Inflation drives Koreans back to the buffet.

According to an article in the Korea Herald today, “buffet chains are making a comeback as dining costs continue to rise in Korea.” The articles continues with interviews of several people describes waiting in long lines to get into buffets.

As COVID nearly ended the rein of buffet restaurants, Koreans are now returning to find value and endless choices at them. The “price gap between single-dish meals and buffet admission has narrowed significantly compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Here’s an earlier post we did about a buffet restaurant in Seoul. And a more recent post on the topic.

Looking for related vocabulary to help you learn Korean? Heres our post on the expression, my mouth is bored (I’m hungry). And our post on eating too much.

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Raw beef bibimbap

육회 비빔밥 -raw beef bibimbap

One of our favorites dishes. Raw beef mixed with various sprouts (micro greens) and rice. Rice is served in a separate bowl and is poured into the main bowl and mixed with sesame oil and gochujang paste. Bibim means to mix.

Bibimbap is alternately served with minced beef or bulgogi beef.

육회 비빔밥 – (yukhoe bibimbap) raw beef mixed with vegetables and rice

공기밥 – (gongi-bap) single serving bowl of cooked rice

Here’s a few related posts: here, here, and here.

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Melting Soul’s Cheeseburger with Melting Sauce.

It’s no wonder that Melting Soul is a championship burger maker. Look at how fun this is.

Located in MyeongDong’s Lotte Department Store food court (B1 level), this is a fun an inexpensive burger to try. They offer both a yellow melting cheese and white-ragu melting cheese among other more standard type burgers. Here’s a walk through their full menu.

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Customers turn to all-you-can eat/drink to save money.

As food and drink prices soar, Koreans are cutting back on alcoholic drinks at restaurants. Drinking establishment sales declined 1.7% in Q4 2024, according to the Chosun Daily According to the same article, some restaurants are turning to all-you/can eat/drink options in order to drive business.

Nomihodai (飲み放題) has been a popular option for the all-you-can-drink add-on at Japanese bars, restaurants, and karaoke shops for many years. This allows patrons to consume an unlimited number of drinks, from a special menu, for a fixed priced, and for a fixed amount of time. It’s a cost effective way for consumers to enjoy an evening out.

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San Francisco Bay Area food – BaekJeong BBQ

BaekJeong translates to “butcher” in Korean and is a popular US west Coast Korean BBQ chain focused on high-quality meats. Founded by Korean TV host Kang Ho-Dong (강호동) in LA in 2012, the now 7 location chain expanded to the Bay Area in 2023. Been meaning to get there as the weekend wait can be hours, especially during the first year there.

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San Francisco Bay Area – Korean food.

There are wonderful Korean restaurants for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. The challenge is finding fresh and testy side dishes – 반찬 (banchan).

Hansang Tofu in Milpitas, CA USA is one of those places. Here, the taste is authentic. Prices, however, are much higher – $20+tip for a one-person serving.

Side dishes – 반찬
Beef tofu stew – 소고기 순두부
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