Meat grilling on a Korean BBQ grill

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KVIBE IDOLS › Food guides › Korean dishes explained › 불고기 (bulgogi)

🍜 Korean dishes explained

What Is Bulgogi?불고기 · bulgogi

What is it?

"Fire meat": thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sugar, pear, garlic and sesame oil, grilled or cooked on a domed pan with broth. One of the first Korean dishes most visitors love — sweet, not spicy.

How to eat it

  1. Wrap in lettuce like BBQ, or eat with rice.
  2. Broth-style bulgogi: spoon the sweet juices over rice.
  3. Classic pairing: bulgogi first, then cold noodles.
Typical price
₩15,000–35,000 per serving
How to order · Say it in Korean불고기 2인분 주세요.Bulgogi i-inbun juseyo.Bulgogi for two, please.

Where to try it

Samgyeopsal pork belly on a Korean BBQ grillBest Korean BBQ in Seoul (the old-school way)Where to eat Korean BBQ in Seoul like a local: Mapo pork galbi at Choi Daepo, crispy bassak bulgogi at Yeokjeo…Street food stall at Mangwon Market, SeoulHongdae & Mapo: where to eatWhere to eat around Hongdae: Mangwon Market street food, Mapo pork galbi and crispy bulgogi houses, and Eulmil…A bowl of Korean cold noodles (naengmyeon)Best naengmyeon (cold noodles) in SeoulWhere to eat Pyongyang-style naengmyeon in Seoul: Woo Lae Oak (1946), Pildong Myeonok and Eulmildae — subtle b…

FAQ

Is bulgogi spicy?

No — classic bulgogi is sweet and savoury. Spicy pork versions are called jeyuk bokkeum.

Beef or pork?

Bulgogi is beef by default; "dwaeji bulgogi" is the pork version.

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