Food! Who doesn’t get pumped at the thought of tasting authentic dishes when visiting another country? I for one usually think about the sort of food I’d be able to try for the first time days before a trip. Because other than the tourist destinations, food is another thing that induces curiosity and excitement when travelling!

When we visited South Korea a few months ago, aside from the Korean dishes that made our tummies happy, my taste buds also perked up on the street food! Just one look at the rows of stalls filled with various delicious-looking snacks and we knew we gotta try some. Here are some of the street foods we munched on.

1. Gyeranppang (Egg Muffins)

My first pick. An oblong muffin with an egg on top sprinkled with sunflower seeds. Gyeranppang is both lightly sweet and savory.

2. Cheese Shrimp Balls

I honestly don’t know what these crunchy and golden goodies are exactly called but it’s one of my favorites! It’s filled with cheese, soft shrimps and some veggies.

3. Odeng (Fish Cake Skewers)

I had seen Odeng being sold both in Gukje Market and Myeongdong where we mostly had our street food trips but I didn’t give much thought into trying it. Only when Ate bought some and I took a bite did I realize what I was missing. These skewered fish cakes are so yummy! Ate ended up giving me her remaining sticks. Haha.

4. Skewered Hot Dogs

Hot dogs are not to be outshined in South Korea’s street food scene. You’ll find a great deal of these classic goodies on sticks wrapped in different kinds of tasty stuff – bacon, egg, nori…Take your pick!

5. Gimmari

Want some Korean glass noodles? Try Gimmari. These are deep-fried seaweed spring rolls. The noodles are stuffed in a seaweed sheet, coated with batter and deep fried.

6. Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

I leave it to my sisters, especially Maan and Miki, to try the spicy specialties of South Korea. Haha. Tteokbokki are chewy rice cakes shaped like penne pasta immersed in gochujang, a spicy red sauce made of fermented soy beans and red chillies.

7. Jjin-mandu (Korean Steamed Dumplings)

Mandu are stuffed dumplings, similar to Japan’s gyoza. When steamed, they’re called Jjin-mandu. These soft and hot dumplings go with vinegar as its dipping sauce.

8. Croquettes

Fried bread rolls caught our attention as we passed by a bread shop on our way to Changdeokgung Palace.  These tasty croquettes had red bean paste or mozarella cheese as fillings. What filling would you choose? 

9. Sausage and Tteokbokki Skewer

Here’s another interesting way to enjoy Tteokbokki – eating it with sausage on a stick. I like the chewiness of Tteokbokki but the red sauce slathered onto it and the sausages prevented me from trying the street food. Haha. Again, I let my sisters enjoy these pieces.

10. Gimbap

There’s usually Gimbap on our table when we had our meals in South Korea. A common dish in the country, these savory rolls are not only popular in dining places, but also in street food stalls! You can never go hungry when these are served, I say.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Have you had Korean street food? Share your favorite below!