Korean Food tours, especially Seoul food tours, daunt travelers with all the choices. There is no one-size-fits-all experience. As I said on a previous post, TripAdvisor/Viator tours and others like them tend to be reposts of other companies’ tours with 15-30% sucked out for commissions.
Do the right thing. Book directly.
Top 10 Korean Food Tours
I’ve compiled this list based on the most popular rankings and web searches. I know a lot of these operators personally, and they’re good people. We each have a different style. Find one that fits you.
1. ZenKimchi Korea Food Tours
I’ll just go ahead and post ours first to get it out of the way. ZenKimchi Korean food tours specialize in immersed experiences. We avoid the touristy areas. When we design tours, our guides want to show off why we love this place. What is it that keeps us here?
I created the tours out of frustration that many travelers, especially solo travelers, were having bad food experiences in Seoul. A lot of food programs, especially government funded programs, were run by Koreans who held outdated shallow stereotypes of foreigners. They dumbed everything down and tried to push through foods that everyday Koreans don’t eat, like Royal Court Cuisine. The big tour company bullies pack their starving tourists into restaurants that only made business from those tours. They served food that–well–you’d get an idea of what Korean prison meals taste like.
ZenKimchi creates curated experiences that are unlike any other. We want our guests to feel like they’re Korean for the night. We run a profit-sharing business model. This means that our guides own their tours. They aren’t college kids trying to make extra cash. They’re passionate professionals who know where to go.
Website: KoreaFoodTours.com
Tour Types: Walking
Booking System: Automated instant online booking for Credit Card & PayPal. Bank Transfer & Cash need to contact through booking form.
Private Tours: Yes
Solo Travelers: Yes, for most tours
Groups: Up to 20. Group discounts.
Family Friendly: Yes, for most tours
Hotel Pick-up: No
Area: Seoul only
Top Tours
| The Ultimate Korean BBQ Night Out | solo friendly | $85-118 |
| Jasmine’s Gangnam Secrets: Street Food & Chicken BBQ | min. 2 ppl | $99-110 |
| Chicken & Beer Pub Crawl | solo friendly | $85-118 |
| The Seoul Pub Crawl | min. 2 ppl | $100-115 |
| Seoul Hike (includes a unique meal at the end) | solo friendly | $79-90 |
| Mix-and-Match Private Tours | solo friendly | $350-1000/group |
| Premium Private Tours | solo friendly | $300-700/group + food cost |
2. O’ngo Food Communications
O’ngo is the granddaddy of food tour companies. They’re not just a tour company. They publish books, do research, and make video productions. The founder, Gina, is well respected in the Korean food community. They’re the most popular food tour company and cooking class entity. They have beginner to professional level cooking classes, and they even have special classes for company team building. I just saw they have a special North Korean cuisine class, which I think is the first of its kind. They conduct food tours in Seoul, Busan, Jeonju, and Jeju. They even do multi-day package tours.
Website: ongofood.com
Tour Types: Walking, cooking classes, mutli-day packages
Booking System: Form. They get back to you.
Private Tours: Yes
Solo Travelers: Tours cancelled if minimum booking isn’t met
Family Friendly: Yes, for most tours
Hotel Pick-up: Private tours
Area: Seoul, Busan, Jeonju, Jeju
Top Tours
| Night Dining Tour | min. 2 ppl | $88 ($15 surcharge for groups less than 3 people) |
| Street Food & BBQ Tour | min. 3 ppl | $57 |
| Namdaemun Market Tasting Tour | min. 3 ppl | $47 |
| Halal Food Tour | min. 3 ppl | $57 ($15 surcharge for groups less than 3 people) |
| Ultimate Food Tour: Private Tour | min. 2 ppl | $350/person |
| Beginner Cooking Classes | solo friendly | $65 |
| Advanced Cooking Classes | solo friendly | $250 |
3. Gastro Tour Seoul
Veronica Kang leading a group on Gastro Tour
Veronica Kang is a powerhouse. She knows Korean food. She has great stories. When I talk to people who have taken her tours, they gush with love. She creates one-of-a-kind experiences.
Gastro Tour specializes in less touristy fare–Korean food for the already initiated. Advanced level stuff. I’m looking for a chance to take her “Tuscany of Korea” tour. It looks so good! The brewmaster tour is a good crash course in Korean alcohol. It’s life changing.
Website: gastrotourseoul.com
Tour Types: Walking, day trips
Booking System: Form
Private Tours: Yes
Solo Travelers: Tours cancelled if minimum booking isn’t met
Groups: Can offer group discounts
Family Friendly: Yes, for most tours
Hotel Pick-up: Can arrange for a fee
Area: Seoul, Taean Peninsula
Top Tours
| Seoullo 7017: City Hall & Gwanghwamun Tasting Tour | max. 16 ppl | $80 |
| Traditional Seoul Gourmet Tour (Bukchon & Insadong) | max. 16 ppl | $99 |
| Tuscany of Korea (1 Day) | max. 40 ppl | $250 |
|
Brew Master Tour (Bukchon & Insadong) |
max. 30 ppl | $118 |
|
Seoul Night Food Tour (Hongdae) |
max. 16 ppl | $118 |
| Custom Events & Private Tours | Ask for price |
4. The Sool Company
Cooking classes you can find anywhere. What about home brewing classes?
“Sool” is the Korean word for liquor. The Sool Company specializes in teaching you about Korean alcohol traditions from tasting to making. Chinese records from 3,000 years ago stated that the people on the Korean peninsula were the best at making alcohol. The Sool Company was started by expat home brewing geeks obsessed with Korea’s rich drinking culture. They’ve studied under masters, and they have figured a way to distill that knowledge (see what I did there) into easy-to-learn classes. They even have a free online course.
If home brewing isn’t your cup of soju, then take one of their masterful Korean alcohol tasting tours.
Website: thesoolcompany.com
Tour Types: Home brewing classes, walking tours
Booking System: Online
Private Tours:
Solo Travelers: Classes need a minimum of 2 to run. Classes under 4 will get a W30,000 extra surcharge.
Groups: Classes max out at 10
Family Friendly: Not if you want your kids to learn how to home brew
Hotel Pick-up: No
Area: Seoul
Top Tours
| Makgeolli Brewing Class | 2-10 ppl. | $75 |
| The Insadong Taster | 2-12 ppl. | $90 |
| The Master Brewer | 2-12 ppl. | $125 |
| Traditional Korean Alcohol Dining Experience | 2-12 ppl. | $90 |
5. Intrepid Travels
Intrepid Travels isn’t an OTA. They’re not reselling other people’s tours. Instead, they’re an international company focusing on big multi-day experiences. Daniel Gray runs these tours, and you’ve seen him on many travel shows featuring Korean food. This is the ultimate all-in-one all-encompassing food tour of South Korea. Korean Fried Chicken. Bibimbap in Jeonju. Templestay with Buddhist temple food. Kimchi making class. Busan’s craft beer scene. It travels all over the country.
Website: intrepidtravel.com
Tour Types: Multi-day
Booking System: Form
Private Tours: No
Solo Travelers: Yes
Family Friendly: 15+ years old
Area: All over Korea
Top Tours
| South Korea Real Food Adventure | 1-12 ppl. | $2,585/person |
6. One Day Korea
“You make a wish, we make a tour!”
One Day Korea created an innovative tour recommendation system called “tumakr.” It helps you design your itinerary according to your desires. Similar to ZenKimchi, their guides create their tours. One Day Korea carries a lot of tours in different categories, one of them being food. The types of tours include street food, markets, kimchi making, Noryangjin Fish Market, and even hiking. This is a solution for you if you want to set up all your different tours under one provider.
Website: onedaykorea.com
Tour Types: Walking
Booking System: Online
Private Tours: Yes
Solo Travelers: No
Family Friendly: Most tours are family friendly
Hotel Pick-up: No
Area: Seoul, Busan, Andong, Gyeongju, Jeju
Top Tours
| Food Tour at Noryangjin Fish Market | min. 2 ppl. | $90 |
| Half Day Royal Palace & Food Market | min. 2 ppl. | $59 |
| Tradition vs. Modernity | min. 3 ppl. | $89 |
| K-Food Tour | min. 2 ppl. | $99 |
| Kimchi Making & Hanbok Wearing | min. 2 ppl. | $85 |
| Foodie Tour in Seoul | min. 4 ppl. | $99 |
| Hiking Inwangsan Mountain & Fortress Wall | min. 2 ppl. | $55 |
7. Seoul Hunters
They have three tours: Seoul Pub Crawl in Hongdae, Seoul Food Tour, and Seoul Fish Market Tour. I have heard good things about their tours. They have great customer service, and everyone I’ve talked to has been happy. The tours seem ideal for 20-somethings, with a high emphasis on drinking and drinking games. Their Seoul Pub Crawl can get a little crazy (as in fun).
Website: seoulhunters.com
Tour Types: Walking
Booking System: Online with deposit through PayPal
Private Tours: Yes
Solo Travelers: Minimum number is needed to operate each tour
Groups: Group discounts
Family Friendly: Fish market tour may be more family friendly
Hotel Pick-up: No
Area: Seoul
Top Tours
| Seoul Pub Crawl in Hongdae | 2-10 ppl. | $89 |
| Seoul Food Tour | 2-10 ppl. | $84 |
| Seoul Fish Market Tour | 2-10 ppl. | $86 |
8. F&C Academy
Food & Culture Academy has been around longer than anyone here. They have been instrumental on almost every Korean drama that revolves around food. I’ve worked with them multiple times, and I’ve been impressed at how thorough their knowledge is, along with their relaxed teaching style. If you want to learn a certain dish, this is the place to learn it. You can make your own tailored cooking class. Professional chefs go there all the time to learn new techniques. There are vegetarian classes, though they’re more on the pescatarian side. They even have classes for kids.
Website: koreanrecipe.co.kr
Tour Types: Cooking classes, walking
Booking System: Form
Private Classes: Yes
Solo Travelers: Yes, for a little extra
Groups: Group discounts
Family Friendly: Yes. Children’s discount on some products.
Hotel Pick-up: No
Area: Seoul
Top Classes
| Design-you-own Cooking Class | solo friendly | $90+ |
| Vegetarian Cooking Class | solo friendly | $100 |
| Korean Cooking Class + Market Tour | solo friendly | Regular cooking class price +$10 |
| Kids/Teenagers Cooking Class | Contact for prices | |
| Professional Classes | solo friendly | Contact for prices |
9. Janet’s Cooking Studio
Janet is a Korean chef trained in New York City. She returned to Korea in 2011 to open a cooking school. She now gives tours as well. Her tours aren’t the typical Korean tour of what Koreans think foreigners want. She takes you to places that are close to her heart and tell a personal story. She is very much into cooking local. She can also tailor courses to be gluten-free, vegetarian, or sensitive to food allergies.
Website: janetscookingstudio.com
Tour Types: Walking
Booking System: Form + PayPal
Private Tours: Yes
Solo Travelers: Yes
Groups: Max. 6
Family Friendly: Yes
Hotel Pick-up: Yes
Area: Seoul
Top Tours
| Private Cooking Class & Market Food Tour | solo friendly | $100 |
| Seoul Food Tour | solo friendly | $50 |
10. Seoul Gone Wild
Seoul is truly the city that never sleeps. It is one all-day all-night party. If you’re here to party then party with these folks. They started out on Halloween 2014 just meeting a bunch of young party-minded people. It grew, and grew, and now it’s an institution. This isn’t a literal food tour. It’s all drinking, so make sure to get something in your stomach beforehand.
Website: seoulgonewild.org
Tour Types: Walking
Booking System: Online + PayPal
Private Tours: No
Solo Travelers: Yes
Family Friendly: Heck no!
Hotel Pick-up: No
Area: Seoul
Top Tours
| Itaewon Pub Crawl | solo friendly | $17-27 |
| Hongdae Pub Crawl | solo friendly | $18-29 |
Tell us your favorites
Share with us your experiences on these tours. Tell us which ones we’ve missed.
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The post Top 10 Korean Food Tours With Prices & Crucial Details 2018 appeared first on ZenKimchi.
This post first appeared on ZenKimchi | Exploring Korean Food Since 2004, please read the originial post: here
