Korean food doesn’t have as high of an worldwide profile as some other national cuisines, so when you show up in South Korea, you will have lots of new food to try.
Fortunately, the food cost in Korea is remarkably low (and the food is delicious), making the expense of traveling in South Korea a quite great deal.
Here are a few tips to keep your food budget plan low, delicacies to look out for, as well as things to keep in mind while you’re travelling in South Korea.
Table of Contents
1. What You See (on the cost tag) is What You Pay
2. eat great deals of regional street Food (and keep the cost of food in Korea at a low)
3. Brace For Spicy Food – even Where You least expect It
4. Gimbap is a miracle Food
5. Don’t Snub convenience store Dishes
6. Western Food is Available, however Expensive
7. For The additional hungry or additional Curious, discover a Buffet
So, Is Korean Food Expensive?
1. What You See (on the cost tag) is What You Pay
In South Korea, taxes are already included in the cost of whatever you purchase. There are no tips or shipment fees, regardless of where as well as exactly how you obtain your meal.
From street food vendors to major restaurants, the cost of food in Korea is precisely what it states on the bill. If the cost listed for your food is 10,000 won (₩), a 10,000₩ expense will cover the whole cost.
This is particularly important if you’re going to stay in the country for a while; when you’re in an metropolitan area, every location is going to provide – even McDonald’s.
As a result, you’ll see most costs rounded off to the nearest 1,000 won – the smallest paper bill, approximately equivalent to a U.S. dollar (or, more specifically, 90 cents at the time of writing). In other words, making modification in Korea is truly easy!
2. eat great deals of regional street Food (and keep the cost of food in Korea at a low)
Some of the very best as well as most unique foods you’ll stumble across in Korea will be from street vendors, as well as they’re commonly sold at extremely reasonable prices.
Look out for tteokbokki (떡볶이), a type of spongy rice cake boiled with fish in a spicy red (gochujang) sauce. It’s a typical snack food in Korea, as well as can commonly be bought by the cup for 2-3,000₩ ($1.75 – $2.60).
Egg bread (think wonderful cornbread with a fried egg baked inside) as well as hodduk, a donut-like confection full of chopped peanuts as well as honey, are typical finds.
Perfect for travelers who have a wonderful tooth, these treats will normally run you about 1,000₩ ($0.87) — these street snacks definitely keep your food budget plan at a low.
Other things to look for are foods on sticks or skewers.
You can get fried fish cake, corn dogs encrusted with actual French fries, as well as even whole, fried squid. The fried squid has a tendency to be a bit more expensive, commonly priced at around 7-8,000₩ ($6 – $7), however it’s a significant part that you can split with a couple of friends.
3. Brace For Spicy Food – even Where You least expect It
Korean food is spicy — as well as Koreans are proud of it. most foods you’ll get will are available in different levels of spiciness, as well as there is a extensive assumption that foreigners are additional sensitive to spicy food. For this reason, salespeople as well as wait personnel will commonly understand sufficient English (or gestures) to ask exactly how spicy you want your food.
If you like spicy food, then you’ll in shape right in!
Oftentimes, the locals will be pleased if you can tolerate the heat, as well as you’ll have lots of chances to show off. After all, you can barely walk a block in Seoul without seeing a location marketing a food surrounded by flames.
If you can’t handle spicy food, there are still lots of things for you to try, however you requirement to be vigilant; sometimes a spicy flavour will creep in locations you’d least expect, like in fried poultry or pasta.
While it may not be what South Koreans deem spicy, there may still be some undeniable warm there. It’s totally feasible for you to get a plate of spaghetti that’s as well spicy for you to finish!
☞ Can’t choose on a great neighbourhood in Seoul? inspect out Where To stay in Seoul
4. Gimbap is a miracle Food
It doesn’t look like much — type of like a significant sushi roll stuffed with products other than fish. however gimbap (or kimbap, 김밥), is a extremely unique dish, as well as you’ll have a difficult time discovering one more food with the exact same combination of nutrition, a low price, as well as pure deliciousness.A roll generally costs about 2-4,000₩ ($1.75 – $3.50), depending upon the ingredients, however it eats like a full meal.
Gimbap is the exact same idea as sushi, with a seaweed wrapper (gim) as well as rice (bap) surrounding a number of other ingredients. But, unlike sushi, those ingredients can be anything — not just seafood. most rolls of gimbap come pre-sliced as well as include between 8-12 pieces.
Some typical ingredients include carrots, spinach, pickled radish, cucumber, egg, as well as some kind of meat. This may be beef, ham, sausage, crab sticks, or even Spam! (Incidentally, Spam is often eaten in Korea as well as is really something of a delicacy.)
There are restaurants specializing in gimbap, however you can likewise discover them at stalls as well as your typical convenience store.
5. Don’t Snub convenience store Dishes
To Westerners, the idea of buying sushi from 7-Eleven is most likely deeply unsettling. Don’t presume Korean convenience stores are the same, however. Freshly prepared food is commonplace in most of these stores. While it isn’t precisely restaurant quality, it will be tasty as well as will assist keep your food costs in Korea at a low.
If you’re just looking for a filling snack, you can usually purchase gimbap or rice spheres for a couple thousand won. however if you’re looking for a full, multi-course meal, you can commonly discover a whole boxed-lunch set for just 4-6,000₩ ($3.30 – $5). While it won’t be a three-star meal, it will taste much better than you’d expect for the cost you pay.
Speaking of affordable food you can buy in a convenience store, if you’re into the immediate noodle scene, you may be overwhelmed by the choice here. entire aisles of “ramyun” in countless flavors can be discovered in any type of store, as well as usually for between 1-2,000₩ ($0.87 – $1.75) each.
While that’s more than you may expect to pay for immediate noodles in the U.S., the flavouring is likewise much more sophisticated.
Instead of getting one flavour packet, you may get a seasoning packet, a packet of sauce, as well as some oil. As a result, the flavour is extremely strong as well as can emulate a great deal of different noodle dishes. keep in mind that while it tastes good, it’s still instant, so solidify your expectations.
6. Western Food is Available, however Expensive
Generally speaking, every type of Western food can be discovered in Korea if you’re truly craving it. Hamburgers, pasta, pizza, fried chicken, as well as even steaks have made their method into Korean culinary culture.
However, if you’re on a budget, Western food generally isn’t your finest bet.
Pasta dishes at a restaurant can go upwards of 20,000₩ ($17.50) per plate. A single pizza can expense as much as 30,000₩ ($26.10), particularly if you go for one of the tricked-out Korean-style pizzas with shrimp, potatoes, mayo, corn, as well as about five other toppings. Korean pizza can be complicated, to state the least.
Beef is extremely costly in Korea, so a sirloin streak is difficult to discover for less than 50,000₩ ($43.60), as well as hamburgers can expense between 10 as well as 15,000₩ ($8.75 – $13). Fried poultry is more workable as well as is definitely something you should try while you’re here.
Korea has a number of different takes on fried chicken, so you can try a range of flavours. If you have a good friend or two, it’s method more economical to get a set as well as share it between you (a 15,000₩ / $8.75 set of poultry with fries as well as drinks can usually feed two people).
It shouldn’t be as well difficult to discover — fried poultry as well as beer is a famous Korean comfort, believe it or not.
If you’re not sure what to try, provide gangjeong poultry (닭강정) a go. It’s served in a wonderful as well as spicy sauce that’s sticky like honey as well as topped with chopped almonds.
7. For The additional hungry or additional Curious, discover a Buffet
Buffets as well as all-you-can-eat locations are huge businesses in Korea, as well as they can be a excellent location to try a great deal of different foods at once. If you’re the type of person who wishes to be adventurous, however still likes to try a bite or two before you dive in, a buffet is the perfect solution.
There are a number of different methods to go about discovering a buffet. There are some buffets that focus on Western foods, some on sushi, as well as some on traditional foods. There are even barbeque restaurants that, for 10-12,000₩ ($8.75 – $10.50), will keep bringing you pork belly to grill up up until you pop.
Buffets are going to be more costly than most of your single-serving meals.
Generally speaking, the cost for buffets run between 15-30,000₩ ($13 – $26), depending upon what you get. That’s a steep cost compared to most of the other things on this list, however it’s the very best method to try a range of foods all at the exact same time.
It’s possible to discover cheaper buffets, however high quality varies widely.
What’s fascinating about buffets in Korea is that even chain buffet restaurants like Ashley will vary broadly from one place to the next. even in the exact same town, two different Ashley places will fee different prices.
The difference is mainly that you get what you pay for; the higher the price, the more choice as well as the higher the quality. It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, however it’s quite reliable. Some buffets will likewise impose a time limit (usually around 2 hours), so be on the lookout for that.
Like any type of buffet, this isn’t something you’ll want to do every day, however it can be nice to do early in the trip so you have an concept of what you’ll like. That way, you understand which foods to look for on a budget plan for the rest of your time in Korea!
So, Is Korean Food Expensive?
As you can tell after reading this post, I believe it’s risk-free to state that the food costs in Korea are quite low. The expense of travelling as well as eating your method around South Korea may not compare to that of its more low-cost neighbours in Southeast Asia, however there’s some excellent value for money to be had.
Plus, eating is always a fun experience — finest had with a couple of friends, as well as a couple of beers. enjoy eating your method around South Korea.
Interested in Food? inspect out the Goats On The road Cuisine Section!
Like This Article? Pin it!
Disclaimer:Goats On The road is an Amazon partner as well as likewise an affiliate for some other retailers. This means we make commissions if you click links on our blog as well as purchase from those retailers.