The street food in Korea is some of the best in the entire world, trust me – I would know. However, for most first time visitors it can be a bit overwhelming, especially with the language barrier, which is exactly why I’ve created this guide to help you make the most of your first street food experience in South Korea! Of course including some tips as well to avoid getting any stomach issues.
My Essential Korea Travel Resources :
There are plenty of travel companies out there, but these are my favorite websites and resources for planning an unforgettable trip to South Korea. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.
🚙 Car rentals, although not common in Korea, are best through Discover Cars – just make sure to have a copy of your international driver’s permit with you!
🏨 I always use AGODA to compare hotels & prices in Asia.
📶 To keep cell phone service, I use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required).
📸 For fun things to do, Klook specializes on tours in Asia, otherwise Viator also does the trick.
🦋 Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use when visiting a new country.
🧳 Lastly, my essential packing list when visiting Korea.
Best Tips for Street Food
No matter where you’re trying street food, there’s a few rules I recommend following to have the best experience possible – and to avoid having any upset tummies. The first of course, is to avoid any sitting food, especially in the warmer months. If a food stand looks like no one’s stopped in a while, or it looks like the food has been there for more than a few hours – I recommend avoiding it. In other words, if there’s no visible turn over then you run the risk of eating old food that’s been there for a while.
If you have a sensitive stomach, I also recommend making sure that the food is thoroughly cooked. Many street foods in Korea can be raw, so if you’re worried about that then I recommend sticking to foods that you know are cooked (think fried or grilled). My best tip to avoid any stomach issues is to travel with Imodium, or take 2 Tums every four hours (for adults) on your “street food” tour day!
Of course, you’ll also want to make sure you’ve got a backup option too. Anytime I travel I make sure to have my travel medical insurance booked and ready to go. This way, even if I get sick while eating random (or raw) foods I don’t have to worry and know that I’m covered. SafetyWing is my go to provider – I’ve been using them for years now – and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else. Their sign up process is super easy, I can choose which countries are covered in my plan and for how long, and their essential coverage starts at just over $14 a week. It’s better not to risk it – even in Korea – so sign up with this link!
My Favorite Tours in Seoul :
-> DMZ and Suspension Bridge Day Trip
-> Nami Island and Alpaca World
-> Minsokchon and Suwon Fortress
My 25 Favorite Korean Street Foods
1. Kimbap
Although there are now countless types of Kimbap that you can find throughout South Korea, the most common will typically consist of a seaweed wrap, white rice, and a mixture of veggies, egg, pickled radish, and sometimes some bulgogi (beef). This is one food that can go bad if it sits out too long, so try to make sure there is some turnover from the stall you’re considering to purchase from.
2. Tteokbokki
This dish typically comes in a fairly spicy paste, and consists of squishy rice cakes and sometimes bits of fish sticks. Because this dish is typically thoroughly cooked, as long as the stand looks like it has some customers you should be fine!
3. Hotteok
One of my favorite Korean streetfoods is Hotteok, a sweet Korean pancake filled with a sugary syrup in the middle. Nowadays there’s a few varieties of filling, but I recommend the original with sugar inside. Because these are usually cooked on the spot when you order, you typically won’t get sick from these either – just be a little careful with the syrup – it can get messy quick and often be very hot inside!
4. Patbingsu
A sweet treat in the summer, you can usually find these in small restaurants or shacks because it can be a little hard to eat on the go – however you can find smaller versions than the one pictured above while on your quest for delicious street food. Patbingsu consisted of shaved ice and sweet red beans and paste on top, and it can have a variety of different sweets on top of that. Think jellies, rice cakes, fruit, cereals – with all the varieties nowadays you can find pretty much anything.
5. Toasted Marshmallows with Ice Cream
These toasted marshmallows are a popular street food right now and you’ll see them just about on any busy street – with yummy ice cream inside these are safe to eat! And watching them toast the mallow is quite fun too.
6. Squid
For those looking for something a bit more tradtional in Korean cuisine, you can try squid! You can find squid in a few different versions, it can be fried as shown above, it can be dried (what you’ll typically find in the supermarket), and it can also be found grilled or raw. I’ll be honest squid is not my personal favorite – however my favorite versions are when it’s fried or dried.
7. Potato Swirls on a Stick
Similar to what you would find at a state fair or even to regular potato chips, these swirled beauties are nearly an entire fried potato. There are typically 3 versions you can choose from depending on the seasoning they’ll dip the potato in after it’s fried – a BBQ flavor, a cheese flavor, and the original flavor.
8. Dalgona
After becoming a world wide sensation from the Netflix show Squid Games, this melted sugar candy is a fun activity too. Since then many dalgona stands have premade versions like those shown above, but they’ll also offer dalgonas made on the spot if you’re willing to wait. Traditionally, if you are able to get the shape out of the outer edge without breaking or cracking it, you’ll either get a small prize or another dalgona.
9. Fresh Squeezed Juices
These are also fairly popular and can be found just about everywhere. With a nearly endless amount of variations, my favorite is the fresh pressed orange juice in Jeju Island!
10. Japchae Noodles
This common food in Korea (not just on the street) is made of a sticky sweet potato noodle and often has different veggies mixed in like carrots, greens, and mushrooms. Served warm, this is another one of my favorite street foods and is one of the few that isn’t sweet.
11. Lobster
Found in the more coastal cities (I haven’t seen this in Seoul yet) you can find grilled and toasted seafood like lobster and crab! I’ll be the first to say it’s a little tricky to eat while on the go but so delicious!
12. Flavored Soft Serves
Just like the fresh pressed juices, the variety of flavored soft serves are nearly endless. Some of my personal favorites are the black sesame, matcha, and lavender!
13. Frozen Beer
Ok so this street food isn’t actually frozen, no matter if the name says that. The top consists of a slushie/foam that’s beer flavored, and the rest is simply cold beer. This is a fun twist, just remember the legal drinking age in Korea is 19 (20 by Korean age).
14. Raindrop Cake
One of my favorite street foods is raindrop cake – a gelatin like consistency (called “water jelly”) with a syrup and dipping powder on the side. Personally I loved them, but my husband really did not enjoy them like I did.
15. Korean Hotdogs
Another Korean street food that’s taken the world by storm are the Korean hot dogs. Although generally the same as a regular corn dog, these have potato chunks in the batter, and are often sprinkled with sugar, ketchup, and mustard. You can also find versions where instead of meat they have cheese on the inside!
16. Sugar Twists
These yummy pastries can also be found in just about any bakery, and are a pretty plain street food if your stomach is getting a little overwhelmed. Basically, it’s a plain bread with sugar on the outside.
17. Croffles
This newer street food is a croisant pressed into a waffle maker – making for a deliciously sweet bread. Although the majority of them have a sweeter twist like the cream and mandarin one above, I’ve also seen savory versions like a pizza croffle in Hongdae!
18. Ice Cream Fish & Honeycomb
This sweet treat is a play on the famous bungeoppang – a packaged ice cream with sweet red bean paste inside. However, this version has the sweet fish shaped bread with ice cream on top, and an actual bit of honeycomb on top to make it even sweeter!
19. Red Bean Paste Breads
If you haven’t noticed Korea loves to add red bean paste to their desserts, similar to much of Asia. These yummy breads can come in a variety of shapes – including the shape of poop! Why? That is one thing I don’t think I’ll ever be able to answer. Nowadays you can also find different versions of filling, like vanilla cream and chocolate.
20. Squid Slushies
This is a street food I’ve only seen once in Korea, in the Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan. Like you can see above, this street food is served as a drink and snack combo – with a yummy slushie on the bottom and flavored dried squid on top! It might sound very strange, but personally I loved it!
21. Grilled Cheese
Before you get carried away, this is not the grilled cheese you’re imagining. In Korea, this street food consists of a kebab of tteok (Korean rice cakes) and stick of cheese – the kebab is then grilled and then covered with your choice of either a sweet or spicy sauce! I went with sweet (a mix of sweet and condensed milk and sugar) but I’ve heard spicy is just as tasty!
22. Tteok
By now you might know that tteok is a squishy Korean rice cake (the squishier the fresher it is) and that it gets used in a variety of different Korean street foods. Well you can also just purchase tteok on its’ own. There’s a nearly endless variety of different tteoks, the ones pictured above are my personal favorite and have a sweet filling on the inside.
23. Mochi
Mochi can be found in much of Korea, but the ones you find on the street will be specially wrapped and have a delicious fruit inside! You can find strawberry versions, mango versions, kiwi versions, etc., I only recommend eating them on the spot or try to keep them cool until you get home!
24. Specialty Coffee
Koreans run on coffee, especially since they’re one of the countries that are the most sleep deprived. Because there are so many cafes throughout the country, you can also find many unique coffees – like corn coffee and orange juice coffee (pictured above). If you have the chance to try an orange juice coffee I highly recommend, it might sound strange but as someone who doesn’t typically enjoy coffee, I found that the orange juice made it much sweeter and smoother!
25. Candied Fruits
Although I don’t have a photo of these, another of the most popular street foods in Korea are candied fruits. Typically sold on kebab sticks with grapes or strawberries, they’re covered in a hardening syrup – making them crunchy, sweet snack!
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