• 42 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

What to Eat with Korean BBQ

Leaves, ssamjang, scallion salad, kimchi, rice and a stew: what shares the table with bulgogi, galbi and pork belly.

What to Eat with Korean BBQ

Show all 42
  1. Red leaf lettuceWash and dry the leaves well and stack them where everyone can reach.
  2. Napa cabbage kimchiServe it cold in a small dish, cut into bite-size pieces with scissors.
  3. Scallion salad (pajeori)Dress it at the last minute and put a pinch inside every wrap.
  4. SsamjangGive each person a small dish, and dab it on the meat, not the leaf.
  5. Perilla leaves (kkaennip)Lay one inside a lettuce leaf for a wrap with a stronger, herbal taste.

Next step Plan another night's dinnerDraw something sweet for after

All 42 ideas

Leaves to wrap the meat in 7

  • Perilla leaves (kkaennip) Lay one inside a lettuce leaf for a wrap with a stronger, herbal taste.
  • Pickled perilla leaves (kkaennip-jangajji) Salty and strong. Wrap one round a spoonful of rice between pieces of meat.
  • Pickled radish paper (ssam-mu) Fold a cold round over a hot piece of meat in place of a leaf.
  • Pickled Siberian onion leaves (myeongi-jangajji) Wrap one leaf round a slice of pork belly and leave out the sauce.
  • Raw napa cabbage leaves Use the small, pale inner leaves and serve them cold.
  • Red leaf lettuce Wash and dry the leaves well and stack them where everyone can reach.
  • Steamed cabbage leaves Steam them only until they bend, and cool them before they go on the table.

Sauces and things to tuck in the wrap 9

  • Gochujang Set a small dish beside the ssamjang for anyone who wants more chili.
  • Pickled garlic (maneul-jangajji) Put one clove in a wrap in place of raw garlic, or eat it between wraps.
  • Pickled onions in soy sauce (yangpa-jangajji) Lift a few pieces out of the brine and eat them with the meat.
  • Roasted soybean powder Press one side of a slice of grilled pork belly into the powder.
  • Salted anchovy dip (meljeot) Warm a small dish of it on the grill and dip pork belly in it.
  • Sesame oil with salt and pepper (gireum-jang) For meat grilled without a marinade. Dip one corner of the piece only.
  • Sliced raw garlic Put one slice in each wrap, or brown the slices on the grill first.
  • Soybean paste (doenjang) Use a small dab in a wrap in place of ssamjang.
  • Ssamjang Give each person a small dish, and dab it on the meat, not the leaf.

Scallion salad, kimchi and other side dishes 8

  • Cucumber sticks and whole green peppers Serve them raw, with a dish of ssamjang to dip them in.
  • Lettuce salad with chili dressing Tear the leaves and toss them just before the meat comes off the grill.
  • Napa cabbage kimchi Serve it cold in a small dish, cut into bite-size pieces with scissors.
  • Scallion kimchi (pa-kimchi) Lay a whole scallion along a piece of meat and eat them together.
  • Scallion salad (pajeori) Dress it at the last minute and put a pinch inside every wrap.
  • Seasoned spinach (sigeumchi namul) A mild, cool dish to eat between rich mouthfuls.
  • Spicy radish salad (mu saengchae) Crunchy and sharp. Add a few strands to a wrap of fatty meat.
  • Steamed egg (gyeran-jjim) Bring it to the table in its hot pot and share it with spoons.

To cook on the grill beside the meat 7

  • Enoki mushrooms Wrap a bunch in foil with a little butter and leave it at the side of the grill.
  • Garlic cloves in sesame oil Set a small foil dish of cloves and oil on the edge of the grill.
  • Kimchi cooked on the grill Lay it where the fat from the pork runs, and turn it once it browns.
  • King oyster mushrooms Slice them lengthways and grill until both sides are golden.
  • Onion slices Cut thick rings so they hold together when you turn them.
  • Pumpkin slices Cut them thin and put them on before the meat.
  • Rice cake sticks (garae-tteok) Grill until the outside blisters, then dip in sesame oil and salt.

Rice, stews and cold noodles 7

  • Cold buckwheat noodles in broth (mul-naengmyeon) Have it after the meat, and cut the noodles once or twice with scissors.
  • Fried rice in the grill pan (bokkeum-bap) Chop the last of the meat and kimchi, add rice and seaweed flakes, and fry.
  • Kimchi stew (kimchi-jjigae) Sharper than soybean paste stew. Choose it after pork belly.
  • Soft tofu stew (sundubu-jjigae) For a table that wants its stew hot with chili. Share it over rice.
  • Soybean paste stew (doenjang-jjigae) Bring it boiling in its pot near the end and share it over the rice.
  • Spicy mixed cold noodles (bibim-naengmyeon) Mix the bowl well, then wrap a few strands round a piece of grilled meat.
  • Steamed rice A bowl for each person. Put a little in the wrap, or eat it between wraps.

Drinks 4

  • Barley tea Hot or cold, in a jug on the table for the whole meal.
  • Lemon-lime soda Cold from the fridge, a can for each person.
  • Magnolia berry tea (omija-cha) Pour it cold over ice, sweetened with a little honey.
  • Sweet rice punch (sikhye) Serve it cold in small cups once the grill is off.

How it works

What to eat with Korean BBQ, be it bulgogi, galbi (kalbi) or pork belly: leaves to wrap the meat, sauces, small side dishes, things for the grill, then rice, stew or cold noodles. 42 ideas in all.

Read the full guide

What Korean barbecue is served with

Korean barbecue comes with banchan, small side dishes. Rice and kimchi are the most popular, and at restaurants a scallion salad called pajeori always comes with the meat. A popular way to eat it is as ssam: a piece of meat wrapped in lettuce or a perilla leaf with ssamjang, a thick paste of soybean paste and chili paste, and often a slice of garlic.

Build the table round the grill

Grilled meat is rich, so set something raw, something sharp and something plain beside it: leaves, kimchi and rice do all three. Garlic, onions, mushrooms and kimchi can cook on the grill with the meat.

  • Set out the leaves, sauces and side dishes before the grill is lit. Once the meat is cooking, nobody wants to get up.
  • Keep each wrap small enough to eat in one mouthful, so nothing spills.

Questions and answers

What do you eat with Korean BBQ?

Lettuce and perilla leaves to wrap the meat, ssamjang, sliced garlic, a scallion salad, kimchi and a bowl of rice. A soybean paste stew or cold noodles can end the meal.

What should I serve with bulgogi?

Beef bulgogi is often served over rice or with a bowl beside it, along with kimchi and other side dishes. Lettuce can wrap a slice with a dab of ssamjang. Garlic cloves, sliced onions and green peppers are often grilled with the meat.

What to eat with kalbi?

Kalbi, also spelled galbi, is grilled ribs, usually beef short ribs. Cut the meat into pieces with scissors, wrap a piece in lettuce or a perilla leaf with ssamjang and garlic, and serve rice and side dishes with it.

What sauce goes with Korean BBQ?

Ssamjang goes in the wrap. Pork belly, usually grilled without a marinade, is dipped in sesame oil with salt and pepper. Marinated meat such as bulgogi is seasoned already and needs no dip.

What do you drink with Korean BBQ?

Without alcohol: barley tea through the meal, a cold lemon-lime soda, or a sweet rice punch once the grill is off.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Food