15 Food Experiences in South Korea Worth Booking

1.Seoul Street Food Market Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,226 reviews · from $73Our pick

Spend about two hours exploring Seoul’s famous market with guides such as Juno, Yoon, Tan, Rocky, or Jacob. Taste a broad range of Korean foods and drinks, learn local drinking games, hear market stories, and get personal restaurant tips. Vegetarian and allergy requests can be arranged in advance.

“Our tourguide Juno was the very very best. We took several foodtours, but this was by far the best. We tasted a lot of great food an Juno told us about Korean culture. You should definitely book this tour!”

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2.Night Market Food Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 943 reviews · 2 hours · from $73

Meet your English-speaking guide outside Exit 7 at Jongno 5-ga Station for a two-hour walk through Gwangjang Market. Try up to 10 Korean foods and drinks, from mung bean pancakes and dumplings to banchan, makgeolli, and more adventurous bites. Guides have included Juno, Jacob, Yoon, Tan, Kevin, and Roky.

“Roky, our tour guide was great, he had a wonderful sense of humour and engaged with everyone on the tour really well. There was a great mix of market ‘famous’ dishes and some more out there options. Would highly recommend!”

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3.Downtown Seoul Guided Food & Market Tour with 8+ Local Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 580 reviews · from $98

Join a small Seoul food walk with guides such as Alex, Jae, Youla, or Ji Yoon for eight or more tastings, including mung bean pancakes, mandu, tteokbokki, kimbap, fish soup, sweets, and tea. The route links a traditional market with Jongno, palace sights, Bukchon, and a teahouse near Anguk Station.

“Very nice tour. Started in the market and ended at a traditional tea house. Youla our guide, was knowledgeable, and a lot of fun. Experienced a variety of foods”

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4.Seoul Night Palace & Market Food Tour with Vehicle

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 275 reviews · from $79

Start at Hyehwa Station with a walk to Changgyeonggung Palace, then visit Gwangjang Market for Korean pancakes, makgeolli, raw beef, live octopus, and a twisted donut. Guides such as Mia, Janice, Ron, and Katie add history and food customs before the evening ends at Jogyesa Temple. Expect walking, shared dining, and vehicle transfers between sites.

“This a relatively inexpensive to see some of the more interesting places on this part of the country .”

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5.Seoul Fun Food Tour: 12 different food tastings

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 266 reviews · from $88

Join Suha or another English-speaking local for a three-hour Seoul food walk through Gwangjang Market, Jongno, and Ikseon-dong. You will sample at least 12 Korean foods, make ramen from a wide choice of flavors, stroll beside Cheonggyecheon Stream, and finish with tea or coffee in a traditional hanok neighborhood. Come very hungry.

“This food tour was absolutely amazing. Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the entire experience feel personal. We tried more than 12 different items throughout the tour, starting at the market and stopping by several restaRead more”

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6.The Award-Winning PRIVATE Food Tour of Seoul: The 10 Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 128 reviews · from $178

Spend three hours with a private local foodie guide sampling 10 Korean foods and drinks around Namdaemun and central Seoul. Guides such as Kim, Sanghee, Julian, and Jason tailor the route, explain local culture, and accommodate vegetarian diets. Expect generous portions, city sights, and plenty of walking.

“We just had a couple days in Seoul and wouldn’t have known which places to try on our own. The food tour was an excellent way to try so many kinds of traditional and street foods in just a few hours. Julian was an excellent guide and, in addition to telling us all about the food, gave great explanations of the history and monuments we passed on our walking tour. He also has great recommendations for how to optimize the limited time we had to explore after the food tour. This was a wonderful stress-free way to navigate the neighborhood, especially since we don’t speak the language. Would highly recommend…”

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7.Busan Tailored Korean cooking class (Vegan OK)with market tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 66 reviews · from $95

Spend about five hours with Busan host Suyang Chang, known as Busan oppa, starting at Bujeon Market and ending with a hands-on Korean cooking lesson. Choose two side dishes and one stew or soup, with vegetarian and vegan options available. The $95 price includes the food you prepare, drinks, and recipes to use at home.

“Our group of 8 were able to spend time together with the chef and made a wonderful authentic meal and we were able to make some wonderful memories! The chef was an excellent guide.”

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8.Small-Group Traditional Korean Food Cooking Class

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 58 reviews · 3 hours · from $98

Join Min for a three-hour Korean cooking class near Haeundae Beach in Busan. You’ll taste sauces, prepare bibimbap and other local dishes, then eat your meal at a personal bapsang table with Korean tea and dessert. The class is limited to 9 participants, with vegan requests accepted in advance.

“Min did a very good Job in teaching US how to prepare Korean dishes.”

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9.Busan history and market food tour with local chef

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 58 reviews · from $50

Chef Heeyoung leads a two-hour walking food tour through Busan’s Jagalchi Seafood Market, BIFF Square, and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market. You’ll taste hotteok, fish cake, and other local foods while learning about Busan’s food culture, market traditions, and wartime past. The small format, capped at 10 people, makes it easy to ask questions and get restaurant tips.

“Our chef/guide Heeyoung was a wonderful ambassador for Busan’s lively and delicious food scene. She enthusiastically led us through the streets and markets of Busan, and provided informative commentary to accompany each tasting. Busan’s ssiat hotteok (seed hotteok) and eomuk (fish cake) are justifiably famous. The portions are generous and you will not leave this your hungry. The tour ends at the fish market, where Heeyoung helped each guest select and order the freshest seafood. We enjoyed an amazing steamed king crab, steamed oysters, raw sliced yellow tail, crab fried rice, and seaweed soup. After helping us order, Heeyoung showed us how to make soju bombs, and all the ways…”

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10.Gwangjang Market Netflix Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 31 reviews · 3 hours · from $64

Start at Anguk Station with a guide such as Peter, Sally, Alan, Sam, or Charlie, then walk through Insa-dong and Ikseon-dong before eating your way through Gwangjang Market. The three-hour tour includes 3 to 5 Korean street-food tastings, with the largest portions saved for the end.

“Hi Peter, Please put our comments below, into a social media platform. Our Netflix food tour in Seoul with Peter Park was wonderful! Peter is a fantastic guide, and despite terrible weather conditions-made our tour with him the best event of our entire time in South Korea. Thank you Peter for a great tour and introduction to Seoul! The Octopus at the end of the tour was definitely a highlight not to be missed! Ken Schmidt Canada”

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11.Afternoon Ebike tour and “Happy Hour” food and drinks

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 18 reviews · from $81

Spend three hours exploring Seoul by premium e-bike with an English-speaking guide such as Vincent. Ride beside Cheonggyecheon, visit Ikseondong, Changdeokgung, Insadong, and Baek Inje’s former home, then finish with Korean food and drinks. The small group is limited to 10, and all food and drink are included.

“We signed up for this tour but ended up doing the day tour. Vincent was an amazing guide and help with guiding us in areas to go for the rest of our trip. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone coming to visit Seoul.”

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12.Hidden Stories & Flavors: Traditional Market Food Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews · 2 hours · from $100

Meet your English-speaking guide at Jongno 5-ga Station Exit 8 for a two-hour walk through Gwangjang Market. You may taste dumplings, meatballs, Korean hot dogs, rice rolls, spicy rice cakes, fish cakes, sweet pancakes, and fish-shaped buns while hearing about modern Korea, military service, Seoul, and the peninsula’s division. The group is limited to 10 people.

“His insights into the culture and the food choices”

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13.Busan Night Food Market with Night View points

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $125

Join an English-speaking guide such as Luke or Jay for a three to four-hour evening around Busan. Visit Hwangryeongsan Observatory and Gwangalli Beach, see the Diamond Bridge lit up, and stop for Korean barbecue or traditional pub food. Hotel pickup and drop-off are available, with a small-group or private option.

“The guide, Luke, was kind and interesting. Busan is beautiful at night. I was the only person on the tour when I went.”

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14.Fearless Foodie Gwangjang Market Food Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 2 hours · from $81

Meet at Jongno 5 ga Station Exit 8 for a two-hour food challenge through Gwangjang Market. You will try around 10 to 12 small portions, collect a stamp for each dish, and receive a traditional Korean souvenir when you finish. Guides such as Gina, Helena, and Cecilia have led the experience, with spicy foods and alcoholic drinks possible.

“Great food tour of the market and lovely host that shares lots of stories and anecdotes of the history and food / culture. Easy to wander round and you reallly get your moneys worth in terms of trying lots of different foods. Would recommend!!!”

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15.Guided Street Food Tour at Namdaemun Market

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 1h 30m · from $43Best value

Meet your English-speaking guide at Hoehyeon Station and spend 90 minutes tasting seven Korean market foods and drinks in Namdaemun Market. Try favorites such as kalguksu, wang mandu, hotteok, gimbab, and tteokbokki, then explore traditional stalls and visit historic Sungnyemun Gate with a group limited to 10.

“Our tour guide EJ was so kind and accommodating, especially to my elderly parents who had to take time going from one stop to the other. We had a fantastic experience! The food was also so filling and good! Highly recommend.”

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