Korean meals excursions, particularly Seoul meals excursions, daunt vacationers with all the alternatives. There isn’t any one-size-fits-all expertise. As I stated on a earlier put up, TripAdvisor/Viator excursions and others like them are typically reposts of different firms’ excursions with 15-30% sucked out for commissions.
Do the appropriate factor. E book immediately.
High 10 Korean Meals Excursions
This can be a checklist, NOT A RANKING. I’ve compiled it primarily based on the most well-liked rankings and internet searches. I do know loads of these operators personally, they usually’re good individuals. We every have a distinct model. Discover one that matches you.
1. ZenKimchi Korea Meals Excursions
I’ll simply go forward and put up ours first to get it out of the way in which. ZenKimchi Korean meals excursions focus on immersed experiences. We keep away from the touristy areas. After we design excursions, our guides need to exhibit why we love this place. What’s it that retains us right here?
I created the excursions out of frustration that many vacationers, particularly solo vacationers, had been having unhealthy meals experiences in Seoul. Loads of meals packages, particularly authorities funded packages, had been run by Koreans who held outdated shallow stereotypes of foreigners. They dumbed the whole lot down and tried to push by meals that on a regular basis Koreans don’t eat, like Royal Court docket Delicacies.
The large bus tour firms packed their ravenous vacationers into eating places that solely made enterprise from these excursions. They served meals that was near jail fare. My spouse was once a tour information, and he or she informed me horror tales of those firms’ ways. It was all about extracting more cash from vacationers fairly than displaying them an excellent time. Sadly, they dominate the airport kiosks and tour group web sites.
ZenKimchi creates curated experiences which might be in contrast to some other. We would like our company to really feel like they’re Korean for the evening. We run a profit-sharing enterprise mannequin. Which means our guides personal their excursions. They aren’t faculty youngsters making an attempt to make additional money. They’re passionate professionals who know the place to go.
Web site: KoreaFoodTours.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling
Reserving System: Automated immediate on-line reserving for Credit score Card & PayPal. Financial institution Switch & Money have to contact by reserving kind.
Personal Excursions: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Sure, for many excursions
Teams: As much as 20. Group reductions.
Household Pleasant: Sure, for many excursions
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul solely
High Excursions
E book Now
2. O’ngo Meals Communications
O’ngo is the granddaddy of meals tour firms. They’re not only a tour firm. They publish books, do analysis, and make video productions. The founder, Gina, is properly revered within the Korean meals group. They’re the most well-liked meals tour firm and cooking class entity. They’ve newbie to skilled stage cooking lessons, they usually even have particular lessons for firm staff constructing. I simply noticed they’ve a particular North Korean delicacies class, which I feel is the primary of its type. They conduct meals excursions in Seoul, Busan, Jeonju, and Jeju. They even do multi-day bundle excursions.
Web site: ongofood.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling, cooking lessons, mutli-day packages
Reserving System: Type. They get again to you.
Personal Excursions: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Excursions cancelled if minimal reserving isn’t met
Household Pleasant: Sure, for many excursions
Resort Decide-up: Personal excursions
Space: Seoul, Busan, Jeonju, Jeju
High Excursions
3. Gastro Tour Seoul
Veronica Kang is a powerhouse. She is aware of Korean meals. She has nice tales. After I speak to individuals who have taken her excursions, they gush with love. She creates one-of-a-kind experiences.
Gastro Tour focuses on much less touristy fare–Korean meals for the already initiated. Superior stage stuff. I’m in search of an opportunity to take her “Tuscany of Korea” tour. It seems to be so good! The brewmaster tour is an effective crash course in Korean alcohol. It’s life altering.
Web site: gastrotourseoul.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling, day journeys
Reserving System: Type
Personal Excursions: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Excursions cancelled if minimal reserving isn’t met
Teams: Can provide group reductions
Household Pleasant: Sure, for many excursions
Resort Decide-up: Can organize for a price
Space: Seoul, Taean Peninsula
High Excursions
4. The Sool Firm
Cooking lessons yow will discover wherever. What about residence brewing lessons?
“Sool” is the Korean phrase for liquor. The Sool Firm focuses on educating you about Korean alcohol traditions from tasting to creating. Chinese language data from 3,000 years in the past acknowledged that the individuals on the Korean peninsula had been the perfect at making alcohol. The Sool Firm was began by expat residence brewing geeks obsessive about Korea’s wealthy consuming tradition. They’ve studied beneath masters, they usually have figured a approach to distill that data (see what I did there) into easy-to-learn lessons. They also have a free on-line course.
If residence brewing isn’t your cup of soju, then take one in every of their masterful Korean alcohol tasting excursions.
Web site: thesoolcompany.com
Tour Varieties: House brewing lessons, strolling excursions
Reserving System: On-line
Personal Excursions:
Solo Vacationers: Courses want a minimal of two to run. Courses beneath 4 will get a W30,000 additional surcharge.
Teams: Courses max out at 10
Household Pleasant: Not if you need your youngsters to discover ways to residence brew
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul
High Excursions
5. Intrepid Travels
Intrepid Travels isn’t an OTA. They’re not reselling different individuals’s excursions. As a substitute, they’re a global firm specializing in massive multi-day experiences. Daniel Grey runs these excursions, and also you’ve seen him on many journey reveals that includes Korean meals. That is the last word all-in-one all-encompassing meals tour of South Korea. Korean Fried Hen. Bibimbap in Jeonju. Templestay with Buddhist temple meals. Kimchi making class. Busan’s craft beer scene. It travels everywhere in the nation.
Web site: intrepidtravel.com
Tour Varieties: Multi-day
Reserving System: Type
Personal Excursions: No
Solo Vacationers: Sure
Household Pleasant: 15+ years previous
Space: Throughout Korea
High Excursions
6. One Day Korea
“You make a want, we make a tour!”
One Day Korea created an revolutionary tour suggestion system referred to as “tumakr.” It helps you design your itinerary in response to your needs. Just like ZenKimchi, their guides create their excursions. One Day Korea carries loads of excursions in numerous classes, one in every of them being meals. The kinds of excursions embrace road meals, markets, kimchi making, Noryangjin Fish Market, and even climbing. This can be a resolution for you if you wish to arrange all of your completely different excursions beneath one supplier.
Web site: onedaykorea.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling
Reserving System: On-line
Personal Excursions: Sure
Solo Vacationers: No
Household Pleasant: Most excursions are household pleasant
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul, Busan, Andong, Gyeongju, Jeju
High Excursions
7. Seoul Hunters
They’ve three Korean meals excursions: Seoul Pub Crawl in Hongdae, Seoul Meals Tour, and Seoul Fish Market Tour. I’ve heard good issues about their excursions. They’ve nice customer support, and everybody I’ve talked to has been joyful. The excursions appear ideally suited for 20-somethings, with a excessive emphasis on consuming and consuming video games. Their Seoul Pub Crawl can get a little bit loopy (as in enjoyable).
Web site: seoulhunters.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling
Reserving System: On-line with deposit by PayPal
Personal Excursions: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Minimal quantity is required to function every tour
Teams: Group reductions
Household Pleasant: Fish market tour could also be extra household pleasant
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul
High Excursions
8. OME Cooking Lab
I not too long ago took a tour and sophistication at OME Cooking Lab, and I simply needed to embrace them on this checklist. Their class is properly executed. You begin out with a tour of the normal medication market after which one of many largest elements markets in Seoul. They clarify rather a lot about Korean elements, and also you get to pattern them.
The cooking class is what really impressed. They run a good operation, they usually’re personable. We made EIGHT DISHES. I’m a Korean cooking veteran, however even I realized a couple of new issues.
Web site: 5-tastes.com
Tour Varieties: Cooking lessons, strolling
Reserving System: On-line with deposit by PayPal
Personal Courses: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Sure
Teams: Over 10 want particular lodging
Household Pleasant: Sure.
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul
High Courses
9. Janet’s Cooking Studio
Janet is a Korean chef skilled in New York Metropolis. She returned to Korea in 2011 to open a cooking college. She now offers excursions as properly. Her excursions aren’t the everyday Korean tour of what Koreans suppose foreigners need. She takes you to locations which might be near her coronary heart and inform a private story. She may be very a lot into cooking native. She will be able to additionally tailor programs to be gluten-free, vegetarian, or delicate to meals allergic reactions.
Web site: janetscookingstudio.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling
Reserving System: Type + PayPal
Personal Excursions: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Sure
Teams: Max. 6
Household Pleasant: Sure
Resort Decide-up: Sure
Space: Seoul
High Excursions
10. Absolute: Seoul Pub Crawl & Worldwide Social gathering
Seoul is actually town that by no means sleeps. It’s one all-day all-night social gathering. When you’re right here to social gathering then social gathering with these people. They’re the “ORIGINAL and LONGEST working pub crawl of Seoul and one of many longest working in complete Asia.”
This isn’t a literal meals tour. It’s all consuming, so be certain that to get one thing in your abdomen beforehand.
Web site: absolutepubcrawl.com
Tour Varieties: Strolling
Reserving System: On-line + PayPal
Personal Excursions: No
Solo Vacationers: Sure
Household Pleasant: Heck no!
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul
High Excursions
Bonus #11
I’m together with yet one more as a result of that’s simply what I do.
11. F&C Academy
Meals & Tradition Academy has been round longer than anybody right here. They’ve been instrumental on nearly each Korean drama that revolves round meals. I’ve labored with them a number of occasions, and I’ve been impressed at how thorough their data is, together with their relaxed educating model. If you wish to be taught a sure dish, that is the place to be taught it. You may make your individual tailor-made cooking class. Skilled cooks go there on a regular basis to be taught new methods. There are vegetarian lessons, although they’re extra on the pescatarian facet. They even have lessons for youths.
Web site: koreanrecipe.co.kr
Tour Varieties: Cooking lessons, strolling
Reserving System: Type
Personal Courses: Sure
Solo Vacationers: Sure, for a little bit additional
Teams: Group reductions
Household Pleasant: Sure. Kids’s low cost on some merchandise.
Resort Decide-up: No
Space: Seoul
High Courses
Inform us your favorites
Share with us your experiences on these Korean meals excursions. Inform us which of them we’ve missed.
If there are any particulars we have to repair, please Contact Us.
