Diving Deeper: How to Order Korean Food in Korea

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Guest Post by Ivan Zarezkij

How do you dive deeper into Korean food in Korea? You know the headliners, Korean barbeque, bulgogi and kimchi (to name a few), but it can be difficult as an expat living in Korea to find regional specialties or new rifts on common foods. I’m here to take your Korean food game to the next level.

Your Ultimate Guide to Traditional Korean Food

Korean Barbeque.

One of the most iconic Korean food dishes in Korea. There are two main ways to up your barbeque game: the cut and the meat.

MEAT. Pork barbeque restaurants are the most prolific but you can find duck barbeque restaurants (오리고기) that serve you soup made with the duck bones after the meal. You can find lamb restaurants (양고기) that cook lamb skewers entirely dusted in chili powder in a barbeque that spins the skewer for you.

There are even chicken barbeque restaurants (닭고기) that will de-bone and marinade a whole chicken for you such that each slice has a small slice of chicken skin to moisten each bite. If seafood is your thing, look for clams (조개) and you can even have them topped with cheese.

CUT. Barbeque cuts go way beyond just pork ribs (갈비), shoulder (목살) or belly (삼겹살), look for restaurants that have blade steak with a thin layer of fat on top (가브리살) or even diaphragm (갈매기살).

Also avoid thin cuts; you’ll never look back the first time you have an inch-thick slab of pork shoulder sizzling away on hot coals, and yes, always charcoal.

Rice.

We love bibimbap (비빔밥) and kimbap (김밥) but what if you want something more substantial? Usually served as a set menu (정식), these dishes showcase the best in local ingredients. Often found at restaurants in the countryside or at the base of popular mountains for hiking, you sometimes see the word ‘table meal’ (밥상) in the restaurant’s name.

For something bit more interesting than just rice, I suggest looking for Saambap restaurants (쌈밥), where along with a small side of meat or fish, you’ll be served a whole plate of different leaves and seaweed that you can wrap the rice and various side dishes in.

Stoneware bibimbap (돌솥비빔밥) is served in a steaming hot bowl that creates a delicious crust of rice (누룽지) on the bottom of the pot. The rice itself can be cooked with roots or mushrooms, imparting subtle flavors into the rice, or again level up the bibimbap with local mountain vegetables and herbs (산채 비빔밥).

I must mention fish restaurants here too, not usually the ones with fish tanks out front that specialize in sashimi (회), but the more disguised ones that serve grilled fish (생선구이). You can order a whole fish or numerous small fish as a part of the set menu. The side dishes and rice are often varied and complimentary.

Vegetable Pancakes.

From garlic chive (부추전) to seafood (해물파전), Korea really is the pancake capital of the world. I highly recommend you seek them all out, especially mung bean pancake (빈대떡) for its salty earthiness, cabbage pancake (배추전) for its simplicity of just one whole leaf of cabbage, the eggy softness of an oyster pancake (굴전) if you’re near the coast in winter and the potato pancake (감자전) for its crispy edges and soft middle.

The crispiness disappears after only a few minutes, so always order fresh.These pancakes pair so well with the traditional Korean magkeolli rice wine (막걸리), or feel free to swap the for another sweeter, clearer and stronger variety called dongdongju (동동주).

Noodles.

Noodles can be hot or cold, have clear or thick broth, be chewy or soft and Korea offers endless varieties. If you love hand cut noodles (칼국수), try them with shredded chicken in a thicker chicken broth (닭칼국수).

For cold noodle lovers, make sure you compare both the South Korean (냉면) and the North Korean (평양 냉면) varieties.If you’re walking through a traditional market, you’ll see many places selling banquet noodles (잔치국수). Traditionally eaten at weddings, it’s usually served just warm with chopped up kimchi, zucchini slices and seaweed flakes.

Buckwheat noodles (막국수) are delicious and darker in color and look out for buckwheat dumplings too (메밀전병). In summer, try icy spicy cold noodles served with sashimi (물회).

Soups, Stews and Hot Pots.

This is where things start to get really interesting! Up your bulgogi game by ordering a bulgogi hot pot (불고기전골). The ingredients come to the table assembled and then cooked in front of your eyes. Sometimes it’s called mushroom soup (버섯전골) but it’ll still contain those tenderly thin cuts of bulgogi.

If you love potatoes and pork, then pork bone stew (감자탕) is a must. It’s very cheap and great for feeding a crowd. Chicken stew (닭볶음탕), with its soft simmered green onions and sweeter tasting sauce is a weekend winter warmer and so easy to make at home too.

For the adventurous, try spicy fish roe stew (알탕). It’s not very fishy in flavor and has a delicate texture similar to tofu. You could also try loach soup (추어탕), a fortifying freshwater fish soup.If you’ve seen or tried blood sausage (순대) at traditional markets, it’ll usually be filled with gummy glass noodles and not much flavor.

If you order real blood sausage at a restaurant, you’ll taste the difference immediately. It has thicker sausage casing, a denser darker filling with rice and vegetables and a near crumbly texture. It’s also occasionally served with rice and a rich broth (순대국밥).

How to find these places?

Finding specific Korean restaurants isn’t always an easy task – especially with the language barrier – but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

1. As most Korean restaurants are named after the food they serve, if you search the name of the dishes  in Naver Maps, you’re sure to find a restaurant that specializes in it.
2. You can also search the type of food in the main Naver search bar, followed by your city name. This will help you find blogs that mention the foods.
3. I also recommend searching ‘tasty house’ (맛집) in Korean to find the best local restaurants (be wary of paid advertising).

There you have it – how to dive deeper into Korean food in Korea. Now the next time you see a noodle restaurant, you’ll know if it’s chicken, buckwheat or North Korean style!

Have any questions about Korean food in Korea? Comment below! Happy feasting 🙂

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Author

Ivan is a Korean foodophile from Australia and can be seen roaming the streets of  Daegu eating everything that crosses his path or recreating his favs in the kitchen.

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