음식
Guide to drinking and dining in South Korea
Food is a huge part of travel – and it's a powerful way to understand other cultures, people, and places.
In South Korea, food is synonymous with history, tradition, and a sense of jeong, or connection, with others.
Dining is a communal experience, and meals typically include shared dishes. Usually, you’ll find one big, main meal on the table, surrounded by several side dishes.
You’ll portion hot main dishes or steaming soups out onto your ap-jeop-shi (small personal dish), while diving into vibrant sides like kimchi or spicy pickles directly from the plates.
To help you truly get under the skin of South Korean culture – and to understand what makes it so special – we've put together this complete guide to drinking and dining.
We’ve teamed up with Meggie, one of our team on the ground, to bring you everything you need to know - from etiquette do's and don'ts to what your K-BBQ table might look like.
Whether you've booked your trip or are still thinking about it, you can use this guide to dive into the world of Korean cuisine.
Hi! I'm Meggie.
I’m a tour guide, researcher, award-winning author, and mother based in South Korea. I’m originally from the US, but have spent the past five years crafting history and culture tours – using storytelling to inform and delight travelers from all over the world.
Etiquette do's & don'ts
Koreans are typically very understanding of cultural differences. Restaurants are generally delighted to host you, but it’s useful to understand local customs.
Dietary requirements
It takes planning, but come armed with information and a little preparation, and it’s possible for vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs and others with specific requirements to eat well in Korea.
Dining in practice
There are a couple of key differences between Korea and the west when it comes to dining out. First and foremost, for Koreans, dining is usually a communal experience.
Our top must-try Korean dishes
From kimchi to K-BBQ, there are lots of dishes that are synonymous with the Korean food scene. To get your stomach rumbling before you travel, here are the absolute must-try dishes to add to your list.
How to use Korean chopsticks
Although many Asian countries use chopsticks, they don’t all use them the same way – and the sticks are different, too. Chinese chopsticks tend to be longer for better reach into shared dishes, while Japanese chopsticks are short and sharp, useful for deboning a fish on your personal, non-shared plate.
Korean food consists of both shared and personal dishes, so Korean chopsticks are somewhere in the middle. Some chopsticks are round, while others are flat – useful for cutting out bite-sized pieces of a shared dish like jeon or dooboo kimchi (tofu blocks with cooked kimchi).
In restaurants, you’ll usually find metal chopsticks; since Korean meals nearly always include a soup or broth alongside pickled side dishes, it makes sense to have chopsticks that won’t swell, stain, or splinter. Metal chopsticks are also a status symbol – the upper class and royals used to use them as a reliable arsenic detector!
First time users might find certain dishes difficult to eat with Korean chopsticks, but we promise it’s possible. They key to success is all about the grip. Here’s how.
1. Hold
To get started, fold the first stick in the crook of your thumb, using your thumb to press it into your hand firmly.
2. Stabilise
Holding your chopstick near the end gives the most stability. Rest on your ring finger and pressing down firmly with your thumb. The stick shouldn't move from this position!
3. Pinch
Position the second stick on the first knuckle of your middle finger. Use the end of your thumb and index finger to pinch. Move it up and down without the first stick moving.
4. Practice
Note that the thumb is only moving slightly at the end to accommodate the movement of the index and middle finger. Now it’s time to practice!
