Gimbap is Korean seaweed rice rolls filled with vegetables, egg, and cured meats, sliced into rounds. Gwangjang Market's mayak gimbap is the purest form.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
Gimbap (literally seaweed rice) developed in the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), with visible influence from Japanese maki sushi in the rolling technique. However, Korean gimbap diverged significantly: the rice is dressed with sesame oil (not vinegar), the fillings are cooked (not raw), and the dish is eaten as a portable lunch or snack rather than a restaurant meal. Mayak gimbap, tiny thin rolls served at Gwangjang Market, are made with minimal filling and served with a mustard and soy dipping sauce. The word mayak (narcotic) refers to how addictively compelling the simple roll is, not to any actual ingredient.
Common allergens: Sesame oil, Egg, Soy in dipping sauce
Tip from the editors. Wet the knife between cuts to prevent the rice from tearing the nori. The roll should be sliced cleanly in one motion, not sawed.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
The bindaetteok stalls in Gwangjang Market are Seoul's most legitimate street food: mung-bean pancakes fried on cast-iron griddles alongside mayak gimbap.
Try: Bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) and mayak gimbap
Maru Jayeonsik Kimbap is a small counter in Insadong serving gimbap made with natural, MSG-free ingredients and a rotating selection of plant-based banchan.
Try: Gimbap sets and bibimbap (natural ingredients)
More cities are in research. Want gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.