Korean Winter Food in Seoul: What to Eat When It Gets Cold
Korean winter food means hot soup, a pot you cook at the table, and cheap snacks from a street cart.
Plan on one soup or hot pot meal a day.
A single bowl runs about 8,000 to 12,000 won per person.
Add a snack or two in between at 1,000 to 3,000 won.
I run a shabu-shabu kalguksu restaurant in Yeoksam, Seoul, so cold weather is the season I think about most.
Below is what I would eat, and what each thing costs.
What is the best Korean food for cold weather?
I sort winter food into soups, hot pots and street snacks.
Soups are the cheap, quick option, and a hot pot is the sit-down meal for two or more people.
The snacks fill the gaps between them.
The two Seoul averages in that table come from the Korea Consumer Agency's price portal.
Asia Business Daily reported them in April 2026.
Kalguksu was the March 2026 figure.
The other prices are typical ranges from the Korea Times and Namane Card guides.
A stall in a busy area can charge more, so treat them as a guide and not a menu.
Soup for lunch, a snack on the walk, and a pot for dinner
How much does a bowl of kalguksu cost in Seoul?
Kalguksu is knife-cut wheat noodles in a hot broth.
It is the soup I know best.
The Seoul average passed 10,000 won for the first time in March 2026.
It reached 10,038 won, according to Korea Consumer Agency data reported by Asia Business Daily.
Kimchi jjigae, the spicy kimchi stew served with rice, averaged 8,654 won in the same report.
Tteokguk, a rice cake soup, is usually listed at about 8,000 to 12,000 won a bowl.
It is the soup Koreans traditionally eat around the Lunar New Year.
If you want one cheap, hot lunch, any of these works.
Most small restaurants serve them with kimchi and a few side dishes.
What is a Korean hot pot, and which broth should you pick?
At my restaurant the meal is one pot and four courses.
You cook thin beef first, then vegetables, then noodles, and finish with fried rice made in the last of the broth.
You choose a broth when you order.
We offer three.
- Spicy (얼큰, eolkeun): red and warming, and the one that suits a very cold day
- Clear (맑은, malgeun): light and clean, the safe choice if you do not eat spicy food
- Perilla (들깨, deulkkae): nutty and thick
On spice: the red broth can be too much if you avoid chili.
Pick clear or perilla and you will still enjoy the meal.
The base pot is 11,000 won per person with vegetables, noodles and fried rice, for two or more people.
Beef is added at 11,000 won per 180 grams, and the weekday lunch set with beef (10:00 to 14:00) is 14,000 won.
Prices can change, so please check the listing on the map before you go.
Which Korean street snacks are best in winter?
You will see these four on most cold street corners.
Bungeoppang is a fish-shaped pastry, usually filled with sweet red bean paste.
The Korea Times gives three for 2,000 won as the long-running price.
It says some downtown vendors charge 1,000 to 1,500 won each.
Hotteok is a pan-fried pancake with a sugar filling that melts inside.
Expect 1,500 to 2,500 won, and the filling changes by stall.
Namdaemun Market, for example, has a japchae-filled version at 2,500 won.
Eomuk is a fish cake skewer simmered in broth, around 1,000 won.
Many stalls let you take a cup of the hot broth as well.
Roasted sweet potatoes cost about 2,000 to 3,000 won each and are sold from small carts and stalls.
Carry a little cash, since some small stalls do not take cards.
Eat it right there while it is hot.
What do you say at a street food stall?
Pointing works fine.
A few words help, and vendors like it when a visitor tries.
- Hotteok hana juseyo (호떡 하나 주세요): "One hotteok, please"
- Bungeoppang du gae juseyo (붕어빵 두 개 주세요): "Two bungeoppang, please"
- Eomuk gungmul jom juseyo (어묵 국물 좀 주세요): "Some fish cake broth, please"
Hold up your fingers for the number.
How cold does Seoul get, and when does the food change?
Seoul winters are dry and cold, and a sharp cold snap can arrive within a day.
The Korea Meteorological Administration expects a strong El Nino this winter, which usually means a milder and wetter season.
The Korea Times reported in October that big temperature swings are likely, with mild days mixed with sudden cold.
So pack layers, and keep a hot lunch in your plan for the cold days.
Many winter dishes also leave menus in spring.
If a winter dish is on your list, do not leave it for spring.
Is there a winter fish worth the trip?
Yes, and it is yellowtail.
Bangeo (방어) is the fish Koreans queue for in winter.
Sources put the season at about November to February.
The Korea JoongAng Daily describes young Koreans braving the cold and long lines for it.
If I send a friend for raw yellowtail, I start at Noryangjin Fisheries Market in Seoul.
Jamae Susan (자매수산) and Bomulseom (보물섬) are the two names I would check first, because they are the ones I hear about most.
I have not priced them for this guide, so ask the price per plate before you sit down.
A big fish costs more, and the price changes with the day.
What is Dongji, and why do Koreans eat red bean porridge?
Dongji is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, and it falls around December 21 or 22.
The traditional food is patjuk, a porridge made from red beans, often with small rice balls inside.
People say its red color drives away bad spirits.
Many restaurants and cafes serve it around that date.
Ask for patjuk (팥죽) if you are in Seoul that week.
FAQ
What is the most popular Korean food in winter?
Soups and stews are the everyday choice, and the street snacks are the favorites for a quick bite.
Kimchi jjigae, kalguksu, bungeoppang and hotteok all fit.
Is Korean street food safe to eat in winter?
Choose stalls where food is cooked fresh and served hot.
Can I eat hot pot alone in Korea?
It can be hard, since many hot pot places set a two-person minimum and mine does too.
When I eat alone I usually go to Nongmin Baekam Wangsoondae, a sundae soup place, and a hot bowl like that works for one person.
Where can I eat yellowtail in winter?
Noryangjin Fisheries Market is where I would start.
Jamae Susan and Bomulseom are the names I hear most there, so check prices first.
Sources
- Korea JoongAng Daily: The yellowtail craze
- Asia Business Daily (April 2026): Seoul average prices from the Korea Consumer Agency's Chamgagyeok portal
- The Korea Times (December 2024): Ultimate guide to Seoul's winter street food
- Namane Card: Seoul's winter dishes disappear come spring
- Korea.net and Korea Herald: Dongji and patjuk
- Wikimedia Commons and Flickr photos, credited in each caption
한국어 요약
한국의 겨울 음식은 국물 요리, 전골·샤브, 길거리 간식 세 가지로 보면 돼요.
서울 칼국수 평균은 2026년 3월 기준 10,038원이고, 호떡·붕어빵은 1,000~2,500원쯤이에요.
동지에는 팥죽을 먹고, 전골은 보통 2인 이상 주문이라 혼자라면 국물 요리가 편해요.
한국어로 더 보려면 네이버 블로그 blog.naver.com/ruistan
About my restaurant
If you want a hot pot on a cold night in Yeoksam, come and eat at mine.
Open 10:00 to 22:00, every day of the year.
Please check the hours on the map before you come.
Deungchon Shabu Kalguksu, Eonju branch (등촌샤브칼국수 언주점)
Address: Yeoksam-dong 670-18, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 2F (서울 강남구 역삼동 670-18 2층).
Look for BEARS TACO on the 1st floor.
We are one floor up.
Getting there: walking distance from Yeoksam Station (Line 2).
Maps: Google Maps / Naver Map
Phone: 070-4647-2467
More Seoul food and behind-the-scenes on Instagram @todoho
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