Jeonju is a great place to visit in South Korea, not only for its wonderful hanok village but also for its tasty authentic Korean food. Although the city has been recognised for its great food for centuries it was only designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2012.
With so many delicious options to choose from it may be difficult to decide on what to eat. But don’t worry, here’s a list of the top 10 dishes to try in Jeonju to start your wonderful culinary experience in the city.
Table of Contents
1. Bimbimbap
No list about food to eat in Jeonju is complete without bibimbap, as Korea’s food capital is the birthplace of this rice dish. The city has its own special style of serving and cooking the dish, which includes rice cooked beef broth. There are also modern versions of the dish in different restaurants throughout the city.
You can even attend the Jeonju Bibimbap Festival, which consisting of a variety of cultural programmes like performances and food contests. Organisers of the festival also cook a massive bibimbap bowl to serve up to 400 visitors.
Where to eat:
Gogung
168-9, Deokjin-dong 2(i)-ga, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Gajok Hoegwan
80, Jungang-dong 3(sam)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Hangukjib
119, Eojin-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
2. Chocopies
Chocopies are a delicious, sweet snack to eat. You can find regular one in supermarkets like Homeplus or convenience stores such as CU, but the traditional, tastier ones are in chocopies are sold at PNB (established in 1951) in Jeonju. There are other scrumptious goodies in this confectionary – some of them taste like cakes you’d find in the UK, which pleasantly surprised me.
Where to buy:
PNB Bakery
180 Paldal-ro, Pungnam-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
3. Makgeolli
Jeonju is also known for its makgeolli (Korean rice wine). There are seven makgeolli towns (streets lined with bars that specialise in making this alcohol) you can visit. They’re similar to Spain’s tapas bars as they serve generous portions of food when your order the makgeolli, which comes in in large kettles and is drank from copper bowls.
Where to drink:
Hanok Village Jumak Chunnyunnuri Bom
Address: 38-8 Gyeonggijeon-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-so, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Yetchon Makgeolli
8 Jungsanjungang-ro, Junghwasandong 2(i)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
4. Moju
Moju is a drink with a low level of alcohol (about 1.5%). It’s not as famous as makgeolli,but it’s still worth trying for its plethora of health benefits. Some of this drink’s main ingredients are medicinal foods such as arrowroot, cinnamon, ginger, ginseng, jujubes. So, it’s a great drink for preventing colds.
Where to buy:
Hangukjib
119, Eojin-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do 55042 South Korea
You can also buy moju at convencience stores around Jeonju. You can make it at the Jeonju Traditional Wine Museum, too.
39-3, Pungnamdong 3(sam)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
5. Kongnamul Gukbap
You can eat many different types of gukbap in Jeonju but Kongnamul GUKBAP or (rice with soybean sprout soup) is a representative dish of the city. Apart from its main ingredients, it can also contain chilli paste, various vegetables, scallions, or seaweed or an egg, which is sometimes served on the side.
Where to eat:
Hyundaeok in Nambu Market
2-gil 63, Pungnammun, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Sinbangi
Gyeonggijeongil 153-9, Wansangu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Duraebak Kongnamul Gukbap
Pyunghwa 18gil 30-26, Wansangu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
6. Kalguksu
Kalguksu is a Korean soup, made of knife-cut wheat flour noodles, which makes for a light, refreshing and comforting meal. One restaurant in Jeonju (Veteran Kalguksu) serves this dish with seaweed, chilli powder and perilla seeds, which is slightly different to the traditional way.
This place can get quite busy so you have to pay for your meal in advance.
Where to eat:
Veteran Kalguksu
84-10 Gyo-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
7. Jeonju Hanjeongsik and Baekban
Both these refer to a type of table setting where meals are served on a single table. However, the hanjeongsik is a larger, more generous meal that contains up to 30 local dishes, such as barbecued meat and stews, as well as many banchan (side dishes).
This type of meal was served to royalty and aristocrats in the past, so you’ll feel like a king or queen while you chow down. On the other hand, baekban consists of stew, rice, a main dish a large number of banchan.
Where to eat:
Jeollado Umsik Yiyagi
Wooah-dong 2-ga, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Songjeong-Won
34 Jeon-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
8. Mandu
Mandu are Korean dumplings filled with a mixture of various ingredients including meats and vegetables. Dawoorang is the most popular place to buy mandu, as it sells a wide variety of different types of dumplings like fried dumplings, steamed dumpings, tortilla dumplings and shrimp dumplings (the type that this restaurant is most famous for).
Where to eat:
Dawoorang
269-2 Gyo-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Veteran Kalguksu
84-10 Gyo-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
9. Jeonju Street Food
Korea is known for its great street food, so you’ll be getting la crème de la crème in Jeonju. You can find a lot of food stalls in Jeonju Hanok Village, which’ll give you plenty of options to choose from.
Some snacks worth mentioning are the Imsil cheese, cream cheese hotteok chicken skewers, grilled cheese skewer and giant octopus. These street snacks are great to eat at all times of the day.
Where to eat:
Wonjo Jungang Chapsal Hottok (Hotteok and Odeng)
49, Taepyung 5gil, Wansangu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Gyeonggijang Matna Tuigim (fried dishes)
47 Deulsapyungro, Deokjingu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Gilgoria Baguette
267-2 Gyo-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
Jeonju Hanok Village
99 Girin-daero, Pungnamdong 3(sam)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea
