Bunsik Guide: Korean Snack Food You Should Try (Tteokbokki, Gimbap, Sundae, Eomuk & How to Order)
Some of the best food in Korea costs only a few thousand won. It is called bunsik (분식): cheap, quick Korean snack food that you eat at a small counter, a market stall or a bright chain shop. I am Jin, I live in Korea, and bunsik is what I grab when I want something fast and filling. This guide explains what bunsik is, the dishes to try, what they cost and how to order without speaking Korean. If you are still planning your trip, start with my Korea trip planner for first-timers.
A bunsik chain storefront at night, with its best-menu banner by the door. Photo: Jin from Korea
What Is Bunsik?
The word bunsik literally means “food made from flour”, but today it covers almost any cheap, simple dish you can eat quickly: rice cakes, rice rolls, fried snacks, fish cake, noodles and more. You find it in small neighborhood shops called bunsikjip (분식집), in traditional markets, at street stalls and in chain restaurants. Because each dish is inexpensive, the fun is ordering two or three plates and sharing them.
Bunsik is not fine dining, and that is the point: it is everyday food for students, office workers and friends before a night at the noraebang (Korean karaoke).
Bunsik Dishes at a Glance
| Dish | Korean | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Tteokbokki | 떡볶이 | Rice cakes in red sauce |
| Gimbap | 김밥 | Seaweed rice roll |
| Sundae | 순대 | Korean blood sausage |
| Twigim | 튀김 | Battered fried snacks |
| Eomuk / odeng | 어묵 / 오뎅 | Fish cake in broth |
| Ramyeon | 라면 | Instant noodle soup |
| Jeon | 전 | Savory pancake |
- Spicy: tteokbokki is the one to watch. Gimbap, sundae, twigim, eomuk and jeon are mild on their own.
- Classic combo: tteokbokki, twigim and sundae together are nicknamed tteoktwisun (떡튀순).
The Dishes to Try
Tteokbokki (떡볶이): the star of bunsik
Tteokbokki is chewy rice cakes (tteok) simmered in a sweet and spicy sauce made with gochujang, Korean red chili paste. Most versions also have flat sheets of fish cake. The spicy red version became popular in the 1950s; before that, the royal court made a soy-sauce version with beef and vegetables, still served today as gungjung tteokbokki.
Tteokbokki: chewy rice cakes and flat fish cakes in a sweet-spicy gochujang sauce. Photo: Jin from Korea
Look out for variations too: rabokki (라볶이) adds ramyeon noodles to the pot, and many shops offer cream, curry or black-bean (jjajang) versions.
Gimbap (김밥): the roll you can eat anywhere
Gimbap is seasoned rice and fillings rolled in a sheet of gim (dried seaweed) and sliced into rounds. A basic roll often has egg, ham, carrot, cucumber or spinach, and yellow pickled radish called danmuji. There are countless types, and it is sold everywhere from bunsik shops to convenience stores.
Gimbap: rice and fillings rolled in seaweed, the classic bunsik staple. Photo: Jin from Korea
Sundae (순대): not the ice cream
Korean sundae is a sausage made by stuffing pig intestine with glass noodles, pork blood and other ingredients such as sticky rice and vegetables. It is soft and mild, a bit like black pudding. Shops usually serve it sliced, often with steamed offal such as liver, and you dip it in seasoned salt or a sauce.
Sundae (Korean blood sausage), often served with steamed offal. Photo: Jin from Korea
Twigim (튀김): fried snacks for dipping
Twigim is anything dipped in batter and deep-fried: squid, shrimp, sweet potato, vegetables, dumplings or gimmari (glass noodles rolled in seaweed). It is great dipped in soy sauce, and even better dunked in tteokbokki sauce. At a stall you simply point at the pieces you want.
Eomuk / odeng (어묵 / 오뎅): fish cake on a skewer
Eomuk is fish cake made from ground fish, often folded onto a long skewer and kept warm in a broth with radish and green onion. Many people still call it odeng, an older word borrowed from Japanese. It is a favorite winter snack, and at many stalls you ladle a cup of the warm broth yourself. Busan is famous for its fish cake, which I mention in my Haeundae Market street food guide.
Ramyeon, noodles and mandu
Bunsik shops cook instant ramyeon (라면) to order, usually spicy, and many sell noodle dishes called guksu (국수). Mandu (만두), Korean dumplings, come steamed or fried and are a good mild side.
Jeon (전): savory pancakes
Jeon, also called buchimgae (부침개), is a pan-fried savory pancake. Each is named after its main ingredient: pajeon (green onion), kimchijeon (kimchi) or buchujeon (garlic chives). The one in my photo is haemul buchujeon (해물부추전), with seafood and chives. In some dialects jeon is called jijimi or jjijimi, so you may see 찌지미 on a handwritten menu, as in the shop below.
Haemul buchujeon: a crispy seafood and chive pancake with dipping sauces. Photo: Jin from Korea
How Much Does Bunsik Cost?
Prices depend on the shop, the area and the portion, so there is no fixed price list. One official figure: Korea’s consumer price portal (Korea Consumer Agency) puts the average roll of gimbap at about ₩3,900 in Seoul and about ₩3,500 nationwide (September 2026 data), and prices have been rising every year.
Here is the wall menu from one small bunsik shop, as a real example:
A small bunsik shop menu: most dishes cost 3,000 to 5,000 won here. Water is self-service. Photo: Jin from Korea
| Menu item | Korean | Price here |
|---|---|---|
| Noodles | 국수 | ₩5,000 |
| Ramyeon | 라면 | ₩3,500 |
| Gimbap | 김밥 | ₩3,000 |
| Jeon | 찌지미 | ₩3,000 |
| Tteokbokki | 떡볶이 | ₩3,000 |
| Sundae | 순대 | ₩4,000 |
| Water | 물 | Free, self-service |
- This is one shop on one day, not a national price list. Expect to pay more in busy tourist areas and at chains.
- The menu also lists fish cake in broth (물오뎅) without a price.
How to Order at a Bunsik Shop
- Check how the shop works. At chains you often order and pay at a kiosk or the counter first. At small shops you sit down, order from the staff and pay at the counter when you leave.
- Point and order. Point at the menu or a photo and say the dish name plus “juseyo” (please). Portions are often counted as 1인분 (irinbun, one serving).
- Get your own water. If the menu says 물 셀프 or “water self”, the water dispenser and cups are self-service.
- Takeout is easy. Say 포장 (pojang, takeout). Tteokbokki and gimbap travel well.
- Pay. Most shops take cards. Small market stalls may prefer cash, so carry a few ₩1,000 and ₩5,000 notes. There is no tipping.
Do not expect the full spread of banchan (side dishes) you get at a sit-down Korean restaurant; a bunsik shop may give you just pickled radish or kimchi.
Chain Shops vs Market Stalls
- Chain bunsik shops have seats, picture menus, often kiosks and sometimes English, so they are the easiest start.
- Small neighborhood shops (bunsikjip) are simple, local and often the cheapest. Menus may be handwritten in Korean only, so use the box below.
- Market and street stalls are standing counters with big pans of tteokbokki and trays of twigim and fish cake. Point, eat on the spot and pay the vendor. For eomuk skewers, many stalls count your empty skewers at the end.
To find bunsik near you, search 분식 or 떡볶이 in Naver Map or KakaoMap; my Google Maps vs Naver Map vs KakaoMap guide shows how.
Spice Tips for Visitors
- Tteokbokki can be hot. Heat varies by shop, so try one piece first or ask: 덜 맵게 해 주세요 (deol maepge hae juseyo).
- Balance it out. Order something mild with it: gimbap, sundae, twigim or a cup of fish cake broth.
📋 Copy & Paste Korean
Copy the Korean text into Naver Map or Papago, or show it on your phone to the staff.
Dishes
- 분식 (bunsik) — Korean snack food
- 떡볶이 (tteokbokki) — spicy rice cakes
- 김밥 (gimbap) — seaweed rice roll
- 순대 (sundae) — Korean blood sausage
- 튀김 (twigim) — fried snacks
- 어묵 / 오뎅 (eomuk / odeng) — fish cake
- 라면 (ramyeon) — instant noodle soup
- 라볶이 (rabokki) — tteokbokki with ramyeon noodles
- 만두 (mandu) — dumplings
- 전 / 부침개 (jeon / buchimgae) — savory pancake
Ordering phrases
- 떡볶이 1인분 주세요. (tteokbokki irinbun juseyo) — One serving of tteokbokki, please.
- 이거 주세요. (igeo juseyo) — This one, please. (point at the menu)
- 덜 맵게 해 주세요. (deol maepge hae juseyo) — Less spicy, please.
- 포장해 주세요. (pojanghae juseyo) — To go, please.
- 여기서 먹을게요. (yeogiseo meogeulgeyo) — I will eat here.
- 카드 돼요? (kadeu dwaeyo?) — Can I pay by card?
- 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?) — How much is it?
- 물은 셀프예요. (mureun selpeuyeyo) — Water is self-service. (what you may hear or see)
FAQ
Is Korean sundae a dessert?
No. Korean sundae (순대) is a savory sausage made with pig intestine, glass noodles and pork blood. It has nothing to do with ice cream.
Is bunsik always spicy?
No. Tteokbokki and most ramyeon are spicy, but gimbap, sundae, twigim, eomuk and jeon are mild. Mix and match.
How much should I budget for a bunsik meal?
Prices vary, but dishes at small shops often cost a few thousand won each. In the shop menu above, most items were ₩3,000–5,000, and the official average for a roll of gimbap in Seoul is just under ₩4,000.
Is bunsik good for vegetarians?
It can be tricky. Gimbap often contains ham or fish cake, tteokbokki usually comes with fish cake, and sauces or broths may use fish or meat stock. Ask the staff, or choose a vegetable roll and remove what you do not eat.
Plan the Rest of Your Trip
Bunsik is the perfect quick lunch between sights. If you are in Busan, my Haeundae Market guide has a whole lane of tteokbokki, fish cake and twigim. For a sit-down Korean meal, read my banchan guide first. Get around town with a T-money card, and take a taxi home late at night with my Kakao T vs Uber guide. Every guide on this blog is linked from my Korea trip planner for first-timers.
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