25 Must-Eat Korean Foods: The Essential Checklist

Thick pork belly grilled at the table. The quintessential Korean BBQ experience. Wrap in lettuce with garlic, ssamjang, and a slice of raw garlic.

Rice topped with seasoned vegetables, meat, egg, and gochujang. Mix everything together.

Fermented kimchi stew with pork. The quintessential Korean comfort food.

Sweet soy-marinated beef, grilled or simmered. Approachable for all palates.

Spicy soft tofu stew. Crack a raw egg in and let it cook in the bubbling pot.

Milky ox bone soup. Season it yourself with salt and green onions at the table.

Hand-cut knife noodles in anchovy or chicken broth. Simple and soul-warming.

Ginseng chicken soup. Whole chicken stuffed with rice. Eaten hot, even in summer.

Korean pancakes. Green onion, seafood, or kimchi versions. Perfect with rain and makgeolli.

Sweet potato glass noodles with vegetables. Sweet, savory, chewy. Appears at every feast.

Spicy rice cakes in gochujang sauce. The king of Korean street food. Tip: if you order tteokbokki with fried food (twigim) or sundae, dip them in the spicy sauce.

Seaweed rice rolls with fillings. Korea's answer to sushi, but totally its own thing. K-pop group Stray Kids made triangle kimbap famous overseas — try the convenience store version too.

Ice-cold buckwheat noodles in chilled broth (mul) or spicy sauce (bibim). Summer essential.

Braised short ribs in sweet soy glaze. Fall-off-the-bone tender.

Soy-marinated raw crab. Bold choice, incredible reward. The 'rice thief' of Korean cuisine. Heads up: it's raw crab marinated in soy sauce. The texture is jelly-like and very unfamiliar for most foreigners.

Spicy braised chicken feet. Chewy, fiery, and very much an acquired taste — but locals love it with soju. Polarizing: you'll either love the texture or hate it.

Fried chicken + beer — Korea's national late-night combo. Korean fried chicken is famously crispy with a thin, crunchy coating. Try yangnyeom (sweet-spicy) or garlic soy.

Grilled beef or pork intestines. Sounds intimidating, but the flavor is rich and the texture is chewy-crispy when grilled right. A beloved drinking snack. Not for the squeamish.

Fish cake skewers served in warm broth — the ultimate Korean street food on cold days. Grab one from any market stall and sip the soup for free.

Live octopus, sliced and served still moving. It's actually safe — just chew thoroughly. A bucket-list food for adventurous eaters. The tentacles stick to your mouth.

Grilled shellfish — clams, scallops, mussels cooked on a tabletop grill. Popular at seaside restaurants in Busan and the west coast. Best shared with a group.

Korean blood sausage stuffed with glass noodles. Don't let the name fool you — it's savory, not sweet. Often served sliced with salt or in a rich soup (sundaeguk).

Fermented soybean paste stew with tofu, zucchini, and peppers. Every Korean household makes it differently. Earthy, savory, and deeply comforting — the stew Koreans miss most when abroad.

Tender boiled pork belly sliced thin, wrapped in napa cabbage or perilla leaves with salted shrimp sauce (saeujeot). A popular sharing dish at Korean drinking sessions.

Army stew — a spicy, cheesy hotpot of kimchi, spam, sausage, ramen noodles, and baked beans. Born from post-war surplus, now a beloved comfort food. Best shared with friends around a bubbling pot.