Best 10 Korean Anju (Bar Foods) to Enjoy with Beer

Koreans always enjoy beer with anju (Korean bar foods). Today, I’ll introduce the best 10 must-try beer anju dishes along with easy and delicious recipes. When you pair Korean drinks with Korean anju, the flavors are doubled!

What is Anju? 안주

Anju refers to the food that is paired with alcohol in Korea, and it’s a core part of Korean drinking culture. You might think of it as something like Spanish tapas or bar snacks, but anju is usually served in larger portions—more like a full meal. The dishes are often more savory or strongly seasoned to complement the alcohol.

Anju by Alcohol Type

In Korea, people choose different anju depending on the type of alcohol.

• Beer (맥주): Greasy and salty foods like Korean fried chicken, samgyeopsal, and dried squid are perfect because the carbonation balances the heaviness.
• Soju (소주): Strongly flavored dishes like jokbal, spicy tteokbokki, or golbaengi muchim are popular since they soften the sharpness of soju.

Top 10 Soju Anju (Pairing Foods) You Must Try

• Makgeolli (막걸리): Savory and crispy pancakes like kimchi jeon or pajeon are the classics. The slightly sour flavor of makgeolli pairs well with the fried, salty taste of jeon.

This pairing system is a key part of Korean drinking culture, anju is not random but thoughtfully matched with each drink.

Popular Korean Beer Brands

If you visit a Korean bar, you’ll see a few beer names everywhere:

• Cass (카스) – Korea’s most iconic beer, very light and crisp.
• Hite (하이트) – Another classic, mild and refreshing.
• Terra (테라) – Popular among younger Koreans for its cleaner, fresher taste.
• Kloud (클라우드) – Slightly heavier and maltier compared to Cass and Hite.

While Belgian or German beers focus on variety and depth, Korean beers are designed to be easy-drinking, making them the perfect base for somaek (soju + beer cocktail).

Korean Drinking Etiquette

Part of enjoying anju and drinks in Korea is following basic drinking manners:

• Pouring drinks → Never pour your own glass. Always pour for others, and they will pour for you.
• Two hands → When giving or receiving a drink, hold the glass with both hands as a sign of respect.
• Turning away → When drinking with elders or your boss, slightly turn your head away to sip.
• One shot! (bottoms up!) → It’s common to finish a shot of soju or somaek in one go when someone proposes a toast.

These etiquette rules make drinking in Korea a more social and respectful experience, closely tied with enjoying anju together.

Where to Drink Beer in Korea?

In Korea, beer is light and easy to drink, often enjoyed alongside dinner. Most restaurants that serve dinner also sell beer, and it’s especially popular at Korean barbecue restaurants, where beer or somaek (a cocktail of soju and beer) is a favorite drink choice.

There are bars in Korea where beer is the main attraction, called Hof. Although the term is old-fashioned, people still say “Let’s go to a hof” or “Let’s go to a hof bar” when planning to drink beer. These places primarily serve beer along with beer-friendly snacks like fries, and of course, soju is also available.

Beer is also served at pochas, short for pojangmacha. Traditionally, pochas were small outdoor tents with plastic chairs, but nowadays many indoor places are styled with the same retro pocha vibe. Pochas are casual spots where people enjoy soju and inexpensive anju, but beer is also available since many Koreans love drinking somaek.

Korean Pocha Night at Home

Even if you’re not in Korea, you can enjoy a full Korean pocha experience at home. This set includes trendy and delicious anju recipes to enjoy with friends, fun drinking games to keep the night lively, and a curated K-pop playlist to bring the authentic pocha vibe to your space. The playlist is personally selected and regularly updated with new tracks to keep your pocha mood fresh every time.

Fun Korean Pocha Night Set with Tasty Anju Recipes

You’ll also get a full set of Korean phrases used at Korean bars and essential Korean drinking etiquette. True to the Korean bar experience, the set even includes instructions on how to make the perfect somaek. Now it’s time to host your own pocha night at home. No matter where you are, you deserve to enjoy this fun and unique piece of Korean culture.

How Korean Beer Differs from European Beer

I’m Korean, and two years ago I moved to Belgium. Belgian beer was on a completely different level. Germany is also famous for its beer, but today I’ll compare Korean beer to Belgian beer, which shows the biggest differences.

• Types: Korean beer is mostly lager. Belgian beer, on the other hand, comes in many varieties like ales and Trappist beers, with a wide range of flavors including fruity and chocolate notes.
• Taste: Korean beer is light and highly carbonated. Belgian beer varies in carbonation, but on average it is less fizzy than Korean beer and has a richer, heavier taste. While most Korean beers are mild, light, and refreshing, Belgian beers vary by region and brewery, offering bitter, nutty, sour, and many other flavor profiles.
• Drinking Style: In Korea, beer is usually enjoyed alongside food, almost like a beverage to complement a meal, or it is used to make the Korean cocktail somaek (soju + beer). Korean beer is made light because it often plays a supporting role. In Belgium, however, beer is the main focus. While small beer snacks like chips or nuts may be served, beer drinking time is mostly dedicated to enjoying the beer itself as the star of the experience.

Best 10 Beer Anju (Korean Bar Foods)

Now, let’s look at the top 10 Korean dishes that pair perfectly with beer. Recipes are included, so you can enjoy them at home with your drinks for the best experience. Keep in mind that these anju are best enjoyed with Korean beer. Because Korean beer is light, it balances perfectly with these flavorful dishes.

Korean Fried Chicken 치킨

Korean fried chicken is one of the most iconic beer dishes. Because it’s rich and greasy, it pairs perfectly with the highly carbonated Korean beer and also goes exceptionally well with the Korean cocktail somaek (soju + beer).

This recipe is for ban ban Korean fried chicken, which many Koreans order with half yangnyeom sauce (spicy-sweet sauce) and half plain fried. The moment you taste the yangnyeom sauce, you’ll say, “Yes! This is the flavor I remember from Korea!” As a Korean living in Europe, I found that the yangnyeom sauces here are often too dominated by gochujang flavor, so I really wanted to share this authentic recipe with you.

Muktae 먹태

Muktae, or dried pollock, is made by lightly drying salted and frozen pollock, leaving it not fully dehydrated. The exterior is dark and dry, while the flesh inside remains soft and mild. It’s famous in the Gangwon-do region and is rich in protein and amino acids, making it a popular choice for relieving hangovers. It’s usually enjoyed with mayonnaise, but adding a little soy sauce and some spicy cheongyang chili peppers to the mayo creates an incredibly delicious dipping sauce.

Korean BBQ Samgyeopsal 삼겹살

Samgyeopsal (pork belly) is one of the most iconic Korean BBQ dishes. In Europe, Korean BBQ often focuses on beef or chicken, but in Korea, when you think of Korean BBQ, pork belly is by far the most common. Beef BBQ is very expensive in Korea and usually reserved for special occasions, while chicken BBQ exists but is rarely eaten—something like dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken) is more common if you want a similar option. This recipe allows you to easily enjoy Korean BBQ at home.

Samgyeopsal pairs especially well with beer because pork belly is fatty. The carbonation and refreshing taste of beer cut through the richness of the meat, and studies from Harvard suggest that carbonation can help digest fat. In Korean BBQ restaurants, you’ll often see tables with Korean beers like Cass or Hite (Korean beer brands). These are traditional Korean beers, though young Koreans nowadays tend to prefer Terar or Kloud over them.

Dried Squid 말린 오징어

Another popular dried seafood anju is dried squid. Fresh squid is fully dried, resulting in a very hard and salty snack. Some people prefer slightly moist, semi-dried squid for a softer texture. In Korea, beer is often paired with dried seafood because the salty flavors of the snacks balance the bitterness of the beer and enhance the refreshing, crisp sensation of drinking.

Gyeran Mari 계란말이

In Korea, rolled omelette (gyeran mari) is eaten both as a side dish and as bar food. It’s a common anju menu at most Korean pochas. While home-style gyeran mari usually includes vegetables like carrots and green onions, the version served as anju often has cheese added to make it saltier and richer, perfect for pairing with drinks.

This recipe is for seaweed egg roll (gim gyeran mari), a simple Korean side dish my mom often made. It’s delicious dipped in ketchup or mayonnaise and is highly recommended as an easy homemade bar food.

Golbaengi Muchim 골뱅이무침

Just as the French enjoy snails, Koreans enjoy sea snails. In Korea, these sea snails are called golbaengi. Koreans cook them in soups or mix them in a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce to eat as anju. While some restaurants specialize in this dish, it’s commonly served at hofs and pochas.

Golbaengi is mixed with a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce and served with thin wheat noodles (somyeon) combined with the sauce. It pairs well with soju, but many people also enjoy it with beer, making it one of Korea’s classic drinking snacks. This is one of the Korean dishes I’ve missed the most since moving to Europe.

Stir-Fried Sausage with Vegetables 소세지 야채볶음

This dish is made by stir-frying sausages with onions and bell peppers in ketchup. While it’s a favorite side dish for kids, it’s also a popular anju for adults—so much so that most pochas serve it.

Here’s a simple stir-fried sausage with vegetables recipe. It’s one of the easiest and quickest Korean bar foods to make at home, perfect for a casual drink.

Jokbal 족발

Jokbal is made by simmering pig’s trotters in soy sauce and spices for a long time. It’s similar to Germany’s Schweinshaxe, but unlike Schweinshaxe, jokbal is boiled rather than roasted. The skin is cooked together, giving it a chewy texture, and it’s rich in collagen, making it beneficial for the skin.

While jokbal is commonly enjoyed as a soju foods, it’s also a great pairing with beer or somaek. The carbonation in beer balances the richness of the pork, creating a harmonious and delicious combination.

Tteokbokki 떡볶이

Tteokbokki is made with thin Korean rice cakes (garaetteok) cooked in a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce. While some tteokbokki restaurants skip the gochujang, most home recipes include it. Tteokbokki is a nostalgic bunsik (Korean snack food) loved by students, and even as adults, many continue to enjoy it for its familiar, comforting taste.

Tteokbokki is also a common anju at many Korean bars. The strong, spicy sauce pairs well with soju, but it’s equally delicious with the refreshing carbonation of beer. This recipe uses rice paper instead of rice cakes, making it easy to prepare anywhere. Stuff it with cheese for an even tastier version. If you live somewhere it’s hard to get rice cakes, this recipe is perfect for making a delicious anju at home.

Dakgalbi 닭갈비

Dakgalbi is a stir-fried dish made with chicken, cabbage, sweet potatoes or regular potatoes, and rice cakes, all cooked together on a hot iron plate with a spicy and slightly sweet gochujang sauce. It is a signature dish of Chuncheon in Gangwon Province and is also enjoyed as a popular bar food with beer or somaek (soju + beer). In the past, dakgalbi was something you would go all the way to Chuncheon to eat, but nowadays, you can easily find dakgalbi restaurants all over Seoul.

This cheese dakgalbi recipe is 99% identical to the flavor of the famous dakgalbi spot near Gangnam Station, so I recommend trying it at home the next time you have a cold beer.

FAQs about Korean Anju with Beer