It’s getting warmer here in Korea. Do you know what that means? Travel! And, the best part of traveling is, without a doubt, tasting new foods. As a history buff, one of the top places on my Korea travel list was Gyeongju. The ancient capital has some of the oldest remaining places in all of Korea. And, of course, the food in Gyeongju is tasty!
Over the recent holidays, my friend and I decided to go to Gyeongju – an old beautiful city with a rich history. But in this article, we won’t talk about main tourist attractions or hot places. Today is the day when we will travel around the food courts and try the most famous snacks and drinks in the city!
And the first thing to start with (and I’m not afraid to declare this) is definitely ten-won bread – 십원 빵.
Its name comes from the shape. The bread is round and has the emblem of Korean 10 won coins (but the real price for one portion is 3,000 KRW). The dough is similar to waffle dough but inside a big portion of cheese is hidden.
When you bite into it, long hot stripes of cheese out and well, it’s kinda heaven. Try it ones you will never forget!
But if you’re going to eat this masterpiece, be prepared for long queues. As Koreans are a little over the top when it comes to trends. And, well this place has come out on many TV shows. Almost every booth with this bread has its sign featuring filming on the SBS. For example, the one when we were, has photos with the president!
The next step in our foodie journey is corn ice cream. A cone full of soft sweet swirl ice cream made of corn is waiting for you behind a queue of 10-15 people lol (have I already talked about how Korean people love queues?). But it totally worth waiting!
Ice cream isn’t too sweet and has small pieces of canned corn. Besides ice cream you can also try two types of puffed rice: one with mayo and one with a sauce called ‘hwangnam’. Puffed rice will cost 3000 won for one can and 5000 for ice cream.
With Jeju orange juice you can take a mini trip to island paradise….I know this is Gyeongju, not Jeju. However, the drink seems just as popular there as it did here. You can get fresh juice made from Jeju oranges right on the streets of Gyeongju! Pay 4000 won and get not only good taste but even a bottle with Hareubang (famous Jeju stone figures).
When it comes to fries the one thing you should know is sweet….. Sweet potato, of course! So, if you take a walk on the streets of Gyeongju you can notice that almost everybody is eating these bright orange strips. Pay 3,000 won and enjoy the sweet taste of fried sweet potatos (warning: not everybody likes sweet potato, so try it at your own risk!).
And last but not least – Gyeongju bread or hwangnam bread. It’s a small round shape bun with red bean paste inside and a print of the sun on the bottom. The dough is really thin so it’s literally melting in your mouth! You can also buy it as a souvenir in pretty present boxes (5p. for 4500 won).
I hope, that after these delicious reviews and yummy photos, you’re going to visit Gyeonju as soon as this corn ice cream is melting in the warm spring sun. don’t miss your chance and pack a suitcase!
P.S. all these tasty snacks can be easily found on Café Alley ‘Hwangnidan-gil ‘or 황리단길. Adress: 746, Taejong-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Want to explore Gyeongju’s historical sites this spring? Click Here to discover the city’s spring attractions!
