This Chuseok, South Koreans are expected to make approximately 37 million trips across the country to visit family, pay respects to ancestors and celebrate the harvest festival. Long hours on congested expressways could be tiring, but rest stops that offer a variety of foods and entertainment could help fight the exhaustion. Here’s the list of some of the most popular dishes at different rest stops across the country. 1. Ginseng galbitang (ginseng beef short rib soup) Geumsan Insam Land

South of Seoul's Han River, Gangnam, is an on-trend area for drinks and bar bites. Chock full of fine dining restaurants and wine bars, it’s very hard to choose just one place from the list. Whether for catching up with a friend, a date with your loved one or even a cordial meal with your colleagues, dining bar Vuur in Gangnam-gu is a place where you can experience good food at the level of fine dining, in a creative atmosphere for more reasonable prices. Opened last year, Vuur is loc

Table tennis star and Paris Olympic double-bronze medalist Shin Yu-bin has become a favorite in the Korean food industry, landing major ad deals with top brands. The 20-year-old athlete brought home medals in mixed and women’s doubles, ending the country’s long medal drought in table tennis. Cameras caught her munching on snacks -- bananas, rice balls, and energy gels -- during breaks as the competition heated up. These endearing moments quickly went viral, adding to her charm alongs

Just as if you had walked into a local bakery somewhere in rural America, “What A Bread” (WAB), a newly opened bakery in a bustling food alley next to Yongsan Station, is where you can enjoy a creative variety of baked goods. The last few years have seen Korean bakeries grow more creative than ever, with genre-bending techniques and innovative flavor combinations. WAB, which perfectly fits into the category of bakeries that offer good pastries, has the freshest and the most filling

Amid record hot summer weather and soaring consumer prices, more Koreans are choosing to enjoy samgyetang, or chicken soup with ginseng, at home using convenient home meal replacements (HMRs). According to the Korea Consumer Agency, the average price of samgyetang at Seoul restaurants has risen to 16,885 won ($12.32) this year, a 2.8 percent increase from last year’s 16,423 won. In 2015, the dish cost 13,591 won, and through 2022, it remained around 14,000 won. However, following the e

Hidden in a back alley of Namyeong-dong in Seoul's Yongsan-gu or near subway line No. 4 Sookmyung Women’s University station, Nampark truly stands out from other restaurants down the road – a street filled with trendy restaurants that open and also close down without fanfare. Nampark, which takes its name from the family names of married head chefs Nam Joon-young and Park Ji-eun, sells Vietnamese pho and other Vietnamese food that locals enjoy during the day, something light and

A recent survey reveals that 7 out of 10 South Koreans have opted for sugar-free or non-alcoholic beverages while drinking. According to a Lotte Members survey on alcohol consumption trends, 71.6 percent of 2,000 adults surveyed nationwide reported having tried sugar-free soju. The primary reasons cited were “lower calories” (40.4 percent) and “healthier perception” (25.9 percent). Additionally, 76.4 percent of respondents had experience drinking non-alcoholic beer. The

Cucumbers are having a moment in Korea. As one of the most representative vegetables of summer here, cucumbers usually star in summer dishes like cold noodles and soups as a garnish. But this season, they're more than just supporting players — cucumbers have taken center stage. On social media, cucumber gimbap is all the rage, thanks to TV celebrity Choi Hwa-jung. On her YouTube channel, Choi, 63, introduced the dish as an “easy to make, yet surprisingly delicious” dish

Nudake, an artisanal coffee and dessert shop in bustling Garosugil in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, is more than a bakery. As you step into the museum-like cafe by the eyewear brand Gentle Monster, you will notice the very distinct concept of Nudake Sinsa, with a massive croissant statue and croissant-shaped door handles not to mention the buttery aroma of the flaky delicacy. Next to the giant pastry sculpture are the edible pastries on display. Nudake’s Sinsa-dong outlet, the third of its kind, is b

Westin Josun Seoul presents summer Champagne promotion The Westin Josun Seoul in Jung-gu, central Seoul, offers two Champagne promotions to celebrate the summer season. The Ninth Gate presents two bottles of Champagne with truffle fries for four guests. The restaurant offers Moet & Chandon Imperial and a bottle of the guests’ choosing among Taittinger Reserve Brut, Champagne Drappier Carte D’Or Brut and Louis Roederer Collection 243. The weekday dinner promotion is priced at 250,

“Kaiseki” dinner, referring to a style of traditional Japanese cuisine that comes with a series of intricate, small dishes, is a perfect way to get immersed in the savory and exquisite flavors of Japanese dishes. Chef Nobuhiro Yoshida, a veteran chef or a chef de cuisine at Japanese restaurant Kozue located on the 40th floor of Park Hyatt Tokyo, is in Seoul this week for a Park Hyatt Seoul’s guest chef promotion event – Tokyo Night in Seoul. Yoshida, with 30 years of expe

While most burger joints in Seoul pride themselves on high-quality beef patties and homemade buns, Le Freak takes a different approach as an unprecedented gourmet burger. Le Freak, which opened its first branch in Seongsu in 2019, specializes in chicken burgers. Its signature Nashville Hot Chicken Burger is a simple chicken burger filled with red cabbage coleslaw and a crispy hot-fried chicken thigh sprinkled with spicy powder -- you can choose from three different levels of spiciness. But Le Fr

A local credit card company's analysis showed Sunday that bindaetteok and sujebi, two dishes many South Koreans associate with rainy days, actually show substantial jumps in sales when the rain pours. KB Kookmin Card analyzed public data and data it compiled from its consumers between June and August of last year, and found that bindaetteok sales on days with at least 10 millimeters of rainfall were 35 percent higher compared to other days. Bindaetteok is made of dough from ground beans wit

In a typical, fully-equipped Korean kitchen, you'll find a bottle of honey-like syrup called maesil cheong. This versatile syrup made from the fermentation of maesil, Korean green plums, serves as both a sweetener in various Korean dishes and a home remedy for an upset stomach or indigestion. June is the peak harvest season for maesil, which means it’s time for Kwon Sun-ja to prepare for her annual tradition of making the green plum syrup. "Early summer is when I make maesil ch

Western Seoul’s district of Seongsu-dong sees new restaurants and bars open every week. The area undoubtedly boasts one of the most vibrant and unique nightlife scenes in Seoul. Located in a small alley close to Ttukseom Station on Subway Line No. 2, Kataomoi mimics a “jazz kissa” -- niche Japanese cafes stocked with whisky, vinyl and high-end audio systems. Jang Yoon-su, owner of Kataomoi, opened the place last year after quitting his 12-year career as an office worker at a lo

Sundae, a steamed Korean blood sausage stuffed with meat, rice and vegetables, is one of the most popular street foods in Korea. But, this humble dish is elevated to haute cuisine at a sundae omakase restaurant in Mapo-gu, Seoul. At the hands of chef Choi Ji-hyung, the owner of a fine dining restaurant Lee Buk Bang, renamed to what is now in 2021, different kinds of sundae are served over a seven- to nine-course meal. As the name suggests, Lee Buk Bang offers food from "leebuk," North

Virgilio Martinez, founder and head chef of Peruvian restaurant Central, was in Seoul last week to share his insights on fine dining culture and offering exquisite experiences to diners. His 16-year-old restaurant topped the World’s Best Restaurant 2023 last year. Sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants has reflected the diversity of the world’s culinary landscape since 2002. Martinez was in Korea to take part in Nanro Insight, a global symp

In the 2020 Oscar-nominated film "Minari,” the eponymous Korean herb, which one of the characters explains “thrives where there is water,” symbolizes the resilience of the movie's Korean American immigrant family. While the film may have introduced minari to a wider audience, it fell short of exploring its varied uses in Korean cuisine, known for its light herbal taste, refreshing aroma and detoxifying properties. Native to East and Southeast Asia, this plant has th

The first flush, or the very first plucking of a tea plant’s harvest season, yields tea of the highest quality. In Korea, green tea made with the first pluckings is known as "ujeon nokcha," highly prized for its sweet, soft and subtle flavor. When the tea leaves are harvested indicates the quality of the tea, among other factors. The first pluckings of the year are of the highest quality because the nutrients stored in the plants are highly concentrated by the time spring arrives

Exports of South Korean beverage products jumped to a record $572 million last year, helped by the popularity of Korean culture, government data showed Monday. The country’s beverage exports jumped 11.5 percent in 2023 from $513 million a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Corp. By country, beverage shipments to China accounted for 21 percent, or $121 million, followed by shipments to the United States with $83 million, Cambodia with $54 million and