Eating out in South Korea can sometimes be costly or a chore, but it doesn’t need to be – with a population of over 50 million residents, there is a cornucopia of cheap chain restaurants in Korea, suitable for families, couples or solo dining.
From the best bibimbaps to marvellous mandu, it is easy to eat cheaply in South Korea. Big fried chicken chains like bhc Chicken have over 2,000 restaurants nationwide and many local restaurant chains like Gimgane or Ssada Gimbab serve delicious dinners for less than 6,000 Won
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We are also suckers for western food with a local spin like Rolling Pasta and Lotteria – or join local families at belly busting buffets like Ashley Queens or Qoo Qoo. Or how about an ice cold beer and hot spicy stew at Yeokjeon Halmek AKA Grandmother’s Beer?
Whether it is spicy chicken at Yoogane or inexpensive breakfasts at Isaac Toast, here is our guide to the best chain restaurants in South Korea and Korean family restaurants.
PS – We’ve purposely not included chain coffee shops and bakeries like Ediya, Paris Baguette and Starbucks – read our guide to the best Seoul coffee shops instead.
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Chain restaurants in South Korea
Bukchon Son Mandu
There are SO many mandu (dumpling) restaurants to choose from, but we found this South Korean chain restaurant to be one of the tastiest (and cheapest too)!
We discovered Bukchon Son Mandu 북촌손만두 totally by chance on one our very first South Korea visits – it was a tiny shop just off Insadong Cultural Street and the enticing mist from the huge dumpling steamers enticed us in.
Honestly, at first we thought it was a local dumpling shop but there are in fact around 200 locations in South Korea!
If you visit and eat meat, you absolutely must try the beef rib dumplings – they are incredible. Bukchon Son Mandu 북촌손만두 is known for its steamed dumplings (jjin-mandu), fried dumplings (twigim-mandu) and other dishes like cold noodles (naengmyeon) – and yes, there are lots of free side dishes like kimchi and pickled radish.
We ordered three dishes (dumpling and noodle soup bowls plus two types of dumplings) and it cost less than 20,000 Won. Recommended (but be prepared to queue if you are arriving during peak dining hours).
Korean Fried Chicken Chains
Clucking hell – obviously as one of Korea’s signature dishes, there are many famous fried chicken chains the biggest of which is bb.q (Olive) Chicken which has around 2,500 restaurants and outlets.
Other popular fried chicken chain joints include bhc Chicken (2,200 stores), Kyochon Chicken (1,300 stores), Goobne (1,200 restaurants) and Puradak (700 stores).
Most offer BIG plates of flavored fried chicken for around 20,000 to 25,000 Won (enough to share with 2 or 3 people).
All are generally great places to enjoy some ‘chimaek’ (the Korean term for fried chicken served with beer) and many offer different flavors but different styles of chicken including boneless. All chicken places also provide free pickled turnip as a side.
If we had to choose, our favourite is Kyochon Chicken (so juicy) but they are all pretty similar – we also really LOVE the baked chicken at Goobne (best served with several ice-cold glasses of CASS beer).
Mom’s Touch
Because mom was always right! Mom’s Touch 맘스터치 is South Korea’s largest local fried chicken and burger fast-food chain with just under 1,500 branches.
We first tried Mom’s Touch whilst looking for an easy place to eat on Seomyeon’s Youth Street and have been back a few times since.
It is basically naughty food, like huge chicken thigh / fillet burgers drenched in sauces, available as a combo with sides and soft drinks.
They have lots of flavors / toppings to choose from like white garlic, bulgogi and jalapeno – we recently tried their cajun mango burgers and let’s just say we were not a fan!
You will find Mom’s Touch branches pretty much everywhere including busy areas like Myeongdong, Gangnam and even Jamsil Baseball Stadium. The prices are OK and they often have limited edition menus created by TV chefs from programmes like Culinary Class Wars.
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Yoogane Chicken Galbi
If you don’t fancy fried chicken, another popular chain restaurant option is Yoogane ‘유가네닭갈비 which has several branches in Myeongdong and hundreds across South Korea.
In fact, Yoogane is Korea’s number 1 chicken galbi restaurant (and also quite cheap and cheerful) starting in 1981 and now operating over 300 restaurants.
Chicken galbi / dakgalbi is a spicy chicken dish which is made with gochujang and various other ingredients you can choose from.
Cooked in a massive hot plate in the centre of your table, staff will often help you cook it (and keep you refreshed with ice cold beer) – Yoogane is a fun meal to enjoy in Seoul at night, or anywhere in South Korea really!
Watch our vidoe of our dish being cooked at Yoogane on our Facebook page >
Gimgane
This is possibly the South Korean chain restaurant we eat at the most as it has a broad menu, is inexpensive and is all authentic Korean cuisine. Gimgane (김가네) has around 500 locations and is ALWAYS busy, day and night.
Usually small restaurants with only a handful of tables, Gimgane does good food at great prices – and don’t forget to get your chopsticks and utensils from the ‘secret’ drawer under the table.
We love the kimbaps at Gimgane 김가네 especially the pork cutlet roll or beef or anchovy – their signature kimbap is egg, crab stick, ham, fish cake, squid and veggies.
They offer everything from traditional Spam lunchbox sets to sizzling bulgogi platters, kimchi stew to hot stone bibimbap.
Isaac Toast
Isaac Toast is a top toasted sandwich store in Seoul (very cheap too), and can be found all over South Korea (700 outlets and counting). Every time we go to a branch and order, there are usually lots of local students too, who obviously know good, cheap food!
Their classic sandwich consists of ham, cheese, egg, pickle and diced cabbage covered in swathes of sauce, covered in toasted butter sweet bread.
Whilst not gourmet cuisine, most sandwiches cost around the 3,000 to 4,000 Won mark and each toastie is cooked fresh, so it is perfect for a cheap meal.
Read more about Isaac Toast in our guide >
Grandma’s Beer (Yeokjeon Halmek)
Raise a glass to “Grandma’s Beer”(Yeokjeon Halmek), Korea’s biggest chain of pubs with over 1,000 bars. It is nice to enjoy a mug of beer, watch sports with locals and enjoy Korean food in a pub style setting.
For British readers, we’d describe Grandma’s as the Korean version of Wetherspoons pubs or for Americans, maybe Applebees, Hooters or Boston.
Based on our own experiences, it is popular with Korean workers and young locals plus sport fans – oh and the occasional travellers like ourselves.
Most of the bars have a tablet ordering system and the food ranges from local dishes like spicy ramyeun, tteokbokki fried chicken and grilled squid to western style fare like sausage and chips.
Most Yeokjeon Halmek / Grandmother bars in South Korea open mid afternoon and close around 2am. Some bars have extended opening hours on Friday nights and the weekends.
Read our Grandma’s Beer Korea pub chain guide here >
Myeongdong Kyoja
One of Seoul’s most popular and inexpensive chain restaurants, Kyoja 명동교자 has been serving up delicious hand-made dumplings and noodles to hungry locals for decades. They currently have three Kyojas – two in Myeongdong and one in Itaewon.
Founded in the 1960s, Myeongdong Kyoja has a simple but succulent menu comprising just a handful of dishes.
Whilst the food at Myeongdong Kyoja is traditional, the service is a much more modern affair with automated ordering machines in several languages, plus food often delivered by robot servers.
From marvellous freshly steamed mandu (dumplings) to brilliant bibimguksu (cold spicy mixed noodles), here’s our Myeongdong Kyoja restaurant review >
Ashley Queens Buffets
If you are looking for an easy evening meal or cheap lunch, check out South Korea’s most popular family restaurant buffet chain – Ashley Queens (there are almost 150 branches).
A weekday lunchtime buffet at Seoul Ashley Queens is 19,900 won per person which is £10.75 or $14.20 USD. The price is most expensive for dinner and during weekends. If you want to eat steak or drink beer you need to pay a supplement.
The selection of food is huge! It’s definitely not the best quality food, however for the price, it is brilliant value and the place was full of locals filling their plates up high! And kids will enjoy making their own waffles and all the sweet treats at the end.
You might like – Our things to do in Seoul with kids or things to do in Busan with kids
Rolling Pasta
OK, we hear you – you probably haven’t gone all the way to South Korea to eat inauthentic pasta dishes, but hear us out! Sometimes after a long day of sightseeing, you just want a quick easy bite, especially if you have a big family with varying tastes.
We actually really like Rolling Pasta (롤링파스타) and there are about 130 Rolling Pasta restaurants across South Korea.
Founded by famous TV chef Paik Jong-won 백종원 (the host of Culinary Class Wars), you can get fairly decent pasta dishes like carbonara, hamburger steak pasta or spaghetti alle vongole for about 5,000 to 9,000 Won a dish.
Pizza, risotto and olive bread are also available (not so good).
The restaurants are often busy with locals (especially workers and students) and ordering is usually via a tablet (which can be changed to English). Not haute cuisine but a cheap and convenient Italian chain restaurant in Korea.
Ssada Gimbab
Any chain restaurant that loosely translates as “cheap gimbap” is alright by us! Ssada Gimbab 싸다김밥 is a casual Korean eatery chain open until late (often 24 hours) with around 100 branches all over South Korea.
Order via a self-service kiosk as your first enter, grab a seat and then go pick up your food from the counter when you number appears on screen – easy, efficient and inexpensive.
Our favourite dishes here include Bibimbap, seaweed gimbaps (their signature dish), ramyeon, tteokbokki and mandu – don’t forget to grab the free sides and condiments too.
The concept is casual, quick and affordable Korean food rather than a formal restaurant.
Lotteria Burger
A Korean / Japanese burger and fast food chain with over 1,300 restaurants, Lotteria (롯데리아) is one of the top 5 fast food chains in South Korea and basically like a Korean McDonalds.
Established in the late 1970s by the Lotte Group, it also has another 300 Lotteria restaurants overseas in countries like Japan, Singapore and Malaysia (the first branch actually opened in Tokyo in 1972). They also opened their first USA branch in 2025.
Known for its local offerings like Bulgogi burgers, shrimp burgers and fried chicken, Lotteria is an inexpensive way to eat out but nothing to write home about – the name also means ‘cafeteria’.
No Brand Burger
A quick mention of No Brand Burger 노브랜드 버거, a South Korea fast food chain that you’ll see in various train stations, high footfall areas and student areas.
Kind of like a cut-price McDonalds, the bright yellow branding and logo makes No Brand Burger easy to spot with around 500 locations across Korea. It is an offshoot of the supermarket chain No Brand (you’ll often see these burger joints next to the supermarkets).
Launched in Hongdae in 2019 by retail giant Shinsegae, their burger range is big with lots of Korean flavorings like kimchi, jjajang or bulgogi burgers, all served with fries and soft drinks like Chilsung cider.
Good value but for us, not necessarily the best tasting burgers – very saucy too!
Preppers
This is a health-focused chain restaurant in South Korea with approximately 30 to 40 branches across the country, and is highly popular with office workers and fitness enthusiasts.
Their menu consists of high-protein meal options using lean meats like chicken breast, pork tenderloin and beef (the exact protein count is displayed on the self-service ordering kiosk).
The meals are usually served with fresh salad, steamed vegetables, rice or pasta and cost between 6,900 Won to 14,900 Won
Qoo Qoo Buffet
Qoo Qoo 쿠우쿠우 포항점 is a Korean chain buffet with around 85 branches nationwide including the Pohang one pictured here – it was in our hotel overlooking the beach so we had to try it – in fact, we went back the next day as it was good value.
Qoo Qoo is so (so) popular with locals – we went once for lunch and it was packed with workers and once again at night, where it is FULL of families and young couples.
QooQoo is one of South Korea’s largest all-you-can-eat premium buffet chains, specializing in sushi, sashimi, Korean BBQ, and international hot foods plus dozens of desserts including waffle bars and ice cream stations.
We paid 31,900 Won each for the evening buffet (around £16 or $21 USD) which included drinks which we thought were really good value – it included so much sushi and sashimi / hoe plus crab. The price is cheaper at lunch.
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