Sizzling Korean BBQ grill loaded with samgyeopsal pork belly, a favorite K-pop idol food at Joseon Hwaro Gui in Seoul

5 K-Pop Idol Foods You Must Try in Korea or at Home

22 de junho de 2026 Hyunwoo Cho

Table of Contents

K-pop idols give us their best on stage, hitting jaw-dropping choreography and impossibly high notes night after night, and that level of energy needs fuel. When the cameras stop rolling, BTS, EXO, BLACKPINK, and SEVENTEEN reach for the same Korean comfort foods that fans crave at home: golden Korean fried chicken, cup ramyeon at midnight, glossy red tteokbokki, sweet hotteok, and sizzling KBBQ. Here are five legendary K-pop idol foods and the stories behind why your bias cannot get enough of them.

Sizzling Korean BBQ grill loaded with samgyeopsal pork belly, the K-pop idol food of choice at Joseon Hwaro Gui where BIGBANG gather after shows — BIGBANG's favourite KBBQ joint Joseon Hwaro Gui in Seoul. | Source: Koreaboo

1. Korean Fried Chicken (Chikin)

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and slicked with sweet-spicy yangnyeom sauce, Korean fried chicken is the king of idol comfort food. EXO's Kai has named it his all-time favourite Korean dish more than once. In a 2017 Naver V Live, Kai admitted that "during promotions, I am only eating chicken every day," a confession that quickly went viral among EXO-Ls.

Kai is far from alone. SHINee's Onew, the late Doojoon-era BEAST line, and THE BOYZ's Hyunjae are all known chicken devotees. Hyunjae has even bragged that he can identify a Korean fried chicken brand by smell alone, and once polished off the dish five times in a single week. Pair a basket with cold beer and you have chimaek, the unofficial national snack.

EXO member Kai smiling for promotional photos, the idol who told fans he eats Korean fried chicken every day during comebacks — EXO's Kai revealed in 2017 that he eats almost nothing but chicken during promotion season. | Source: Allkpop

2. Ramyeon (Korean Instant Noodles)

No K-pop idol food list is complete without ramyeon. Korea elevates the humble instant noodle into an art form, and BTS's Jungkook is its most enthusiastic ambassador. In July 2016, after the rest of BTS left their Nagoya hotel for a late dinner, Jungkook stayed behind, decided he could not sleep, and announced on Twitter that he would eat six mini cups of ramyeon in one sitting. He pulled it off, posting receipts in real time and tweeting, "This must be heaven hehehehe," before admitting in the final photo that he simply could not finish all the soup.

Want to copy Kookie? Build the perfect bowl with Shin Ramyun or Jin Ramyeon, then level it up with melted cheese, a soft-boiled egg, a slice of cheese, and a handful of green onions. Tteok (rice cake) and dumplings turn it into an idol-worthy feast.

BTS Jungkook smiling in a hotel selca after eating six cups of Korean ramyeon noodles in one sitting in Nagoya 2016 — BTS Jungkook polished off six cups of ramyeon by himself one famous night in Nagoya. | Source: Allkpop

3. Tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cakes)

Chewy cylinders of garaetteok simmered in a fiery gochujang sauce with fish cakes and scallions, tteokbokki is the street snack idols cannot resist. SEVENTEEN's Joshua, TWICE's Jeongyeon, 2NE1's Dara, and MAMAMOO's Solar have all confessed their love for the spicy red goodness, often calling it their go-to mukbang dish on V Live.

According to Korean cooking authority Maangchi, the secret to authentic tteokbokki is the broth: simmer dried anchovies and a sheet of kelp first, then add gochujang, gochugaru, sugar, rice cakes, fish cakes, and a boiled egg. Ten minutes later, you have the same sweet-savoury-spicy bowl idols devour between rehearsals.

Authentic Korean tteokbokki rice cakes simmering in glossy red gochujang sauce with fish cakes and a boiled egg, the K-pop idol favourite snack — Maangchi's classic tteokbokki recipe with anchovy stock, fish cakes, and a hard-boiled egg. | Source: Maangchi

4. Hotteok (Sweet Korean Pancakes)

Once winter rolls in, the streets of Seoul fill with the smell of hotteok, yeast-leavened pancakes pan-fried until golden and stuffed with molten brown sugar, cinnamon, peanuts, and seeds. BTS adore them so much that members have shared mukbang selfies of themselves devouring hotteok on Weverse, and Busan's famous ssiat hotteok (seed-stuffed version) is a must-eat on every idol's hometown food tour.

Korean Bapsang's Hyosun explains that the chewiness comes from blending all-purpose flour with sweet rice flour (chapssal garu). The dough rises for an hour, gets stuffed with a sugar-and-nut filling, then sizzles in a little oil until the syrup oozes out. Perfect for autumn and unbeatable on a cold winter day.

Golden Korean hotteok sweet pancakes filled with brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts on a wooden board, the cold weather K-pop idol food favourite — Hotteok, the cinnamon-and-nut stuffed Korean winter street snack loved by BTS. | Source: Korean Bapsang

5. Korean BBQ (KBBQ)

You cannot finish a list of K-pop idol foods without KBBQ. Sizzling slices of samgyeopsal (pork belly), galbi (short ribs), and ureongssal (hanwoo beef) cooked on a tabletop grill turn dinner into a celebration, which is exactly why idols gather around the grill after their stages. NCT's WinWin, Red Velvet's Seulgi, SEVENTEEN's The8, and BLACKPINK's Jennie have all posted KBBQ photos for their fandoms.

BIGBANG even has a regular hangout, Joseon Hwaro Gui in Seoul, where the members meet for post-show meals instead of luxury restaurants. EXO's Baekhyun, Kai, and Sehun share their own favourite, Yeongdonggyojib, with SHINee's Taemin. Wrap the grilled meat in lettuce or perilla leaves with ssamjang, garlic, and rice for the full idol experience.

Where to Eat (or Make) These K-Pop Idol Foods

Visiting Korea? Hit Myeongdong, Hongdae, or Gwangjang Market for tteokbokki and hotteok stalls, BHC or Kyochon for fried chicken, and any of Seoul's famous galbi alleys for KBBQ. Stuck at home? Most of these dishes need ingredients you can find at your nearest Asian grocer or Korean snack box, and recipes from Maangchi and Korean Bapsang make recreating them easy.

Whether you are a fresh ARMY, a long-time EXO-L, or a brand new CARAT, eating like your bias is one of the most delicious ways to feel a little closer to K-pop culture.