Food (And Drink) for the Seoul.
South Korea had been on our travel wishlist for a while, so we were thrilled to spend a week exploring its capital, Seoul. We arrived to a warm welcome from our friend Lauren, who moved to Seoul from Chicago two years ago. We didn’t know it when we arrived, but we were in for a real cultural experience during our visit — some might describe it as a Korean bender. Thankfully, Lauren prepared us for this bender with a Korean hangover kit and a bag full of different types of Korean chips. We immediately knew this leg of our trip was going to be a bit different, especially with having a local guiding us throughout!
There were many things to love about Seoul, but the two that stood out the most to us were the cafe culture and the street food. The cafes were incredible. There was seemingly a themed cafe for anything you could possibly think of. From K-Pop to live animals (shoutout to the sheep cafe we visited!), there was a cafe to suit each person’s interests. It was awesome.
The pastry scene was also next level. We had one of our favorite scones at a British themed cafe in Seoul. Yes, we recognize how crazy this sounds… the best scone at British themed cafe not in London… but it’s true!
Next, the incredible street food. There were so many new things to try. The options were endless! On our first night, Lauren took us out and introduced us to egg bread and hotteok, which we had as snacks before dinner. The egg bread was essentially a half slice of Texas toast that tasted like a sweet corn bread with a fried egg on top, drizzled with honey. But the real star of the street food show was hotteok, which easily shot into our favorite street foods of any place we have visited. The best way we can describe it is a sweet, fluffy but still dense pancake with a brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped nuts filling. We’ll be dreaming of hotteok for a long time.
After our delicious snack, Lauren informed us that we would then move onto “first round”. It was at this point that we realized we were in it for the long haul. There is a big eating and drinking culture in Seoul, and nights out are marathons. Lauren went on to explain that nights out in Seoul have a progressive structure to them that consist of what they call first, second, and third rounds. First round typically consists of heartier dishes. We had kimchi soup, a very large and dense savory Korean pancake, a Korean omelet, and Makgeolli (a traditional Korean alcohol - more on this later). Our favorite item from First Round was the Kimchi soup. It had the perfect balance of spices and a super delicious kimchi flavor. We were full halfway through this round of food, but alas, we continued onto round two, which typically consists of smaller, lighter bites (which are not actually smaller… or lighter…😆). For our second round, we had tteokbokki, fish cakes, and meat skewers. Tteokbokki is a dish of chewy rice cakes typically served in a spicy and savory tomato sauce. Everything was so good, but we were starting to feel like Violet Beauregarde.
It was getting late as we finished second round and it was a school night for Lauren, so we didn’t make it to round three, which is another round of drinking typically accompanied with an activity like karaoke or batting cages. After third round when people are well lubricated, they go for hangover soup before heading home for the evening. So, essentially, a fourth round of food! So. Much. Food. And so many drinks. But everything is so worth it.
The drinking culture and people’s tolerance was impressive. Our favorite part, which we witnessed every night, was that inevitably one person in each group would get a bit… wobbly. In the States when you’re the drunkest person in the group, you get put in a car and sent home. In Seoul, getting sent home was never an option. Instead, whenever someone got wobbly, their friends would hoist them up (picture an athlete being carried off the field after a leg injury) and provide them a body to lean on while they proceeded to move to the next restaurant. “No one left behind” should be Seoul’s tag line. As the night went on, there were progressively more and more groups walking in this manner, giggling their way down the sidewalk and having a great time. We loved how much everyone looks after one another, and this was apparent throughout our stay.
Lauren’s friend, Jane, also joined us a couple of nights. Jane is from Korea and she and Lauren are friends from high school. They are two peas in a pod! One night, they took us out for our first Korean BBQ… ever. It was absolutely delicious. The meat was of high quality, and they cooked everything perfectly. Not to mention all the sides that came along with it. 😋
After KBBQ, we explored a traditional Korean market and a super cool bar that served Korean alcohols we'd never tried before. We mostly tried different flavors and regional varieties of Makgeolli, a Korean beverage that is a milky white color and tastes slightly sweet and tangy. Once we tried our first Makgeolli, we had it every night. We absolutely loved it. Not to mention that it supposedly has some health benefits from live culture AND it was cheaper than buying water at the convenience store! As we headed home that night, we walked along the Cheonggyechon Stream, which has a fascinating history that Lauren shared. The stream used to be covered by a highway, but in 2005, the highway was removed and the stream was restored to its natural state. It's now a beautiful public space in the heart of the city. It was so nice to not only have friends to spend time with, but to also learn intimate details about the culture we wouldn’t have picked up on from our usual observations or checking out the tourist sites in the city. We felt so lucky to have such knowledgeable and welcoming guides!
On the nights we were left to our own devices we definitely found it a bit difficult to communicate and understand the unwritten rules of the city. We managed, but it was tricky. For example, we learned that tables at the outdoor tent restaurants typically don’t turn over like they do in other cities. Once people sit down and start eating and drinking, they generally stay put for a few hours. So, snagging a table is like snagging a seat at a crowded bar on a weekend. You just have to be in the right place at the right time… no waitlists.
Beyond spending time with Lauren and Jane, some other highlights of our time in Seoul include exploring Bukchon Hanok Village and Gwangjang Market. The Bukchon Hanok Village was a neighborhood full of traditional Korean houses at the top of a hill that also offered some amazing skyline views.
We also loved getting lost in the famous Gwangjang Market and seeing all of the local dishes being served, including a large variety of kimchi, soy marinated crabs, and, of course, noodles! We visited Cho Yonsoon, the “knife-cut noodle lady” from the Netflix series Street Food: Asia, and she did not disappoint. We loved her noodles so much that we went twice! The dish was simple, but each ingredient was perfect and collectively created a flavorful and balanced noodle soup.
We decided to spend the whole week in Seoul, opting not to take any day trips. We initially thought about going to Busan, but we were loving Seoul so much that we stayed put. With the extra time, in between our DIY food tour, we were able to check out more of the cultural and historical aspects of Seoul, including temples, palaces, and local mini-museums (one which was located underneath a statue). We particularly loved the colorful Bongeunsa Buddhist temple and exploring Gangnam.
Our week in Seoul was a whirlwind of sights, sounds, and flavors. We left feeling grateful for the warm welcome we received, the incredible food we ate, and the unforgettable experiences we had. We can't wait to go back and explore more of South Korea.
And on that note, we will leave you with the ultimate sheep selfie from the sheep cafe!
