You can’t leave Korea without these 7-11 products
If you’re a fan of Korean dramas, convenience store scenes are no stranger to you. In Korea, convenience stores are not just grab and go stores but most even have tables for you to sit at have a proper hot meal! Whether you’re looking to do a late night soju run or kickstarting your morning with a sumptuous breakfast, read on to find out what the must try items are!
Klook me to Seoul!
Food and drink
1. Bento Boxes (Dosirak)
If you’re looking for a cheap and convenient but yet still authentic Korean meal, you’ll want to try one of these bento boxes! Stuffed with a whole variety of Korean food, you won’t have to worry about not finding something you like. The grilled pork belly and stir fried spicy pork are the crowd favorites! These come served with rice, rice cakes and a variety of other side dishes like eggs, vegetables and fishcakes.
Pair yours with a pack of kimchi for an authentic Korean meal! Otherwise, bring these sealed packs of kimchi home for a taste of Korea while you’re back in your home country.
2. Samgak Kimbap
These little rice triangles are great if you’re looking to grab a bite on the go! Filled with a variety of fillings like tuna, pork belly and even eel, choose your favorite flavor and get munching!
3. Hot Bar
These vacuum-packed sausages and other meat sticks are called “hot bars”! With flavors like garlic, cheese and spicy variants, pick a flavor of your choice or grab a bunch and share them with the gang. Don’t forget to microwave your hot bars before consuming them if you’re taking them home!
4. Binggrae Banana Milk
This Binggrae banana milk drink might look familiar to many of us, especially if you’re a fan of k-dramas. We find that this brand in particular is just the right sweetness! If you’re not a fan of banana, they also have chocolate, strawberry and melon variations!
Source : Instagram
Otherwise, these extremely cute bottles of milk might also tempt you into buying them! These flavored milk drinks are not only yummy but these LINE friends and Kakao talk packaged milk drinks sure make a good souvenir to take home as well.
5. Instant Noodles
Everyone loves instant noodles. Even though these are not the healthiest for you, this is definitely one of our guilty pleasure indulgences late in the night.
Even if you have never tried these Korean fire noodles, i’m sure you’ve seen people attempt the “Spicy noodle challenge” on YouTube! If you’re up for a challenge and have taste buds that can tolerate the heat, sink your teeth into a bowl of these spicy chicken flavored dry noodles.
We recommend not having this in public just in case you end up with tears running down your face and a leaking nose.
If you prefer your noodles soupy, the popular choices are the Nongshim brand ramyun or if you’re watching your diet, the green and yellow cup ones are a healthier choice!
6. Honey Butter Everything!
These honey butter bad boys have taken the world by storm! For those who have never tasted these snacks, be warned that they are extremely addictive. To the food geniuses who decided to pair honey and butter together, we’re glad you did. These also come in potato potato chip, cashew and other nuts for those who don’t like almonds. They also have other flavors like wasabi and yogurt for those who don’t fancy honey butter.
7. Peel Sausages
These sausages in a packet are a great snack for those who like fuss free snacks! Here’s a hack for you – if you feel like just plain instant noodles are a bore, try slicing these guys up and throwing them into your noodles!These also can be eaten cold so you don’t have to worry about heating these up before sinking your teeth into them.
8. Sparkling Soju Drink
This sparkling soju drink “Isul Tok Tok” is perfect for the casual drinker who hates the burning taste of soju. With flavors like peach and pineapple to mask the taste of the soju, this 3% alcohol drink is also a treat for the tastebuds!
9. Drink Packets
These cute little drink packets are not just regular juice packets but they come with bits of jelly in them! They come in flavors like mango and peach and come packaged in the ever popular Kakao friends packets!
If you’re looking for your caffeine fix, these packets of drinks are actually coffee! There are a huge variety of flavors and they even have low calorie options if you’re watching your diet.
10. Chips
There are many different types of chips for all taste buds – corn chips, potato chips etc. Here are 2 flavors of chips that we think are extremely unique! The Tteokbokki (korean spicy rice cake) chips are sweet and spicy and have a good crunch factor. The green packaged ones are corn soup flavored chips shaped like turtle shells are perfectly crunchy and savory!
11. Jellies
Credit: Instagram
Credit : Instagram
Home to some of the cutest and yummiest jellies as they call it in Korea, these gummies are definitely a must try! We’d suggest grabbing a bunch of different flavors before your day trips out of Seoul on the KTX. Not only will they make a great snack, they will also help to keep motion sickness at bay.
12. Ice-cream
Credit : Instagram
I’m sure most of us are familiar with the Lotus Biscoff, but for those who aren’t, these are caramelized biscuits so good that you cannot stop at one. Now in ice cream form, you’ll definitely want to try these caramelized biscuit ice cream cones!
Souvenirs
1. Phone cables
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If you’ve forgotten to bring your phone cables this trip, don’t fret! You can easily pick up one at the convenience store near you. They come in the cutest forms, with a small Kakao friend button that prevents the wires from getting tangled up, these are cute and functional!
2. Cashless payment cards
If you don’t like carrying bundles of cash when you go out, opt for one of these cashless cards! These are transportation cards that allow you to ride on public transportation, saving you the hassle of buying single trip transport tickets. You can also use them to pay for your purchases at convenience stores!
3. Cosmetics
Credit : Instagram
We all know South Korea is the mecca for all Korean beauty products so it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll even find them in convenience stores. Load up on sunblock before your day out in the town at your nearest convenience store and you won’t have to worry about getting sunburnt!
