Foods

People say if you come to Gwangyang, you eat bulgogi. And among all the bulgogi places here, the first name that comes up is Samdae Gwangyang Bulgogi (삼대광양불고기집) on the bulgogi street by the Seocheon stream. It’s an old shop that started back in the 1930s and has been run by the same family for three generations - close to ninety years now. They still do it the Gwangyang way: thin slices of beef grilled over charcoal on a copper grill set in a brass brazier. ...

If you ask anyone in Pohang where to eat mulhoe (물회), this place comes up almost every time. It sits right in front of Yeongildae Beach, a tall glass-fronted three-story building you can’t really miss while walking the shore. It’s popular with tourists, but locals have been talking about it for years too. For a lot of people, this is their very first bowl of Pohang mulhoe. Families come here easily, and it works fine for a solo meal or a casual date. ...

In Yeosu, marinated crab is the dish people travel for. There’s a whole lane of gejang (게장) houses in Bongsan-dong, and two names keep coming up as the “original”: Dukkeobi and Hwangso. Locals still argue over which one came first. This post is about Hwangso Sikdang (황소식당) - the one with the longest run and, these days, the bigger building. ...

If you ask around Daegu for a proper tonic meal near Palgongsan Mountain, this place keeps coming up. It’s Byeoku Palgongsan (벽우 팔공산점), a haesintang restaurant on the lower slopes of the mountain. It got a fresh wave of attention in June 2026 after appearing on KBS2’s food show with its signature king-galbi version, but it had already built a quiet reputation long before that. Haesintang (해신탕) is a Korean “sea-god” hot pot: a big bubbling pot where seafood meets meat or chicken in a deep medicinal broth. It’s the kind of meal Koreans eat to recover their energy, especially in the heavy heat of summer. ...

If you talk about milmyeon in Busan long enough, this name always comes up eventually. Naeho Naengmyeon (내호냉면) sits at the dead end of a narrow alley in Uam-dong. It calls itself Busan’s first milmyeon house, dating back to 1919, so the history tends to arrive before the food does. That also brings a fair question. Is a place this famous still about the noodles, or just the name? This is my attempt to land somewhere honest in between. ...

If you talk about makguksu in Busan, this place comes up almost every time. Jumunjin Makguksu (주문진 막국수) sits in an alley right across from Sajik Baseball Stadium. It opened in 1991, so it has been around for about 35 years now. What started as a small house-like shop eventually grew into its own building, and it’s now the best-known makguksu spot in the Sajik area. ...

If you want a proper, generous Korean spread in Songpa, especially for a meal with parents or older relatives, this is one of the names that keeps coming up. Toenmaru Bapsang (툇마루밥상) has been around Munjeong-dong for more than 25 years, so for people in the neighborhood it’s already a familiar place. It isn’t a fancy multi-course restaurant. It’s closer to a really good home-style meal, served all at once, which is exactly why it works for family gatherings. ...

Baegam is a quiet rural township on the eastern edge of Yongin, and it happens to be the home of one of Korea’s most famous styles of sundae (Korean blood sausage). Jeil Sikdang (제일식당) sits right in the middle of the old market street, and it’s the name that comes up first whenever locals talk about Baegam sundae (백암순대). What makes the soup here different, what to order, and how to deal with parking and waiting - I’ve put it all in one place. ...

This is a place that cooks almost everything from acorns, sitting right above Paldang Lake. The garden and the water greet you before the food does, so it feels less like a quick lunch stop and more like a half-day outing. The entrance feels like stepping into a little garden cafe. ...

If you say “ox-head soup” anywhere near Gonjiam, this is the name people bring up first. The sign is huge, so you’ll probably notice it on the way to or from Hwadam Forest or Gonjiam Resort. This isn’t a tidy promo piece. It’s the stuff you actually want to know: what to order, when to skip the line, and whether the price makes sense. The basics first Address: 58 Docheok-ro, Gonjiam-eup, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do. Phone: 031-764-0257. ...