Any reco sa best kimchi EVER in terms of quantity AND quality?

(As a tamad magisip ng gulay needs everyday)

TIA!

I’m still on a hunt to find the best kimchi (I can’t make it myself due to lots of reasons.

Where can I find really good fresh kimchi. I see loads of places in the US have homemade in house kimchi but I don’t think anywhere in the U.K. does that.

Can I order it online anywhere?

It'd be great to find a place that sells it by the pound or in takeaway containers. I've been buying it at the grocery store and it's good but would love to get some fresh stuff locally.

Edit: when I say I've been buying it at the grocery store I mean Lidl, not a specialty or international store. I'd prefer to buy it from a store bc it's probably cheaper and I eat a ton of it but figure there are places that do it better than Lidl.

Hey all, looking for tips and recommendations on where to find the best kimchi in Brussels. Best brands and shops that sell them or potential places that prepare their own?

Just looking for a place that doesn’t have over fermented old Kimchi.

Buenas, quiero comer kimchi porque he aprendido sobre que tiene beneficios para la salud intestinal y me gustan las cosas picantitas (nivel moderado igual). Pero como es un fermentado no sé si cualquiera será bueno??? dónde se compra un buen kimchi? soy de Santiago por eso pregunto acá, pa que me den datitos de alguna tienda o algo así

I'm looking for the best Kimichi in the DFW area, it doesnt have to be a restaurant per se. Thanks in advance!

One week: Seoul and Sokcho (first Korea visit)

Focus: hiking, food, tours

I loved reading other people's trip reports and found it helpful for planning our trip so I thought I'd through our experience in.

Day One: Arrived in Seoul-stayed in Myeongdong. We went to Myeongdong Kyo Ja for dinner, we would highly recommend, we had a chicken broth soup and a tray of dumplings. You will line up to order, once you reach the server they will ask you to pick the items you would like, there are about four menu options. Pick what you'd like and pay in advance. They are very quick about rotating people through the restaurant so the line will go fast.

Day Two: A very long day, we hit up Seoul Tower, Gyeongbokgung Palace/Folk Museum, Bukchon Hanok Village, and Namdaemun Market. We also tried Myeongdong Croquettes, a cute little bakery with great croquettes, try the red bean one.

Day Three: DMZ tour-we booked through Klook and it was worth it as we hadn't been to Korea before. On the tour we got to try soybean icecream, we enjoyed it a lot more than we thought we would. It almost has a peanut butter-esqe flavor. We also walked through Myeongdong Night Market. We preferred Namdaemun over Myeongdong. Myeongdong was very busy and it was hard to look at each stall. Namdaemun also has clothing, jewelry, kitchenware, etc. so you can look through that between bites of hotteok and tteokbokki.

Day Four: Trip to Sokcho, we caught the express bus from Seoul. We caught the local bus Seoraksan National Park and hiked to Biryong falls/observatory. We ended up doing the hike quite late, but that worked out for us because we were some of the last people leaving the park. We spotted a raccoon-dog just as we were leaving (this is a huge win for us, we wanted to see one while hiking in Japan and few years back but couldn't find any). We also tried marinated crab. I'm not sure if it was because it was the off season but restaurants were closing up around 8pm, so plan accordingly, Naver and google maps didn't always have accurate hours for places.

Day Five: Back to Seoraksan, we hiked Ulsanbawi Rock-be prepared for stairs! Afterwards we went to the fish market, you'll see locals wandering around with white boxes of chicken-follow them! Other stalls will try to distract you with other chicken, don't give in, you need to try the original. There are two stalls at the market, they are white with a red chicken head logo-it's called Mansuk Dak Gangjeong. Try their fried chicken, they will hand you a box, it will be cold but don't be alarmed, it is fantastic. The sauce has a bit of spice with some peppers but is also sweet and sour.

Day Six: Back to Seoul. Before we left Sokcho we stopped at Chungchodam for coffee. We had a phenomenal sesame latte. The cafe is very trendy and the latte was great, highly recommend. We did a pub crawl through Hongdae, we booked it through Klook. This was not exactly what we expected, the bars we went to were clearly set aside for tourists and didn't give an authentic experience. The plus side was meeting some other lovely folks who were travelling and sharing some tips. The downside hit us the next morning; soju will give you one hell of a hangover.

Day Seven: It was a rainy day so we tried to find indoor activities. We went to the war and women's rights museum, it was interesting to learn more about the comfort women system. We also went to Lotte mall and got a new pair of glasses + free eye exam from Davich Opitical. We also wandered around Lotte world and checked out the cherry blossoms. Luckily our lovely hotel host gave us umbrellas or this day would have been a bit of a wash.

Day Eight: We walked through Hongdae shopping street. I like to collect cute art/earrings from different places we travel to. We went to Object and found a few post cards and stickers. Then we caught our flight home!

Overall it was a fun trip, probably too brief to fully experience Korea but we enjoyed our time. If you are planning to go, download Naver and Papago beforehand as google isn't totally reliable there.

Just got back from an incredible 10-day trip to South Korea with my partner and wanted to share our itinerary and tips in case it helps anyone planning something similar!

✈️ Flights + Arrival

We flew from San Francisco to Incheon (ICN) on Delta with a connection through Seattle. Once we landed, we took the train from the airport into Hongdae in Seoul. It’s a super lively neighborhood full of restaurants, bars, and shops—highly recommend it as a base!

Quick tip: You’ll need cash to buy a transit card (T-money) at the airport, which works on all the buses and trains. Totally worth it and made getting around seamless.

🏙️ Days 1–5: Seoul

We stayed in an Airbnb in Hongdae, which we loved. It felt young, fun, and was easy to get around via train.

Some highlights from our time in Seoul:

• Bukchon Hanok Village – A beautiful walk through traditional Korean homes.
• Baseball Game - Highly suggest going to a baseball game! Probably our highlight of the trip! Much more livelier than baseball in the US. Very similar to baseball in Japan.
• Gyeongbokgung Palace – Former Royal Palace
• Myeongdong Night Market – Street food heaven and a skincare lover’s dream.
• Cheonggyecheon Stream – Great place to relax and people-watch.
• Dongdaemun Design Plaza – Super cool and modern area to explore.

Food we loved:

• Korean BBQ (especially pork belly!)
• Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes)
• Bibimbap
• Fried chicken
• Cass Beer

🚄 Day 5: Train to Busan

We took the KTX high-speed train to Busan, which only took a little over 2 hours and was really comfortable and easy to book.

🌊 Days 5–9: Busan

We stayed near Haeundae Beach in another Airbnb. Busan had a completely different vibe than Seoul—definitely more laid-back and tourist-friendly (lots more English signage, etc.).

Here’s what we enjoyed most:

• Haedong Yonggungsa Temple – A gorgeous temple right on the coast. It was one of the most beautiful places we saw the whole trip.
• Gamcheon Culture Village – Very photogenic, colorful hillside homes with art everywhere.
• Gwangalli Beach – Chill beach scene with nice views of the Gwangan Bridge.
• Jagalchi Fish Market – Wild experience, especially if you’re into seafood.

Transit in Busan was super easy too—very similar to Seoul in terms of navigation and cost.

✈️ Day 9–10: Back to Seoul + Flight Home

Took the train back to Seoul for one last night, then flew out of ICN back to San Francisco. Easy and efficient!

🧳 Final Thoughts

• We loved how efficient and clean public transit was in both cities.
• Korea is super walkable, safe, and full of energy.
• If you’re into food and culture, this country will absolutely deliver.
• For us, Seoul was definitely more “local-feeling,” while Busan was more relaxed and beachy.

Happy to answer questions if anyone’s planning a similar trip!