2026 Seoul Food: Banchan, Bibimbap, And Beyond

Our Culinary Backstreets tour of Seoul with Yerica was really terrific. She is delightful and enthusiastic about showing people her city and introducing them to Korea’s food and culture. She speaks English perfectly (went to international schools overseas) and spices up the tour with all sorts of interesting facts and vignettes. And she selected a fantastic variety of restaurants to take us to, each time showing us how to prepare the food, and equally importantly, how to eat it! It was really a memorable tour for our group of six, and we would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Seoul. Oh, and after the tour, Yerica kindly provided us with a great list of special places to eat and shop around Seoul!

we had an AMAZING time! we showed up early but Yerica was already there. She took us to a bunch of fantastic small restaurants, market stands and street stands. Everything was delicious and the company was wonderful - we learned about the local food scene and so much more. Right after the tour Yerica sent us the list of places we visited together but also her local recommendations and also those for the places we are going to next. I cannot praise this tour enough. It will undoubtedly be a highlight of our trip. Thank you so much, Yerica!

The Back Street Food tour was a delightful and enlightening culinary experience. Our enthusiastic guide, Yerica was extremely knowledgeable, set a warm and welcoming mood, and accommodated the needs of our group. The food shops that we visited served delicious dishes that were unique and broaden our horizon of Korean cuisine. At each stop, she provided some historical background, explained the dishes, initiated the cooking, and shared personal insights. Her intense interest in the Korean culture and cuisine and her vivacious passion in life created a one in a lifetime experience. I will highly recommend this tour to my friends without any reservations.

This was my third Culinary Backstreets tour and it was just as fantastic as the previous two in Istanbul and Mexico City. Yerica was an amazing guide throughout the nearly six hour walking and eating tour to restaurants and local markets I never would have found on my own. We managed to pack in, literally and figuratively, four full Korean meals, plus assorted snacks, beer, soju, and a type of beer made from unfiltered soju. Yerica also served as chef at each meal, preparing and serving soup, cutting meat, and patiently explaining how to build and eat each morsel. I cannot recommend this Culinary Backstreets tour, or Yerica, more highly.

Yerica was a fantastic tour guide. What a great experience!

We had an amazing experience. It was one of our first days and Seoul was a bit intimidating! You knew there was so much good stuff, but how to experience it? The tour opened it all up to us. It was fun, informative, and our guide was so amazing and so caring, that she helped us find a great hike the next day!! I would never dared to go into places we went with her and I became bolder and more comfortable for the rest of the trip. Thank you so much!!

The tour was interesting, educating fun and tasty. Yerica was an excellent guide. We really got to taste the culinary and cultural offerings of some of seoul’s backstreets. The compact and international tour group was a real bonus. Highly recommended experience.

Amazing experience with a thorough choice of typical korean foods. Our guide, Jerica, was amazing - she read the group very well and was able to give us valuable background information the the food we tried.

Another great CB tour on the books! Kangsil was a wonderful guide and shared many wonderful local spots with. She also shared a lot about Korean culture with us and how the country’s culture and food are intertwined.

A very in depth and varied tour. Come very hungry and ideally earlier on in the trip as you’ll definitely want to return to some places.

We spent an afternoon meandering with KK through the streets of Seoul talking, learning and enjoying new food and drink experiences. The pacing was perfect, not rushed, so we had time to enjoy the cooking, the eating and the socialising. Would absolutely recommend this tour and will look to do the same when we visit somewhere else!

Fantastic tour with Kangsil. She generously shared her knowledge and love of Korean cuisine and answered the many questions we all had, Definitely come hungry- there was so much food! And all delicious. Another fabulous experience courtesy of Culinary Backstreets😋

We enjoyed our tour with “KK” visiting a great variety of food stops on our tour in Seoul!

KK was an absolutely phenomenal guide. We loved our experience, the other people on the tour, and the food. We've done several food tours, and this was the best by far.

Huge thanks to Culinary Backstreets for another unforgettable food tour! This was our third or fourth time booking with them across our travels, and the Seoul Food Walk Tour was phenomenal. Our guide, Yerica, was a gem. She took us to amazing spots like Myeongdong Dakhanmari for chicken soup, Soha Yeomjeon for salt breads, and Bukchon Mugunghwa for gochu twigim. We also loved the Gwangjang Market for hotteok and bindaetteok and the BBQ pork jowl at Gwangjujip! Yerica perfectly accommodated our request for no raw items, and she shared great historical insights about Seoul as we explored the neighborhoods. You genuinely will not leave hungry or disappointed. Highly recommend!

Very knowledgeable guide, I learnt a lot. Great variety and quality of food. It wasn't overwhelming but well paced, highly recommended.

Our food tour in Seoul was the highlight of our trip. Our guide, Yerica, was the perfect mix of knowledgeable, friendly, organized, and fun. She connected with everyone in our group and introduced us to foods and locations we would not have discovered on our own. The food was SO good! We went back to several of the restaurants on our own. I highly recommend this tour.

This was a wonderful tour, and we were lucky enough to have the very talented Yerica as our guide. She was great fun to be with and a delight as a tour guide, full of knowledge along with a true love and understanding of Korean food. The tour was outstanding, I've completed four Culinary Backstreet tours (always great) in other cities, along with some different companies too. I would have to rate it as the top food tour I've enjoyed (and there has been some stiff opposition for this title). Going on this tour will show you truly authentic Korean food as you have never seen it before, with great dishes to enjoy and places to discover. Skip eating anything before you go, there is a ton of food to tackle.

This was my 4th Culinary Backstreets tour and hands down the best. Eunice, super engaging, showed us the real Seoul, from chicken soup, beef tartare, amazing barbecue and markets. The tent bar after party not to be missed. Arrive hungry and thirsty. We will forever remember this day!

Eunice was amazing! She gave us insights into the culture and brought us to places we would not have ventured on our own. A delicious and informative day.

Delicious, fascinating and tons of fun! Eunice was an absolute delight, and brought us to a series of delightful places we never would have found on our own. We fell in love with Seoul, its food, and its people and feel like we saw parts of town we would have completely missed otherwise. Eunice's insight on life in Seoul was wonderful, and we even learned some Korean drinking games at a sidewalk bar! Absolutely would recommend.