Stepping onto the streets of Seoul, you’ll find yourself quickly surrounded by the competing aromas of the local street food and restaurant fare vying for your appetite. Whether it’s your first time in the city or you just want to dig in like the locals do, here are a few ways to eat like a local in Seoul.
Street food carts, or pojang macha
Street food is a way of life in Seoul. Outside every subway station and on just about every major intersection, you’ll find rows of orange tents serving up savory dishes like spicy rice cakes and desserts like waffles and Korean pancakes. You could easily stitch together a progressive dinner of sorts by hopping from tent to tent, sampling fried small bites (twiggum), various meats on a stick, kimbap (similar to a sushi roll) and ddeokbokki (spicy rice cake stew).
Neighborhood shik-tangs
While you could spend weeks researching where to have the city’s best bowl of kimchi stew, the locals would just as soon point you to the local shik-tang, or neighborhood restaurant. These hole-in-the-wall establishments serve all the basic Korean staples like soups, stews, meat and rice dishes and noodle plates. Two popular chains you’ll find throughout the city are Kimbap Nara and Kimbap Cheonguk. Best of all? An authentic Korean meal will only cost you about $5-7.
Barbecue restaurants
Probably the most famous of Korean cuisine styles, barbecue restaurants abound in Seoul. College students (and budget-conscious travelers) gravitate toward the all-you-can-eat joints, where you pick your cuts of meat from a freezer and grill to your heart’s content. Short ribs (galbi), marinated beef (bulgogi) and pork belly (samgyeopsal) are some of the most popular cuts, and they’re typically served with some sort of stew. Also, don’t be alarmed by the endless plates of side dishes, or banchan, that overtake your table; Korean meals are almost always accompanied by at least a half-dozen side dishes. Also keep in mind that Korean barbecue goes hand in hand with drinking, so don’t be shy about ordering a round of beer (maekju) or soju, a rice wine similar to vodka or sake.
Cafes
After dinner or between meals, duck into one of the numerous cafes (you’ll find several lining most city blocks) to refuel with a sweet potato latte and a plate of toast or waffles. Korean-style toast is usually an oversized slice of bread served with a range of toppings, from honey and cinnamon to ice cream and chocolate syrup. Similarly, waffles are almost always topped with ice cream or whipped cream, and sharing is always encouraged. You’ll also find an array of Korean pastries, cakes and sandwiches for a light meal.
(Main image: avlxyz used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
