HawaiiO

I dont think Korean food is very expensive in Seoul.

If u eat Korean food like bibimbap, porridge, Chicken ginseng soup etc, they are all fairly well priced.
Cheaper than in the USA.
Those sushi rice things with seaweed are really cheap too.
Food is tasty as well.

Coffee is really expensive though.

stupidhead

And tasteless. I've had stronger coffee from McDonald's than some of the franchise joints.

mosburger

Lots of the Korean coffeeshop franchises import their own coffee beans directly from African or South American countries and grind them on-site in their shops.

Would you know what the origin of the McD coffee is in Korea?

skchin

If you give Koreans real Chinese food, most of them wouldn't like the taste. That's why it's hard to find authentic Chinese restaurants in Korea. It's only available where there is high concentration Chinese population, which I do not know where that is in Seoul.

Vidic15

Touche. BBQ, Bibimbap is very very well priced.

Can't understand the complaints.

stupidhead

Go to the nearest megamart and look at the price of fresh foods. Also take into account the fact that GDP per capita in the US is $48k while Korea's is $20k, the 10,000won in Seoul isn't that much better priced than $15 for the same dish in New York. In real price terms, food in Korea is more expensive.

One point on BBQ, how many portions do you order? For me at least, I have to order at least two to be full (esp. beef) while in the US one will be more than enough. The cost of domestic beef is ridiculous here. US$22 a pound for something like ribeye at the local megamart. I've only seen prices within even screaming distance of that at Whole Foods back in the states.

skchin

When did US GDP jump to 48k? Anyways, eat the beef and pork that locals eat and you'll save money. Koreans don't eat much steak, they prefer thin sliced and marinated beef.

stupidhead

The cost of ALL food went up. Like doubled. Even the meats the the locals eat doubled in cost (I read at least a half dozen articles in the past two months on the cost of pork bellies, which I hate and everyone seems to like-now a whopping $13 a pound). They were expensive in the first place, now the cost of food is somewhere between absurd and insane. Next you'll tell me to starve

Btw, they don't prefer thin sliced and marinated beef, none of the beef restaurants sell the stuff anymore. And btw, the thin sliced stuff at the megamart is sold thin sliced and marinated because it's usually the lowest quality beef. Don't even get me started on the restaurants that sell imported beef/pork/whatever as domestic and charge twice as much.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...al)_per_capita US GDP per capita varies between $45k and $47k depending on the source. Either way, the cost of fresh food should be cheaper in Korea given that people make less money here, but it's more expensive.

n301dp

Just wrapped up my first week (of 8) in & around Seoul. This thread has been quite useful in suggesting some good places. Thanks! I'm also lucky to have several Korean friends as willing tour guides.

ahfang

Anybody visit the Korea Food Festival at Jeonju before? I will travel to Seoul coming October, but not sure if worth to go there.

n301dp

I was at a BBQ place in Haengsin that had it on Wednesday. 15,000 won all you can eat beef/pork/sausage/duck. Must've been a fluke.

ntamayo

If you're headed to Jeonju, are you going to sign up for the free Shuttle Bus for tourists as part of the VisitKorea program?

I've had colleagues try it out this year, and it was worth it to them. Just need to sign up in advance, and it's open only to non-Korea passport holders.

mosburger

Well, at least two exceptions to this where I've been recently with Korean friends with discerning tastes.

One joint specialized in Korean black pudding in a small side street in Myeong-dong and an offal restaurant on the main throughfare. Both are packed with Japanese tourists trusting their guidebook recs, and in this case they are right to trust those.

Will post the restaurants names and addresses when back in Seoul.

Sweet Willie

^ to both statements
excellent, thanks.

Pathfinder813

This is a fantastic hotel. I stayed there in May.

Have you gone already? If you go over to Gangnam, you can find some great restaurants. Bonga 본가 is really good... also Sae-Ma-Eul-Shik-Dang (새마을식당) (www.newmaul.com). That's actually me and my fiance's favorite place to go... it's a chain within Seoul but it is excellent. It's really thinly sliced pork with a spicy sauce that they put on top and mix when putting it on the grill. Get the 7 minute kimchi jigae as well and you will be very happy.

You can also go to COEX if you're tired and don't want to stray too far from the hotel. There's this thing called AnDongJjimDalk (Andong Chicken) that is really good in COEX. I think it's near a 7-11 there. If you can't find it, just ask information and I'm sure they'll guide you there.

Have fun in Korea and definitely enjoy the Park Hyatt!!