select live abalone, king crab, lobster, or sea cucumber from vendors and take it upstairs to be prepared fresh.

Hours: 24 hours (wholesale most active 3-6AM)