Korea is known for its large convenience store culture. Fast food is available at the tips of your fingers. With most living in skyrises, it is necessary to have close access to food. Thus the invention of Korean convenience stores. Every street and block there’s at least one convenience store. These stores are all-in-one stop and go. You can buy medicine, school supplies, cigarettes, full meals, gum, alcohol, and much more. Walking in for the first time I was overwhelmed with the variety. I immediately started grabbing and chucking foods into my basket and taking images to keep track of everything I wanted to try. The graphics and the different stylistic design of the different foods were so different from American foods. In America I was limited to solely white, chocolate, and sometimes strawberry milk, but in Korea the variety of flavors is endless. You want pina colada but also some calcium? Get the pina colada milk from a convenience store. Yes, it exists.
6 Korean convenient store classics you must try:
- Banana Milk
- Hot Bar
- Cup Ramen
- Samgap Kimbap
- Korean chips
- Icecream
Scroll down to read more about these classics!
- Banana Milk
Banana Milk is a must-have on anyone’s Korean Food Bucket list. This drink is a classic convenience store essential. The sweet and delicate flavor of banana will make anyone’s day in an instant. Milk lovers and milk haters unite! As someone who doesn’t drink milk (not a fan of the taste), I will never hesitate to get banana milk from the store. The taste, exquisite. Banana milk is commonly depicted in many dramas and webtoons as a default drink or snack when stopping by. There are many variations of milk, so I encourage you to try them all!
- Hot Bar
Hot. bar, also known as eomukba, is a special Korean street food that is typically made from fish paste and is fried or boiled. The hot bar can come in many varieties whether that me just a standard fishcake or combined with other ingredients such as perilla leaf, carrots, seaweed, and sausage. At the convenience stores you can buy individual sticks of fishcake which can be reheated with a microwave and enjoyed immediately!
- Cup Ramen
Absolute must. Nothing hits better than sitting at the counter eating a hot steaming cup of fresh ramen. There is a huge variety of ramen brands and flavors to choose from ranging from mild kimchi to spicy cheese. At these convenience stores you’ll be provided with hot water. After adding in the spice packet and veggies, pour in hot water and cover your lid for 2-3 minutes. Once it’s ready, open and enjoy the bowl of goodness.
- Samgap Kimbap
I absolutely love samgap kimbap. Perfect amount of rice tucked nicely into a generous amount of seaweed. There are so many flavors to choose from. Most common flavors at stores include tuna mayo and kimchi. Although it’s a bit complicated to open, it’s all worth it to chow down! Simply follow the instructions labeled directly on the plastic wrap.
- Korean Chips
Korean chips are on another level of elite. They somehow mash something savory with the sweet, and the absolute perfect texture. Many of the chips have a melting in the mouth consistency. Instead of the thin oily chip you might be used to, Korean chips are very light and fun to eat! Try some of the interesting flavors as shown in the image, Yukgyejang-flavored chips, crazy right!
- Icecream
Don’t walk, run, to the frozen ice cream container usually out in the front of stores or in the far back. THe variety of icecream and popsicles are endless. Ranging from cones to melting ball-shaped sorbet bits to individually packaged soft serves. Not only is the style various but also the flavors. It can come in traditional injeolmi and red bean flavors but also new flavors such as blue soda and melon.
My personal favorites to get at a Korean convenience store will be listed in another blog post so stay tuned!