by KoreaJoongAngDaily
Michelin Bib Gourmand pictogram [MICHELIN]
The Michelin Guide has released its 2026 Bib Gourmand list for Seoul and Busan ahead of the official launch of the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan 2026.
This year’s Bib Gourmand selection includes 71 restaurants in total, with 51 in Seoul and 20 in Busan. Eight restaurants are newly added, including five in Seoul and three in Busan.
The list spans a wide range of Korean dining, from familiar staples such as samgyetang (chicken soup), perilla seed miyeok-guk (seaweed soup), North Korean-style mandu (dumplings) and tteokgalbi (beef) to buckwheat-focused specialists, plant-based kitchens and more refined soba options.
Bib Gourmand is the guide’s value-for-money designation, introduced in 1997, and it highlights restaurants that inspectors consider strong for quality at moderate prices. In the Michelin Guide Seoul & Busan selection, Bib Gourmand spots are those where a full meal comes in under 45,000 won ($31) per person.
Five of the additions are in Seoul. 3rd Samgyetang, which opened in 1973, is listed for its samgyetang made with a multi-ingredient broth topped with mung bean and pine nut purées and mugwort paste. Gosari Express in Sindang-dong Jungang Market runs a plant-based menu built around gosari (bracken) oil sauce, including bibim noodles and pancakes.
Sobakeeri Suzu serves soba made with Korean buckwheat, alongside tempura and braised dishes. Andeok is noted for beef naengguksu (cold noodles) and mandutguk (dumpling soup), using higher- buckwheat noodles in a light broth. Oilje centers on perilla seed miyeok-guk, with rice cooked in a cast-iron pot in an open kitchen.
Samgyetang served at 3rd Samgyetang served in Seocho District, southern Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Crown daisy bibim noodle served at Gosari Express in Sindang-dong Jungang Market in Jung District, central Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]
A street in Jongno District, central Seoul, full of restaurants [YONHAP]
Dumpling soup served at Andeok in Jongno District, central Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Perilla seed seaweed soup served at Oilje in Yongsan District, central Seoul [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Busan’s additions are Moemiljip, which mills buckwheat noodles in-house and serves them in spicy, perilla-oil and cold versions with boiled pork, Songheonjip, which specializes in charcoal-grilled tteokgalbi with doenjang jjigae (bean paste stew) in a renovated house setting, and Pyeongyangjip, which serves North Korean-style mandu and nokdujeon (mung bean pancakes), including dumplings filled with kimchi, glass noodles, tofu and vegetables in a clear beef broth.
The full Bib Gourmand list is available on the Michelin guide website and the Michelin guide mobile app for ios and android. the Michelin guide Seoul & Busan 2026 ceremony, marking the guide’s 10th anniversary in Korea, is scheduled for March 5, at Signiel Busan.
“This year’s Bib Gourmand selection showcases the depth and diversity of Korean gastronomy,” said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide. “From tradition-rooted dishes to distinctive noodle-focused concepts and plant-based cuisine, a wide range of culinary styles come together in harmony. It is particularly impressive to see restaurants delivering high-quality and well-executed dining experiences at accessible prices.”
Kayakers are seen during the Starry Suyeonggang River: LED Kayak Experience festival in Busan in 2024. [BUSAN TOURISM ORGANIZATION]
Reference
Written by KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]
Provided by Korea JoongAng Daily
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