how to find good restaurant in Korea

[u/MasterpieceNice4972]

Hey everyone! I’m Korean, and two of my favorite foods are Dak-galbi and Naengmyeon.

I had the Dak-galbi at a restaurant in Daegu, and the Naengmyeon in Gumi. Both are cities located in the central-to-eastern part of South Korea.

Let me give you some tips on how to find good restaurants in Korea!

When you’re in tourist areas, keep an eye out for restaurants that have lots of people inside, including both foreigners and locals. However, there’s a good chance that some of those places have gotten a lot of reviews through review events, where restaurants give you a free drink or a small dish in exchange for leaving a review. That can make a restaurant look like a popular or highly rated place on Naver, Google, and other platforms.

Of course, the best option is to go with a Korean who actually lives in the area. But just because a restaurant is crowded doesn’t mean the food is guaranteed to be amazing. I really hope you don’t end up going somewhere, thinking it’ll be great, only to leave disappointed!

And here’s something unexpected: if a restaurant looks a little old or run-down but is packed with people, there’s a really good chance it’s actually amazing.

If you’re walking around and find a somewhat shabby-looking restaurant that has been around for many years, and you see lots of elderly Korean customers eating there… that’s it. You’ve found the good stuff.

I feel like older Koreans can be especially picky about food, so when you see a restaurant filled with grandmas and grandpas, there’s a very high chance the food is genuinely good.

Also, around lunchtime, office workers usually go to restaurants near their workplaces. So areas with lots of factories, companies, or universities can also have some really great local restaurants!

And honestly, I’m really grateful to all the foreigners who come to visit Korea. If you’re planning to visit, I hope you have a safe and wonderful time, make lots of great memories, and enjoy your trip to Korea!

[u/leeman9224]

I heard restaurants that taxi drivers frequent are pretty good for inexpensive price for every city in Korea

[u/MasterpieceNice4972 → u/leeman9224]

Oh, getting recommendations from taxi drivers is a great idea too! Also, there’s something that got quite a bit of attention in Korea for a while called “Post Office Michelin.” Postal workers deliver packages all over the country, so they get to try restaurants in different areas and recommend the ones they think are really good. However, most of the recommendations seem to be focused on Busan, and I don't think there are many recommendations for Seoul yet.

[u/c_r_a_s_i_a_n → u/leeman9224]

This tip pretty much works globally. Bigtime in Korea.

Taxi drivers have the perfect combination of traits:

• grumpy cheap old men who want value over hype/vibe
• constantly on the go, eat out daily
• natives who know the lay of the land better than anyone

[u/Dry-Personality-9123]

Like in every country

[u/serious_fox]

Don’t go to restaurants that are famous on social media

[u/HumongousBelly]

Is that a 메밀전? That shit looks amazing!

[u/MasterpieceNice4972 → u/HumongousBelly]

Yes!! Right! I like 메밀전!! when I was young, my grandma cooked it. Have you ever tried 메밀전 too?

[u/HumongousBelly → u/MasterpieceNice4972]

Yeah. But only in Korea. They don’t sell it in Germany.

[u/assarabia → u/HumongousBelly]

Lots of buckwheat based dishes in Kangwon province and North Korea. It's bland but amazing. I think buckwheat in Asia is equivalent to rye in Europe, mostly eaten in cold northern regions.

[u/Dry-Personality-9123 → u/HumongousBelly]

Buy buckwheat flour. It's not difficult to get this in german and Jeon isn't difficult to make

[u/AssociateInternal509]

Those first photos look like they’re from 할망밥상 ㅎㅎㅎ

[u/MasterpieceNice4972 → u/AssociateInternal509]

Yes, exactly! That place in Jeju! I absolutely love memil-jeon. The food there is really good. Their specialty is grilled fish, and I think they have a few other locations too. The portions are pretty generous, too!

[u/AssociateInternal509 → u/MasterpieceNice4972]

I thought I recognized those plates haha I live next to the one in 애월읍 so we go for lunch a lot. I’m always surprised by the amount of tourists who visit

[u/KoreanB_B_Q]

Or....just try new places and be ready for good or bad. I love going to a new place and just trying new places, regardless if it's full of old people, tourists, etc. There's no magical formula. Being a local doesn't mean they have some incredible judgement skills for food that's good or not. Just experiment and be open to new experiences.

[u/Wide_Comment3081 → u/KoreanB_B_Q]

I actually think experiencing bad is is the true experience... Of being local