Top 10 Korean Street Foods in Seoul, South Korea | The BEST KOREAN Street Food in Seoul

Hi everyone, this is David Hoffman from David's Bin here. Today I want to talk to you about the top 10 spicy, mouth-watering, and out-of-this-world Korean street food dishes you have to try in Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is one of my favorite cities I visited back in 2019, and while I was there, I fell in love with everything from the food, to the people, to the language. Language is something that's extremely important to me. If you guys don't know, my mother's Italian, my father's Hungarian, and I was born here in Miami, Florida. In Miami, if you're not bilingual with Spanish and English, it's really hard to get around. Most people here speak Spanish, like 70%. So I speak fluently English, Spanish, and Italian, and I speak to my kids every single day in Spanish. At school, they're learning English, so obviously they're going to be fluent growing up. Before I traveled to South Korea, I turned to Rosetta Stone to help me learn some of the basics of the Korean language. I've been a fan of Rosetta Stone for a year, so I'm thrilled that they partnered with me to sponsor this video. I couldn't have learned the Korean language as fast as I did without them, and now what I want to do is I want to show you basically how it works, okay? I'm going to go back on to Rosetta Stone right here, and I'm going to just start from the first lesson, you know, the first thing, the first introduction to Korean, and this is how they teach you a language. There we go. That's how you say hi. So ju-suh is juice, so she's a juice. So cha is chai, or tea. Love this, okay, so this is cha. I knew learning the language would help me navigate the country better, and locals love it when you speak a little Korean, even if you don't say everything perfectly. I know a lot of you guys are travelers like me, so I think you'll all benefit from using Rosetta Stone. One of my favorite things about the Rosetta Stone app is that it's highly intuitive. It's super easy to use and highly interactive, and totally immerses you in real-life situations where you would use the language instead of using flashcards or other boring memorization hacks. Their voice recognition technology gives you instant feedback on your accent to ensure that your pronunciation is on point. You can also tailor it to your specific language goals, so they don't try to throw a bunch of new information at you all at once. And because lessons are short, they're perfect for people like me who are interested in learning a new language, but have very little time. I'm always on the go. But the most important part is that Rosetta Stone actually works. Within just a couple days, I went from speaking no Korean whatsoever to being able to say and understand several essential words and phrases. And best of all, if you want to learn Korean or any other of the languages Rosetta Stone offers, you can use the link in my description box and get a great discount on all Rosetta Stone subscriptions, as well as Lifetime Rosetta Stone, which gives you lifelong access to all the languages available on the app for just $1.99. You can't beat that. Now that we've learned some of the key words and phrases using Rosetta Stone, are you guys ready to jump into the video? Here are the top 10 Korean street foods you must try in Seoul, South Korea. First up, we have one of my favorite Korean street foods of all time, tteokbokki. This amazing dish consists of a dense, deep-fried rice cakes that are coated in a spicy red chili sauce called gochang. You can find this common flavorful snack just about anywhere in South Korea, from sit-down restaurants to baseball stadiums, concession stands, but the best place to have it in Seoul is at the Tongin Market. This market dates back over 80 years and here you can find over 75 stalls and vendors. You'll find a variety of tteokbokki that's a little different from the other variations you'll find around the country. These pan-fried cakes were a little drier than the other kinds I tried, which usually come with swimming in gochujang sauce, but they're still packed full of phenomenal chili flavor. The chewy texture and vibrant flavor had my mouth watering from the jump and even through the really dense filling, I could eat them all day. Oh wow. Nice and chewy. Almost has the consistency of a mochi, but not sweet at all. Very greasy, very spicy. Here in Korea, they love their spice. When I'm a spicy addict, I can live in Korea. My god. When you go to South Korea, there are so many unique food options that it would be easy to dismiss the fried chicken as been there, done that. Don't make that mistake. Fried chicken in South Korea is amongst the best in the world. It really puts American fried chicken to shame and it has everything to do with how fresh it is. The chicken here is organic and never frozen, which has a huge impact on the flavor and overall quality. There are countless variations of Korean fried chicken in Seoul, each one more flavorful than the last. Try the dak gongjeong, which is a juicy popcorn chicken coated in a thick, sweet, and sour glaze at the Togin Market. And if you're looking for some heat, head over to the Oven Chicken and Beer for their crispy, sweet, and spicy chicken. While you're there, enjoy an order of their crunchy and juicy standard fried chicken with a nice cold beer. It's one of the best fried chicken experiences you'll have in Seoul. I'm gonna go for one more, man. There's nothing like a good South Korean dumpling. And one of my favorite Korean dishes ever is a spicy fermented cabbage called kimchi. You can get the best of both worlds at the historic Namdaemun Market. This is the largest traditional market in Korea. There are tons of amazing foods to try there, including their kimchi stuffed dumplings called kimchi mandu. In addition to the sour, spicy kimchi, these heavenly reddish morsels contain tender, juicy pieces of pork, and delicate but flavor-packed glass noodles. Just give them a few minutes to cool down, as they're served boiling hot and will burn your tongue and gums if you bite into them right away. They are one of my favorite dumplings I've eaten, and at $3.30 for five dumplings, they're practically a steal. Oh, it's so good. Very filling. There's so much inside. The dough part is very little. They give you an excess amount of kimchi, lots of noodles, some herbs, and I'm guessing it's pork, dude. I'm guessing. Has to be, right? Has to be. I admit, I'm not a huge sweets guy. I usually prefer savory foods over things that are sugary, but all bets off if honey is involved. So, when I found out there's a donut-like Korean pastry called hotteok that's stuffed with honey and cream, I knew I had to try it. You can find this sweet decadent treat at the Tongin Market, where vendors fry them in oil and serve them hot and fresh. The rich, sugary filling inside the hotteok is like molten lava when it comes out of the oil. So give it about five minutes before you take your first bite. The comforting mixture of warm honey and velvet cream that oozes out as you bite down is pure bliss and will satisfy the sweet tooth of any sugar addict. Oh, wow. Dude, it's a honey donut. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like a hot honey donut. For the next Korean street food, let's head down to the indoor underground section of Namdoan Market. There you'll get to try the next dish on my list, gimbap. The word gimbap translates to hand rolls, which is exactly what these fresh and flavorful treats are. Basically, they consist of rice and lots of fresh vegetables rolled up and wrapped in crispy seaweed. Some types of gimbap also contain meats like fish or pork, but the fresh vegetables are the star here. The combination of crisp carrots, radishes, and cucumbers works extremely well with the rice and briny seaweed, but adding soy sauce and wasabi takes it to the next level and adds both salty and spicy elements that make this dish 10 out of 10. Best of all, you can try a healthy and filling snack for less than two US dollars. Oh, that's amazing. Dip into the sauce. Spicy. Spicy? Yeah, she just said she warned you of the spice. In my opinion, one of the best things in the world is pork belly. I've eaten it in many countries around the world and it never disappoints. One of the best varieties I've ever had is the Korean pork belly, which is called samgyeongsal. This yummy form of Korean barbecue is grilled right at your table, so you get to watch as the meat sizzles and pops right in front of you. The unmistakable aroma of the juicy sizzling pork is drool-worthy for sure, but it's nothing compared to the actual taste. After your waiter cuts the samgyeongsal into strips, take a few strips and wrap them in a piece of lettuce with garlic and red pepper paste. The fatty, juicy, and crispy pork combined with the freshness of the lettuce and the spice of the garlic and red pepper paste is a downright heavenly combination. Enjoy your samgyeongsal with a light and refreshing seaweed and cabbage salad, which makes the contrast between the rich and fatty meat and the fresh vegetables even better. Trust me, you can't miss this dish under any circumstance. There's a lot of garlic in there though. It's very pungent. One of my favorite elements of Korean cuisine is the variety of savory pancakes they make. There are so many different ones to try, but at the top of my list is the kimchi jeon I came across at the Tongin Market. Made with delicious sour and spicy kimchi, this fantastic pancake is one of my favorite all-time Korean dishes. The cooks use just enough batter to hold the fermented cabbage to be the star of the dish. The pan-frying process gives the batter a nice crunch and the kimchi never loses its texture or freshness. There are many ways to enjoy kimchi in South Korea, but kimchi jeon has to be one of the best. Spicy. Look at this. Oh man, it's so good and I'm starting to feel a tingle right now. In addition to its pancakes, another prominent element of Korean cuisine is seafood. You can find some of the freshest seafood in the world in South Korea and some of the freshest and most circling can be found in Seoul. One of the best Korean seafood dishes you have to try is the stew called sundubu jjigae. This incredible stew contains shrimp, squid, onions, leeks, cucumber, and soaked tofu. The briny flavors of the shrimp and squid coupled with the fresh vegetables, spicy broth, and smooth tofu made for a rich flavorful soup that would be perfect on a cold day. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to make this myself during a cooking class I took in Seoul. I am not a cook at all, so if I can make this dish, anyone can. So now I'm going to grab a clam. Look at this clam. Look how beautiful this is. So the best thing to do with the clam is just go in. Wow, the onions. A little spicy, not too bad. Got a lot of vegetables in here. While you're browsing the 10,000 stalls at the 600-year-old Namdam Market, you're sure to find lots of eye-catching foods with bizarre and spectacular presentations designed to entice you to walk over and try them. The market is a true feast for the senses, and there's something new around every corner. One of the foods that caught my eye was their hot dog on a stick, but this is no ordinary hot dog on a stick. This clever creation is coated with potatoes and then deep fried, which gives them a beautiful golden color and a crispy fluffy texture like french fry. Meanwhile, the hot dog inside stays moist and juicy. There are four sauces you can add, including standard ketchup and mustard, a sweet and slightly spicy sauce, and a super spicy sauce that will set your mouth on fire. Super spicy. Oh wow. Oh, it has a kick. But you have to have spicy sauces in Korean food. This is actually a sauce. Plain sriracha. It's spicy, huh? On a hot and muggy late spring day in Seoul, you'll probably want a nice refreshing drink to cool you off. Look no further than the Sikhyo, a sweet and refreshing rice drink that you can find in the Dongin Market. It's somewhat similar to the horchata de arroz you can find in Mexico and Guatemala, or the fresh sugarcane juice served on the streets of India. In addition to the Sikhyo being a tasty way to beat the heat, it is also believed they can relieve hangovers and aid in digestion. It also has a bit of texture to it and contains rice grains floating on the bottom. Really refreshing. It's like, I'm so hot and you see me with this burst of like cold energy, right? Oh my god, it's so good. And the grains just go down the hatchet, you know, like straight down. You don't even feel them. And there you have it. Those are my top 10 Korean street food dishes you have to eat in Seoul, South Korea. All 10 of them are so yummy and packed with flavor that my mouth is watering as we speak. The spiciness, the savory flavors, the incredible contrast in textures. Korean food is some of the best on the planet. I fell in love with it on day one in Seoul and I'm sure you will too. And remember, when you head to South Korea or any country around the world, Rosetta Stone can help you make your time there much more immersive by helping you learn the local language. If you want to give it a try, remember to click the link in the description for more details. And that's it for me guys. I hope you enjoyed this video of the top 10 Korean street foods you must try in Seoul, South Korea. Wow, I need some tteokbokki right now. So guys, if you enjoyed this video, please give me a thumbs up. Leave me a comment below. Subscribe to my channel for more awesome travel content. I'll see you in the next travel food adventure somewhere around the world. Peace.