Recently updated on April 9th, 2025 at 09:04 am
The world of South Korean food is an underrated explosion of flavor, tradition, and fun. And if you like it spicy, you’re in luck. Key ingredients such as gochujang (red pepper paste), kimchi, and sesame oil form the backbone of many iconic dishes, and local restaurants are often a social space where friends catch up for fried chicken and beer or an interactive BBQ.
From spicy stews to savory grilled dishes, only a handful of popular South Korean dishes have been exported beyond the country’s borders – and there is so much more to discover beyond kimchi. Let’s dive into the riches of Korean cooking with a handful of traditional dishes you need to try.
1. What is typical South Korean food?
South Korean food is known for its bold flavors and balance of textures. A typical meal centers around rice, and there are almost always a variety of banchan (side dishes) on the table – such as kimchi (fermented vegetables) or pickled radish. Whether it’s a noodle dish, rice dish, broth, or grilled meat – Korean food is usually spicy with deep flavors.
What is the most popular Korean side dish?
South Korea’s most popular side dish is kimchi. You might be familiar with this spicy fermented vegetable dish, which has a history dating back some 2,000 years. Kimchi is a staple in Korean cuisine and is served with almost every meal. But it’s not just a side dish – it’s also used to flavor stews, fried rice, pancakes, and more.
2. Top 10 traditional South Korean dishes to try
Below we’ve rounded up the top staples of South Korean cuisine. Things can get lost in translation when you travel – or even visit a Korean restaurant in your city or town – so we’ve included the names written in Korean so you can cross check.
Kimchi
Name in Korean: 김치
Kimchi is almost like salt in South Korea. This fermented side dish is served with almost every meal. If it’s not on the table as a side dish for extra punch, it is used almost like a condiment to flavor other traditional Korean dishes. Look for the popular kimchi stew – kimchi-jjigae – which has a bold, tangy, spicy and umami-rich flavor.
Kimchi is most commonly made with napa cabbage and radish, seasoned with chili pepper, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce.
Bibimbap
Dish name in Korean: 비빔밥
Bibimbap means “mixed rice” and this dish is one of South Korea’s most famous dishes. It’s a good entry point into South Korean food. Bibimbap is a bowl of warm rice topped with an assortment of colorful vegetables, sliced meat (often beef), a fried or raw egg, and a generous dollop of gochujang (spicy red pepper paste).
When it arrives, take a photo and then grab your chopsticks and mix it all up before eating. Some variations of bibimbap (such as dolsot bibimbap) are served in a hot, stone bowl that creates a crispy layer of rice – the best!
Bulgogi
Dish name in Korean: 불고기
This South Korean dish is made up of thinly sliced barbequed beef that has been marinated in a sweet and savory blend of soy sauce, garlic, sugar, sesame oil, and pear juice. The marinade makes the meat tender, and it is then traditionally grilled over an open flame for extra flavor. Though these days bulgogi is often pan-cooked for convenience. The smoky-sweet meat is often served with rice, lettuce wraps (ssam), and the spicy gochujang paste.
Japchae
Dish name in Korean: 잡채
We love any noodle dish, and japchae is one of the most popular Korean stir-fried noodle dishes. It’s made with glass noodles (chewy and naturally gluten-free), plus a mix of colorful vegetables like carrots, spinach, and mushrooms, and protein such as thinly sliced beef or tofu. The noodle dish is seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, and a hint of sugar for balance. It’s often served as a side dish, but makes a great main too.
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Tteokbokki
Dish name in Korean: 떡볶이
This flavor-packed Korean street food dish involves chewy rice cakes (tteok) cooked in a spicy, sweet, and savory gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) sauce. The cylindrical rice cakes are often paired with fish cakes, boiled eggs, and scallions. You’ll see it in street markets and at more casual spots. Some places will make a creamy cheese tteokbokki, or the non-spicy gungjung tteokbokki.
Gimbap
Dish name in Korean: 김밥
Sometimes also called kimbap, this popular dish of seaweed-wrapped rice rolls might look like Japanese sushi but it’s entirely different. ‘Sushi’ refers to the vinegared rice and is usually filled with raw fish. South Korea’s gimbap rice is seasoned with sesame oil and the fillings are usually grilled meats, cheese, kimchi, ham, egg, pickled radish and carrot. It’s a portable street snack!
Sundubu Jjigae
Dish name in Korean: 순두부찌개
Dive deeper into South Korean food and you’ll find some unusual flavor combinations – such as this spicy broth with soft tofu, clams and egg. The broth is made with gochujang (red pepper paste) or gochugaru (chili flakes), garlic, and soy sauce and it often arrives at the table bubbling hot in a traditional earthenware pot. It’s typically served bubbling hot, with a raw egg added to the stew just before eating, allowing it to cook in the hot broth.
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Samgyeopsal
Dish name in Korean: 삼겹살
If you’ve ever visited a Korean BBQ restaurant, chance are you’ve tried samgyeopsal. It’s the Korean word for pork belly, and you’ll find it sizzling on the table until it’s crispy on the outside while still tender on the inside. When cooked, wrap the pork in lettuce or aromatic perilla leaves. Add a dollop of ssamjang (a savory dipping sauce), garlic, and a slice of pickled radish.
Korean BBQ restaurants are a fun place for a group dinner as it’s an interactive experience. In Korea it can get quite rowdy as locals grill meats and drink soju (a distilled liquor made with rice) or makgeolli (a milky, traditional sweetened rice wine).
Chimaek
Dish name in Korean: 치맥
Chimaek is actually short for “chicken and maekju” (beer). More than a dish, this is a cultural phenomenon that takes place every weekend in South Korea. It’s popular to gather with friends to eat fried chicken and drink beer. These two basic things combined make for the perfect celebration. Korean fried chicken is seasoned to local tastes with flavors and sauces such as soy garlic ginger, spicy gochujang, and sweet and sour.
Galbitang
Dish name in Korean: 갈비탕
Korean cooking involves a lot of bone broths and soups. One of the best is galbitang made with beef short ribs. The ribs are simmered for several hours to extract the rich flavors from the bones. The result is a deep, comforting clear broth. The soup is typically served with sliced radish, green onions, and sometimes noodles or glass noodles.
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3. Other South Korean dishes to look for
Once you’ve tried these popular dishes, you can dive even deeper into the world of Korean cooking. There are more than 100 different styles of kimchi alone! So, yes there are almost limitless Korean recipes and dishes to explore.
Some, such as mudfish soup or chueotang (a spicy soup with mung bean sprouts, sweet potato stalks and other vegetables) from southern Korea, or naengmyeon (a cold buckwheat noodle soup seen in summer) may only be available if you travel there yourself.
That’s our wrap of South Korean food and the top dishes you need to try. Is there anything else we should add to the list? Leave us a comment…