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Korean Food & Cafe Culture — What to Eat and What It Costs

Korean BBQ, fried chicken, street food, and 90,000 cafes — what to eat and what it costs.

Korean BBQ (samgyeopsal/galbi) runs $11-27 per person at a casual spot, $22-45 for beef; a full fried-chicken-and-beer (chimaek) session costs about $13/person in a group; street food like tteokbokki and hotteok runs $1.50-3.50 per portion. Seoul alone has roughly 90,000 cafes — coffee runs $1-2 at budget chains, $4.50-6.50 at a specialty spot.

Korean food is a genuine reason to book the flight on its own — smoky tabletop BBQ, fried chicken that's spawned its own drinking culture (chimaek), fiery street food, and a cafe scene so dense and inventive it borders on architecture. Here's what to order, roughly what it costs, and how to navigate a Korean BBQ table without embarrassing yourself.

Korean Food & Cafe Culture: What to Eat and What It Costs
Food

Korean Food & Cafe Culture: What to Eat and What It Costs

BBQ, chimaek, street food, and 90,000 cafes — real prices.

Questions people actually ask

How much does Korean BBQ cost?
A casual pork BBQ (samgyeopsal) meal runs $11-27 per person before drinks; galbi or bulgogi at a mid-range spot runs $18-37; premium hanwoo beef restaurants can reach $75-110+ per person.
What is chimaek?
Chimaek (치맥) combines 'chikin' (fried chicken) and 'maekju' (beer) — a beloved Korean pairing, especially for watching sports. A shareable set for a group of four with two chickens and drinks runs about $52 total, or roughly $13 per person.
Can vegetarians and vegans eat well in Korea?
It takes more planning than in Southeast Asia, but yes — dedicated vegan restaurants exist in Seoul (Insadong and Hongdae have several), and apps like HappyCow help outside the capital. Halal-certified and Muslim-friendly restaurants have grown significantly, concentrated in Itaewon.