I’m a huge fan of Korean snacks and sweets, and of course you have to buy at least a few when you are in Korea. They make great souvenirs that you can bring home to share with your family, friends, colleagues, neighbours… no one would say no to good food! Some are so delicious, you’ll most likely just finish it up before you can even bring them back home 😂
Here is a list of stuff that I’ve tried and will recommend that you buy, try and bring back home as well! You can definitely get most of these in Lotte Mart, and a selected few at convenience stores.
Bibigo Seaweed (돌김)
I would say this is slightly pricey for seaweed at more than 8000 won per packet – you can definitely find other cheaper brands out there, but none as delicious as this Bibigo one. Buy as many as you can because it’s unlikely you can find it in Singapore (I haven’t). This packaging also doesn’t include that bulky, plastic tray that other seaweed brands tend to have, so you can pack them nicely in your luggage.
Market O Real Brownie (Original & Matcha Green Tea)
I first ate the original ones last December, and found out about the green tea ones only when I came to Korea again this summer. In all honesty, I love matcha and I prefer the green tea ones. If you only had space for one box in your luggage, I would definitely recommend buying the matcha green tea flavour instead of the original.
Honey Butter Chip (Canada Maple Syrup)
If you’re very updated on Korean news, you would have heard about how there was a honey butter chip craze that swept across Korea some time back. Although honey butter chips are no longer the ‘it’ snack, I still couldn’t resist trying out this special edition chips when I saw it in Daiso last December. Plus, it was on sale at just 1000 won!
I found it a bit too sweet for me (imagine how sweet honey butter chips already are, and add another layer of sugar to it from the maple syrup), but you might love this if you have a sweet tooth.
Market O Real Cheese Chips
This is the ultimate snack that will keep you crunching in satisfaction while you binge on K-dramas (am I speaking from experience? Plausibly). The cheese flavour is just right – not too overwhelming, yet not too little that I can’t taste it at all.
Orion Camembert Cheese Cake
My friend recommended that I try this, so I thought okay, it should be quite good if she’s recommending it. The cheese taste is a bit strong for my liking, but overall I think it’s not a bad snack, just something you would really want to eat in moderation.
Calbee Takoyaki Balls
Eating a Japanese snack in Korea? I know it sounds weird, but hear me out. This stuff is so salty and flavourful that it is absolutely hard to resist, like an addictive snack that you just want to keep eating. Plus, it only cost me 1000 won – what more can I complain?
Cider Jelly
Tastes like cider, looks exactly like a miniature cider can – too cute!
Honey Butter Almonds
These honey almonds are probably as famous as choco pies and honey butter chips. They make for a very nice snack, but I think there is more than one brand selling this (and not all taste equally good). Be a little discerning, especially when it comes to something that is selling at way too cheap a price!
Honey Butter Cashewnut
The cashew nut equivalent of the former, which is a great alternative if you’re not so much an almond person.
Wasabi, Yogurt, Peach, Hot & Spicy Chicken, Laver, Tiramisu Almonds
This is for the people who always complain about you giving them the same honey butter almonds every time you come back from Korea. I know some of them look slightly dubious (do you really want spicy almonds that remind you of spicy ramen?), but they are actually more appetizing than you imagine. My favourites are the Wasabi and Yogurt ones!
Choco Pie
We all know the traditional ones, but if you are looking for something more interesting, consider this choco pie that is filled with interesting fillings such as injeolmi and caramel salt. You can find this brand (Chocopie House) from Lotte Mart ~
Onion Rings
A salty delight that you can find in any convenience store or super mart. Makes for an absolutely great TV companion. Take my word for it.
I found these vitamin gummies in convenience stores and Lotte Mart as well. Okay to be fair, I bought these because of the cute packaging, but I have to say that they are quite delicious and sweet. I do have to point out though, the Apeach multi-vitamin version tastes a bit strange, but nothing too unpalatable.
Tteok-bokki Gummy
A novelty sweet that should, well, probably just stay as a novelty product. However, I would still recommend that you buy this as a souvenir for your friends who have always wanted to try this Korean rice cake dish, or are fans of it.
Yogurt Gummy
This list is not exhaustive, I’ll occasionally come back and update on more recommendations!
Most of us in Asia would probably know, and have drunk Yakult before. This gummy sweet tastes exactly like a sweet, condensed version of our favourite (childhood) drink. It’s slightly more expensive in Singapore, so I definitely recommend you stock up on this in Korea.
THEVYPEFFECT 