Signature dishes of South Korea

26 signature dishes found across every South Korea city we cover on TableJourney. Click through to see where to eat and what to order in each city. Want the global picture? Browse all dishes.

Bibim dangmyeonBusan · Gukje Market's bench-food classic: slippery glass noodles tossed warm with soy, sesame and vegetables, eaten elbow to elbow at the alley stalls.BibimbapSeoul · Bibimbap is Seoul's most definitive dish: steamed rice topped with seasoned vegetables, a raw or fried egg, and gochujang paste, mixed at the table.Bindaetteok (Mung Bean Pancake)Seoul · Bindaetteok are thick savoury pancakes made from ground mung beans, pan-fried until crisp on the outside.Busan eomukBusan · Fish cake the Busan way: ground white fish pressed and fried into skewers, croquettes and bakery trays, eaten with a paper cup of hot broth.Doenjang Jjigae (Fermented Soybean Stew)Seoul · Doenjang jjigae is a fermented soybean paste stew with tofu, zucchini, mushrooms, and optional shellfish.Dongnae pajeonBusan · The aristocrat of Korean pancakes: whole spring onions bound in rice-and-wheat batter with seafood, griddled crisp outside and left custardy within.Dwaeji gukbapBusanGalbi (Grilled Short Ribs)Seoul · Galbi is marinated beef short ribs grilled over charcoal.Gimbap (Seaweed Rice Rolls)Seoul · Gimbap is Korean seaweed rice rolls filled with vegetables, egg, and cured meats, sliced into rounds.Gomjangeo guiBusan · Grilled hagfish over charcoal, the wriggling market grill of Jagalchi and Haeundae, doused in gochujang and eaten with soju as the coals spit.Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Korean Pancake)Seoul · Yeast-leavened pancakes pan-fried in oil and stuffed with a molten filling of brown sugar, cinnamon, and crushed peanuts.JajangmyeonSeoul · Thick chewy wheat noodles topped with glossy dark sauce of fermented black bean paste, pork, onion, zucchini and potato.Kimchi (Baechu)Seoul · Napa cabbage salted, slathered in red chilli paste with garlic, ginger, fish sauce and salted shrimp, then fermented to a brightly sour-spicy crunch.Korean fried chicken (Yangnyeom chikin)Seoul · Chicken double-fried to glassy thin crackle, tossed in a sweet-spicy red sauce of gochujang, garlic, sugar and rice syrup.Mandu (Korean Dumplings)Seoul · Hand-folded Korean dumplings filled with pork, kimchi, tofu, and Korean chive, then steamed, boiled, or pan-fried (gun-mandu).MilmyeonBusanNaengmyeon (Cold Noodles)Seoul · Naengmyeon are cold noodles served in ice-cold bone broth (mul) or in a spicy vinegar sauce (bibim).SamgyeopsalSeoul · Samgyeopsal is thick-cut pork belly grilled at the table over charcoal or gas, wrapped in perilla leaf with garlic, ssamjang and doenjang paste.Samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup)SeoulSeolleongtang (Ox Bone Soup)Seoul · Seolleongtang is a milky-white broth made by boiling ox bones for 17-24 hours.Ssiat hotteokBusanSundae (Korean blood sausage)Seoul · Pig intestine stuffed with pig blood, sweet potato glass noodles, glutinous rice and bean sprouts.TteokbokkiSeoul · Tteokbokki are chewy rice cake tubes cooked in a gochujang-based sauce: sweet, spicy and sticky.HHoe, Busan styleBusan · Korean raw fish eaten the port way: thick-cut slices from live tanks, wrapped in perilla with garlic and ssamjang, finished with spicy maeuntang stew.