Some typical food items:
- kimchi: pickled spicy cabbage (served with every meal)
- banchan: side dishes that accompany meals (inc. in price; excludes the soup, kimchi and sauces)
- bibimbap: rice (bap) bowl with colourful veggies, meat (or seafood) and egg on top (can be ordered without meat/seafood)
- dolsot bibimbap: bibimbap served in a stone hotpot (keeps the food warm longer, and you get some crispy rice at the bottom)
- gochujang: spicy red pepper paste
- galbi: beef ribs (I didn’t eat any, but including for semi-completeness)
- bulgogi: thin slices of beef (or pork)
- samgyeopsal: streaky pork belly
- jjigae: like a stew, usually orange-coloured and served in a stone hotpot
- jeon: savoury wheat pancakes
- bindaetteok: savoury mung bean pancakes (heavier than jeon)
Notes:
- Meals usually include kimchi, soup and several banchan (how many of the latter depends on how fancy the resto is)
- Taxes are included in the prices (or there are no taxes?)
- Tipping is not expected (and would be insulting), though apparently some high end restos add a service charge
- Water is served free (it was always safe in Seoul) or is available self-serve from a water filter machine; sometimes tea is served
- Chopsticks are usually stainless steel (and rectangular at the narrow end, instead of round, which also helps grip food a little)
- It’s hard to get truly vegetarian meals (except at Buddhist temples/restos) as most meals include some kind of meat, and even kimchi is often made with fish sauce
Here are a few photos of food and meals I had around Seoul (I pretty much enjoyed all of them!):
