The 7 Spiciest Korean Foods in Seoul! Can You Handle It?! – Seoulistic

Korean food can get pretty spicy for some people. But a lot of Korean people are sadistic. The S&M kind maybe, but spicy sadism? Definitely. A lot of Koreans think the spicier the food, the better! So if you’re looking for the spiciest Korean foods, we’ve got a few mega spicy places to eat in Seoul!

 

1. Tteokbokki (떡볶이)

Seonmae Tteokbokki Truck (Source)

Tteokbokki is a fan favorite among Korean food aficionados. It’s Korea’s representative street food and can be found on pretty much all corners of Korea. Most of the time the rice cakes and fish cakes are cooked in a red sauce that has a nice balance of sweet and spicy. But some sadistic cooks out there turn up the knob when it comes to spices. If you’re really into spicy foods, try Dongdaemun Yeopgi Tteokbokki (동대문 엽기떡볶이) one of the chains that made it to our list of places to eat tteokbokki in Seoul. Also, a vote on our Facebook page said that most of you preferred eating from trucks. If that’s the case, head over to Seolleung Station (선릉역) and leave exit 1 (just go straight). There you’ll find the very famous Seonmae Tteokbokki (선매 떡볶이). It’s the type of place where they warn their customers with a sign: “It’s very, very hot. We are not responsible!” The truck likes it’s current location and fame, but it also branched out to a store in Myeongdong (see below).

Dongdaemun Yyeopgi Tteokbokki (동대문 엽기 떡볶이)
Address (click for map): 서울시 중구 흥인동 117-9 (Original restaurant)
(Seoul, Jung-gu, Hongin-dong 117-9)
Closest Subway Stations: Shindang Station (Line 2 & 6)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.
Locations all over the country. See official website for details (http://www.동대문엽떡.com/)

Truck: Seonmae Tteokbokki (선매떡볶이)
Seolleung Station (선릉역) – Line 2, exit 1. Go straight. It’s on the corner. (No address, it’s a truck!).
Myeongdong Store:
Address (click for map): 서울특별시 중구 저동1가 43-5
(Seoul, Jung-gu Heungin-dong 117-9)
Closest Subway Stations: Euljiro 3-ga Station (Line 2 & 3), Myeongdong Station (Line 4)
See food porn from Korean Blogger 1 (Seolleung truck) and Korean Blogger 2 (Myeongdong store).

 

2. Chicken Feet (닭발)

Hansin Pocha (Source)

Chicken feet is a popular food among many Asian countries, and Korea is no different. What is different, however, is the way Koreans make it. Chicken feet tend to be one of the spiciest dishes in the country. If you’re not used to chicken talons scrapping the inside of your mouth, you might considered this a bizzarre Korea food you might want to try. But even if you are ok with it, you’ll still need bravery because of its extremely spicy flavor. And you can’t go wrong with Hansin Pocha (한신포차), a Korean style bar that has free flowing drinks and tear inducing spicy chicken feet. There’s a bunch of locations all throughout Korea, but one of the more fun locations is near Sinnonhyeon Station (also near Gangnam Station) — it’s also the original.

Hansin Pocha (한신포차)
Address (click for map): 서울 강남구 논현동 182-29
(Seoul, Gangnam-gu, Nonhyeon-dong 182-29)
Closest Subway Stations: Sinnonhyeon Station (Line 9) and Nonhyeon Station (Line 7)
Official website: www.hansinpocha.com
See food porn for Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

3. Jjamppong (짬뽕)

Jjamppong is a Korean-chinese fusion dish, and it’s already pretty spicy at any regular restaurant found in Korea. The noodles and seafood found in this dish are bathed in a bright red sauce that gives ample warning of its spiciness. But if you want to go near death, there’s a restaurant in Seoul that’s made all the rounds on Korean television (Infinity Challenge aka 무한도전, Sponge 2.0, etc.) for its ultra spicy jjamppong. There’s a sign outside that has a monthly count of how many people have fainted from this dish (read that again: monthly count!). There’s also a request that asks the survivors to not puke outside as they are trying to run a business after all (more like torture room). That should be warning enough, but for your culinary sadists out there, this is the one spot you have to try.

Singil-dong Spicy Jjamppong (신길동 매운짬뽕)
Address (click for map): 서울특별시 영등포구 신길동 165-5
(Seoul, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Singil-dong 165-5)
Closest Subway Station: Singil Station (Line 1)
See food porn via Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

 

4. Spicy Jokbal aka Trotter (매운족발)

Changsin-dong Spicy Jokbal (Source)

Jokbal (족발) is a popular food for people that like to order in at night when having a few drinks. If you want a few famous eateries for regular ol’ jokbal, you can head over to jokbal street in Gongdeok. That’s the regular stuff. Spicy jokbal isn’t so common, so it’s weird that one of Seoul’s spiciest offerings is Changsin-dong Spicy Jokbal (창신동 매운족발) in Dongdaemun. This famous eatery has also made its rounds on TV and offer some spicy pigs feet for adventurous culinary people. To offset some of the spiciness, order their rice balls.

Changsin-dong Spicy Jokbap (창신동 매운족발)
Address (click for map): 서울특별시 종로구 창신동 581-5
(Seoul, Jongno-gu, Changsin-dong 581-5)
Closest Subway Station: Dongdaemun Station (Line 1 & 4)
See food porn via Korean Blogger 1 and Korean Blogger 2.

Did you know? – Many Koreans like to eat spicy food when drinking alcohol. So many of these are considered 안주 (anju), especially the chicken dishes.

Keith
Keith
Keith Kim is a Korean-American who has been living in Korea for almost a decade. Being in a unique position as both a Korean and a non-Korean, he's put all his experience and knowledge for surviving in Korea in Survival Korean . Read it to learn how you can survive in Korea. Follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

15 Comments

  1. Mara says:

    How does Korean spicy food compare to Mexican spicy food? Is it spicier? Less? Around the same? I’m curious to know. If it’s around the same or a little less I think I can handle it. If it’s more… I’m in trouble.

    • Keith says:

      Pretty similar! 🙂 but these are the spiciest of Seoul

    • Andrew Ahn says:

      I think the Mexican food is much spicier than Korean food. The reason is the way of Korean food being made. They use almost same spiciness as Mexican food but the difference is that they put their food in the proccesing of fermenting. When the chilli go through the stage of fermenting, the taste gets much more smoother taste than raw spiciness. If you can taste those two foods on same time you will know what I mean.

      • Jayson Cha says:

        it depends. i find some korean food way too spicy for mankind to handle. however, some foods are manageable so it really depends what you’re talking about.

  2. Sam Tsai says:

    The “monthly count” thing cracked me up… but the only one I’ve ever been close to trying is spicy shin ramyun… which actually isn’t that spicy at all :O

  3. dija says:

    Waw so nice, I loooooove spicy food, I’d like to visit South Korea someday 🙂

  4. Lita says:

    Hi! Love this site. Been actively reading to prepare for my trip to Korea this summer. Just wondering if you could provide some info about those tent stalls that we always see in Korean dramas where ppl order food and soju. Perhaps where to find some of the better ones and what and how to order? Thanks!! 🙂

  5. Astrid says:

    I can’t believe you did not mention nakji! That was the only food I considered as ‘spicy’ in Seoul. LOL.
    I do love spicy food, and to people who doesn’t like spicy, I would not recommend nakji to them.. LOL

  6. John says:

    We usually have to drink alot of Soju and then dare each other to eat 불닭 (Fire Chicken). It hurts so gooood!

  7. Matt says:

    one day I ate some spicy chicken wings on jeju island.. that was something. I love spicy food and that restaurant was my top choice 😀 One day I’ll go back there 😀 It burned even out of my mouth… lips etc.. freakin’ awesome!

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  10. Jacquie says:

    How does the spicy chicken at Oppadak compare to this stuff?? I ate the chicken and loved it but I couldn’t speak in full sentences while I was doing it!

  11. Brad says:

    These all look amazing. I’ll be in Seoul in July and have put these on my list of things to eat. Keith, have you tried all of these?

  12. steph says:

    불닭!~

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