Posted by When the weather is chilly, like it has been lately, you tend to crave something hot and spicy to help you break a sweat. From tteokbokki to buldak and spicy braised galbi (short ribs), many crave that hot, fiery taste. If you eat it on a particularly cold or stressful day, it tastes even better!
Koreans love their spicy food! One quick way to happiness is through good food, right? Incheon Airport has stepped up to prepare a list of recommended spicy food restaurants to help you relieve stress with just one bite. We have a range of spicy food for beginners to hot food pros. You can pick the place best suited for you. ๐
“Nakyoung Braised Galbi”
Full of garlic and red chili pepper powder to give that deep, burning, spicy flavor
Korea is also known to be home to the people of garlic. As such, garlic is a key ingredient used to create that spicy taste Koreans love. There is a place in Dongin-dong, Daegu known for their garlic-bomb braised galbi, loved by many for its extra garlicky taste.
Nakyeong Braised Galbi is quite well-known, having even been introduced on popular TV programs such as 1 Night 2 Days and Delicious Guys. The braised short ribs ๐ are well marinated and you can even see chunks of garlic in the dish. The garlic’s uniquely pungent spicy taste adds depth to the dish. When ordering, you can choose from three levels of spiciness: mild, medium, and hot. Those who arenโt able to eat spicy foods can pick the level right for them and still enjoy their meal.
After eating all that hot, spicy, salty food, what do you find yourself craving? The ultimate โK-dessertโ, fried rice! You will not regret coming to this restaurant after you have wrapped up your meal with fried rice that has strong hints of garlic and nuggets of meat mixed in. ๐
Nakyoung Braised Short Ribs
9-17, Dongdeok-ro 36-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu, Republic of Korea
Every day from 10:00 to 21:00
Spicy intensity โ โ โโโ
Boasting Tons of Smoky Flavor, Hongcho Fire Chicken!
The Spicy Taste That Took the Mid-2000โs By Storm!
The second place on our list serves what is called โbuldakโ or โfire chickenโ, a dish that took K-Spice to another level in the mid-2000โs. After coating the chicken in spicy seasoning, it is grilled to capture that smoky flavor that many Koreans have ingrained in their memories. From all the different restaurants that serve buldak, we recommend the main branch located in Sinchon, which has maintained its spicy food ๐ถ quality for a long time.
Located in Sinchon, Seoul, “Hongcho Buldak” opened in 2002 and has been serving up spicy chicken for as long as 20 years. After applying a lot of spicy seasoning to the chicken, it is grilled directly over fire so that you can taste the smoky flavor in your buldak. If you are afraid of spicy food, try adding cheese! Dip the chicken and then coat it in the gooey cheese to neutralize the spicy taste and enjoy it.
Hongcho Buldak, Main Branch in Sinchon
28-3 Yonsei-ro 7-an-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Monday to Saturday 17:00 to 02:00
Sunday from 17:00 to 01:00
Spicy intensity โ โ โ โโ
Destress With Just One Bit of Silbi Kimchi
Koreaโs Representative Dish and a Steady-Seller for Mukbangs
There’s one food that you can’t leave out when it comes to Korean spicy food: kimchi. When it comes to kimchi, there is one kimchi in particular that mukbang YouTubers have been constantly seeking out for the past 2-3 years. Weโre talking about Silbi Kimchi, also known as the spiciest ๐ถ kimchi in Korea.
Silbi Kimchi was originally a side dish served for free at Silbi Restaurant in Seonhwa-dong, Daejeon. It started to be called Silbi Kimchi, short for the Korean phrase that means โit costs money to make it and doesnโt bring in any profitโ. Itโs kimchi that is made by adding another layer of spicy seasoning onto it and has gained much popularity for that distinction.
If you go to the Silbi Restaurant in Seonhwa-dong, we recommend you bring some canned tuna and gim (seasoned Korean dried seaweed)! If you add โbibimโ onto your order, youโll be served Silbi Kimchi seasoned with sesame oil and sesame seeds that you can mix with your rice. Then, add in the tuna and gim you brought to make the ultimate spicy bibimbap (or seasoned mixed rice). Just the thought of it is enough to make our mouths water. ๐
Itโs lonely to eat really good kimchi alone, no? If you go to the restaurant, you can buy some Silbi Kimchi to take home and give away to friends and family. It is said that only 10 units are sold per day, so if you want to bring home some Silbi Kimchi, we recommend you to visit as early as possible right at opening time.
Silbi Restaurant in Seonhwa-dong
126, Seonhwa-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon
24-hour operation
Closed on Sundays
Spicy intensity โ โ โ โ โ
The Original Beomildong Mae Tteok, Serving Up Spicy Tteokbokki
Koreaโs Soul Food! Perfect For Those Searching For Eye-Wateringly Spicy Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki is a comfort food that Koreans often bought as a cheap snack as middle or high school students. In the midst of the tteokbokki craze, there is a place that boasts unrivaled spicy flavor, standing out among the overflowing number of tteokbokki shops. It is The Original Beomildong Mae Tteok located in Beomil-dong, Busan. It is known as the hottest tteokbokki restaurant in the country. ๐
This place, too, boasts unwavering quality taste over the years! It’s been open for 35 years, so the restaurant has many traces of the people that have visited over the decades. The representative menu item is whatโs called the โBaek Jong-won Setโ, which includes mae tteok (spicy tteokbokki), mandoo, gimbap, eo-mook (fishcake), and pat bingsoo (shaved ice dessert with sweet red beans). Even if youโre a pro at eating spicy foods, this mae tteok is enough to make your tongue go numb and spread a burning sensation throughout your body after just one bite.
Thatโs what the pat bingsoo is for! At that very moment, soothe your burning stomach with the shaved ice flakes, sweet red beans, and thick condensed milk. If you go back and forth between the hot and spicy then cold and sweet, youโll finish your mae tteok in no time. Donโt forget to dip your side of deep-fried food and gimbap in the spicy tteokbokki sauce. Just thinking about it makes us wanna fly out to Busan right now. โ
The Original Beomildong-Mae Tteok
52-2 Gold Theme-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan
Every day from 10:00 to 21:00
Spicy intensity โ โ โ โ โ
That was Incheon Airportโs โ list of spicy food restaurant recommendations from all over the country! Bet your mouth is watering after reading through it! On cold days like these, stopping by one of them would be the perfect way to warm yourself up or relieve some stress.
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