Keeping Up with the K-Food Culture
Keeping Up with the Convenience
Stores in Korea
Tips for Enjoying the Convenience Store Experience
Convenience stores frequently appear as backgrounds in Korean dramas, movies, and TV shows. Millennials and Gen Z spend a lot of time at convenience stores eating cup noodles, snacks, and drinks. Each brand has different snacks and convenience foods reflecting Gen Z's tastes, making them a must-visit for foreign tourists traveling in Korea.
Tips for Enjoying the Convenience Store Experience
Popular Convenience Store Food Items on Social Media
Convenience store foods such as jumbo Dosirak ramyeon that is eight times larger than normal products, extremely spicy chicken flavor ramyeon, chewy honey cookie, scorched croissant, cakes, and coffee are gaining popularity through social media. As soon as new products are released, people rush to try them. It is fun to shop for products that are in collaboration with various brands or products that have outstanding ideas.
Convenience Store Food Recipes
Gen Z enjoys convenience store food and shares recipes, such as mixing two kinds of ramyeon, adding sausage and cheese to spicy chicken flavor ramyeon, or finding delicious combinations of bread and drinks. Culture plays an important role in the development of convenience store food as well as new product development.
Convenience Stores in Korea
7-Eleven 
As the first convenience store brand in Korea opened in 1989, it has led the history of convenience stores. It has created convenience foods in collaboration with popular restaurants, and these foods enjoy high sales.
GS25 
The convenience store boom was triggered by its "cost-effective" lunch boxes and self-branded products. Its coffee is also famous for its high-end machines and beans.
CU 
The brand had the largest number of stores in Korea as of 2022. There are many types of convenience foods that are delicious. Among its products, the "Giant" series with generous portions is very popular.
emart 24 
It is an emart affiliated convenience store that sells over 40 items including snacks, beverages, and ramyeon under the self-branded "Minsaeng" series, which is receiving good reviews from consumers.
Gen Z’s Favorite Convenience Store Food Items
A variety of food options are available in convenience stores that cater to Gen Z's tastes, combining a variety of flavors and types. Many convenience stores offer special promotions, such as 1+1, discounts, and additional gifts, and they also have products that are exclusive to that store or developed in-house. These are products popular with foreigners among them.
Cookie and Cream Jumbo Roll Cake
It's a great dessert to share with friends while traveling. The moist cake sheet has sweet and rich cookie and cream fillings.
Available at GS25
A Mouthful of Vanilla Choux
Known for its chewy bread and vanilla-flavored custard cream, this is one of the most popular baked goods in convenience stores.
Available at GS25
Yonsei Hallabong Cream Bread
This bread was once only available in Jeju, but now is available nationwide thanks to its popularity. It is shaped like Hallabong, a specialty of Jeju, and contains Hallabong custard and whipped cream.
Available at CU
Hyejaroun Bean-powder-coated Rice Cake Flavor Mammoth Bread
It is a large appetizing bread containing four ingredients including bean-powder-coated rice cake, red bean paste, bean-powder cream, and strawberry jam.
Available at GS25
Maeil Salty Peanut Roll Cake
It looks like an ordinary roll cake, but the combination of salt and peanut butter is excellent.
Available at CU
Meoktaekkang
Dried pollack, Cheongyang chili peppers, and mayonnaise make it a popular snack to go with beer.
Hoeori King Seafood Flavor
It is a popular snack to go with beer. The whirlpool-shaped snack has a crispy texture and 7 different seafood flavors.
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramyeon Snack
It's a snack that lets you feel the love Koreans have for ramyeon. After crushing the noodles and mixing them with the seasoning well, you can enjoy a crunchy and spicy taste.
Oh! Tube Black Aglio Sauce Flavor
Sweet and salty potato snack. It is delicious when dipped in garlic soy sauce.
Netflix Combo Popcorn
This is jumbo-sized popcorn for people who binge-watch popular dramas on OTT. The popcorn tastes similar to movie theater popcorn, which makes it popular.
Available at GS25
Baehongdong Spicy Chewy Noodles
There is a sweet and sour sauce with pear, red chili, and radish water kimchi, along with chewy dried noodles.
Hot Chicken Flavor Ramyeon Soup
It was discontinued but re-released in response to popular demand. It has a spicy flavor with minced garlic and red chili powder, and the rich soup is addictive like spicy braised chicken.
Omori Kimchi Jjigae Ramyeon
The combination of kimchi jjigae and ramyeon is excellent.
Available at GS25
Stir-fried Sesame Seed Ramyeon
It is a stir-fried noodle version of sesame seed ramen with sesame oil flavor and is characterized by spiciness and a savory taste.
Lucky Yakgwa Latte
The drink is one of the “Lucky Honey Cookie” series, made from honey cookie, a dessert that has recently become popular among Gen Z in Korea. It does not contain caffeine, so feel free to drink up!
Available at GS25
Choonsik Coffee Milk
This generous bottle of coffee-flavored milk (500 ml) is perfect for sharing with friends. It is popular among Gen Z because it depicts Choonsik, a popular Kakao Friends character.
Available at GS25
Yakult Grand
Yakult became a synonym for yogurt beverages containing lactobacillus. It has been steadily loved since it was released in a 280ml version at the request of consumers.
Available at GS25
Yonsei Cold Brew Coffee Milk
It's mild-tasting coffee-flavored milk made with cold brew coffee. This cute-shaped container with colored lids and handles is the secret to its popularity. In the past, this product was only available at convenience stores, but it has recently become available at large supermarkets.
Available at CU
* The content was written in September 2023, hence some of the details may have changed.
More info
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