The Korean Food Koreans Eat When It Rains

Search for Korean food and you'll get bulgogi and bibimbap.

But on a rainy night in Seoul, the line isn't outside either of those places. It's outside a jeonjip — a pancake house.

This isn't folklore. There's data.

A Korean card company analyzed evening sales (6 p.m. to midnight) across 200,000 Seoul restaurants over two months. On days with 30–50mm of rainfall, sales at pajeon specialty restaurants rose 89% compared to clear days.

Nearly double. From weather alone.

In my last piece I explained what makgeolli is. This one is the next step: when to drink it, how to drink it, what to eat with it, and where to go.

Quick answer
The Korean food most associated with rainy days is pajeon (a scallion pancake), served with makgeolli (Korea's traditional fermented rice brew). Two things drive the craving: rain sounds strikingly like batter hitting a hot pan, and low light is commonly linked to a dip in serotonin that sends people reaching for carbohydrates. Related rainy-day Korean dishes include bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), yukjeon (beef pancake), and dubu-kimchi (tofu with stir-fried kimchi). All of them pair with makgeolli.

1. Why Rain Means Pancakes: The Korean Food Logic Behind It

Ask a Korean and you'll usually get the same answer. "Rain sounds exactly like frying."

That's half right.

pajeon

The sound: Pavlov's pancake

Raindrops hitting an eave make a specific sound. Batter hitting hot oil makes a similar one.

If you grew up eating pajeon on rainy afternoons, your brain hears one and produces the other. It's classical conditioning, plain and simple.

More precisely, it works as psychological association. The brain has stored the sound of frying. Rain retrieves that memory, and the memory arrives carrying an appetite.

Which means this circuit is installed only in people raised in Korea. As a visitor, you don't have it.

But you can install it. One rainy evening in a jeonjip is enough.

The body: a serotonin dip

Hormone output shifts with daylight. When sunlight drops, melatonin — which governs the body clock — goes up, and serotonin goes down.

Amino acids and B vitamins found in wheat-based foods are commonly explained as building blocks for serotonin, which is why the craving on grey days is often attributed to that mechanism. Rainy days also bring low pressure and easier blood sugar dips, which is frequently cited as another reason people reach for something salty and fried.

Treat this as the popular explanation, not a lab result. But the behavior it describes is real and you can watch it happen every time it rains.

Why makgeolli attaches itself

In traditional Korean medicine, wheat is considered a "cold" food that burdens digestion when eaten in quantity — and makgeolli, rich in dietary fiber and lactic acid bacteria, is said to compensate.

You can take or leave the framework. The result holds up.

A pancake fried in that much oil sits heavy. The acidity and light carbonation in makgeolli push it back down.

Three circuits fire at once. Sound triggers memory. Grey weather demands carbohydrates. Fried food demands something acidic. That's why no Korean resists it.

[Image alt text: pajeon sizzling in a pan on a rainy day in Seoul]

2. One Bottle, Three Drinks: How to Pour Makgeolli

This is the most useful thing in this article.

Pull a bottle from the fridge and look at it. The top is clear. The bottom is white and settled.

The moment you shake it, that information is gone.

The three-pour method

Pour one: don't shake it (the clear top)

Tilt the bottle carefully and take only the clear upper layer.

Pale gold. Light as water. This is the part closest to cheongju, Korea's clear rice wine. The acidity and aroma come through sharp, and the rice sweetness arrives a beat later.

If you want to evaluate the aroma, start here.

Pour two: mix it gently

Keep the cap on. Lay the bottle down and roll it side to side, or hold the neck and swirl it in slow circles.

The sediment comes up about halfway. This is what most people mean when they say "makgeolli." It's the best-balanced pour in the bottle.

Pour three: mix it completely

Bring everything up off the bottom.

Deep milky white. Thick. Maximum nuttiness, maximum grain body. It will fill you up.

One bottle. Three genuinely different drinks. You can't do that with a bottle of wine.

Don't shake it — roll it

Live makgeolli contains yeast that's still working, and that yeast is still producing carbon dioxide. Shake it up and down and you'll open a fountain.

Three correct methods:

Cap on, bottle on its side, roll it back and forth
Slowly invert and right it two or three times
Already opened? Pour it into a kettle and stir with a ladle or chopsticks

Traditional taverns use the third method. A jujeonja (kettle) and a ladle. That's the proper way, not shaking the bottle.

Glassware and etiquette


Traditional vessel	A wide ceramic bowl (not a cup). It opens the aroma and sets the mood
Substitute	A glass tumbler is fine. A wine glass works aromatically but looks wrong
Temperature	4–8°C / 39–46°F. No ice — dilution wrecks the balance
First pour	Serve the oldest person or the guest first
How to pour	Two hands on the bottle, or right hand pouring with your left hand supporting your right forearm
How to drink	In front of an elder, turn your head slightly to the side
Topping up	Unlike soju, topping up a partly full glass of makgeolli is perfectly normal

How Koreans actually mix it

None of this is a corruption of tradition. Koreans do all of it, routinely.

Mak-sa (makgeolli + lemon-lime soda). Roughly 3:1. Sweeter, lighter, lower ABV. This is the pour to hand a first-timer who finds straight makgeolli too much.
Makgeolli + Yakult. Mixed with Korean cultured milk drink. It becomes, functionally, an alcoholic yogurt smoothie. It goes down dangerously easily. Widely drunk, widely regretted.
Makgeolli + blended fruit. The current young-crowd move. Strawberry, mango, peach, blended in.

[Image alt text: makgeolli poured into a ceramic bowl]

3. Eight Bottles of Makgeolli to Drink With Korean Food

Prices are approximate, based on large supermarkets. Convenience stores run 15–25% higher.

Tier 1: Beginner bottles you can't get wrong

1. Jipyeong Saeng-Makgeolli (Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi)

750ml, 5% ABV, around ₩1,900 (about USD 1.40) at a large supermarket. Made with 11.35% domestic rice. Very little of the funk that unfiltered makgeolli can carry, and an unusually smooth finish. Moderately sweet, moderately fizzy, clean.

If I could hand a first-timer exactly one bottle, this is it. The nuruk aroma barrier is basically absent. The 1.7L format runs about ₩3,300 (USD 2.40) and is the best value on any Korean shelf.

2. Jangsu Saeng-Makgeolli (Seoul)

6% ABV. The best-selling makgeolli in Seoul, stocked in every convenience store. Slightly sourer and thicker than Jipyeong.

This is the Korean default setting. Drink it once as your reference point.

3. Palgongsan Makgeolli (Daegu)

The signature makgeolli of the Daegu–Gyeongbuk region. Brewers here have long built their identity around water drawn from the slopes of Mt. Palgong, and the style is known for a fresh, nutty character.

You won't find it easily in Seoul supermarkets. Drink it in Daegu. That's the answer.

A rule that matters more than it sounds: unpasteurized makgeolli has a short shelf life, so regional bottles often never leave their region. This isn't a flaw. It's a reason to travel. Drink the local makgeolli where it's made.

Tier 2: No added sweetener (for the real flavor)

Here's something most guides skip. A large share of cheap makgeolli contains sweeteners like aspartame. Check the label.

Bottles built on rice sweetness alone are a different category of drink.

4. Neurinmaeul Makgeolli (Baesangmyun Brewery)

Aspartame-free. Rice, nuruk, water. The brand's concept is that flavor shifts with the season and the number of fermentation days. Around ₩4,000–5,000 (USD 3–3.70). Their own pubs let you taste it at different fermentation stages.

5. Song Myeong-seop Makgeolli (Jeongeup, North Jeolla)

Aspartame-free and extremely lean. The first sip makes people ask whether it's actually alcohol.

Then you eat something with it and it clicks. This is a drink built to stay out of the food's way. Korean fine dining pours it constantly. Around ₩3,000–4,000 (USD 2.20–2.90).

Tier 3: Craft bottles worth the money

6. Boksoondoga Son-Makgeolli (Ulsan)

Aggressively carbonated. The fizz develops naturally inside the bottle and erupts like champagne on opening.

Open it over a sink, upright, slowly. Sharp acidity, clean cut on the finish. Around ₩12,000–15,000 (USD 9–11).

7. Haechang Makgeolli (Haenam, South Jeolla)

The flagship of premium makgeolli, sold in 6%, 9%, and 12% versions. Density and sweetness climb with the ABV. The 9% is the balance point. Around ₩12,000–20,000 (USD 9–15). Excellent as a gift.

8. Geumjeongsanseong Makgeolli (Busan)

Brewed with foot-pressed nuruk. First-timers are often surprised: instead of sweetness, you get roasted rice character and a nuruk-driven acidity up front, finishing clean. Korea's first officially designated folk liquor.

When Italian Michelin chefs visited a 500-year-old brewery on Welcome, First Time in Korea?, the foot-treading they did is the same tradition behind this bottle. Around ₩3,000–4,000 (USD 2.20–2.90).

Suggested progression: Jipyeong → Neurinmaeul → Boksoondoga → Haechang 9%. Run that order and you'll know your own taste within a month.

4. The Three Rules of Pairing Korean Food With Makgeolli

Makgeolli goes with almost any Korean food. But "it goes with everything" isn't an explanation.

Understand why it works and you'll never stall in front of a Korean menu again.

Makgeolli carries three weapons: lactic acidity, carbonation, and grain body. Each one handles a different kind of food.

Makgeolli's weapon	What it handles	Examples
Acidity + carbonation	Fat (it scrubs the palate)	Jeon, bossam, pork belly, fried chicken
Ferment meeting ferment	Aged and fermented food	Skate, kimchi, salted seafood
Grain body + sweetness	Heat (it buffers capsaicin)	Chicken feet, gopchang, tteokbokki

Pajeon and bindaetteok: the default answer

Pajeon is a pancake built on a thick bed of scallions. Add seafood and it becomes haemul-pajeon. Crisp, savory, salty.

Bindaetteok is a thick pancake of stone-ground mung beans. If pajeon is crisp, bindaetteok is heavy and nutty. It's fried in a serious amount of oil, which is exactly why makgeolli's acidity does its most dramatic work here.

In Jongno and Gwangjang Market, bindaetteok is arguably the real headliner.

Yukjeon: the most underrated match

Thin slices of beef, dredged in flour and egg, pan-fried.

Here's why I push yukjeon over pajeon. Pajeon stars vegetables and batter. Yukjeon stars protein and egg fat. Makgeolli's acidity cuts that fat with precision, and yukjeon is mild enough that it never buries the grain aroma in the drink.

Common at Gwangjang Market and in the old shops of Ikseon-dong.

Dubu-kimchi: a three-stage structure

Kimchi is itself a lactic-fermented food. Makgeolli carries lactic acidity. Same family, meeting up, amplifying each other.

Dubu-kimchi is warm blanched tofu topped with stir-fried kimchi, and I recommend it specifically. The tofu's blankness works as a buffer: sharp kimchi acidity → soft tofu → makgeolli sweetness. Three clean stages.

When the Italian chefs sat down at that brewery, their table held pajeon, acorn jelly, dubu-kimchi, and fresh fruit. Their verdict was that every single dish was a fantastic match for makgeolli.

Hongtak: the final boss

Read this section with the warning attached.

Hongtak combines the words hongeo (skate) and takju (the cloudy-brew category makgeolli belongs to). Hongtak-samhap is a South Jeolla dish: fermented skate, boiled pork, and aged kimchi wrapped together, with makgeolli alongside.

Fermented skate carries a powerful ammonia note. First-timers tear up. It can genuinely take a layer off the roof of your mouth. That's not an exaggeration.

Then the makgeolli arrives and the whole thing changes.

Skate isn't rich, it's pungent — which is why a soft drink suits it better than a hard one. The instant the ammonia starts to rise, a mouthful of makgeolli washes it away and leaves only the savory depth that fermented food produces. Many Koreans also note that skate tastes distinctly sweeter when eaten with makgeolli, which is part of why the pairing works.

The analogy that lands with Western readers: it's the same principle as a restaurant serving milk with its hottest dish.

Four rules for hongtak

Don't attempt it on your first trip to Korea. Come back after kimchi and cheonggukjang feel normal.
Go with a Korean. You need someone to show you the assembly order.
Start at a good restaurant. If your first experience comes from a place that can't control the fermentation, you will never try it again.
Budget for it. Skate is expensive — expect to spend well above a typical jeon place.

Other things that work

Bossam. Boiled pork with kimchi and ssamjang, wrapped in cabbage. Fat and ferment firing at the same time.
Dakbal / gopchang. Spicy chicken feet with makgeolli is textbook. The sweetness and viscosity physically coat capsaicin — far more effective than water or beer.
Fried chicken. Koreans call it mak-chi. It lives in the shadow of chimaek (chicken + beer), but batter fat and makgeolli acidity are arguably a better fit than beer ever was.

Unexpected Western pairings

Camembert or Brie. Lactic against lactic. Surprisingly excellent.
Smoked salmon. The acidity organizes the fat and the smoke.
Cream bread. Chef Yoon Nam-no floated this combination on the broadcast. The dairy fat wraps the acidity and the result lands somewhere near a lassi.
Pepperoni pizza. Personal preference, but the logic holds.

What doesn't work (this is information too)

Steak. Makgeolli has no tannin. It loses.
Chocolate desserts. The acidity collides with cacao bitterness.
Sushi. The grain body smothers the delicate umami of the fish.

5. Where to Eat This Korean Food in Jongno, Seoul

Jongno is the district where Seoul's makgeolli culture survived longest. It also overlaps the Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung walking routes, which makes it the most practical neighborhood for visitors.

For the widest selection: Ho Seonsaeng Jeon (Gwangjang Market)

A walk-in refrigerator lined wall to wall with traditional Korean liquor, sorted by flavor profile. You pull your own bottle. Yukjeon and gimmari are the signatures.

If you visit exactly one place from this list, make it this one. The choosing is half the experience. Daily 11:00–23:00.

For a first taste of hongtak: Hongeoga Makgeolli-reul Mannasseul Ttae (Insadong)

Insadong 16-gil. The name translates roughly as "when skate met makgeolli." The owner walks you through the eating order personally, and the fermentation is dialed back enough that a first-timer can manage it.

For the full hongtak course: Sinancheon Main Branch (Naeja-dong)

Near Gyeongbokgung Station. Proper hongeo-suyuk-mugeunji samhap, served the way it should be. If the Insadong spot is the introduction, this is the main event. Higher price bracket, closed Sundays.

For a genuine old-Seoul room: Haengbokhan Jip (Ikseon-dong pocha alley)

Donhwamun-ro 11-gil. The sign is Korean only and hard to spot: from Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 4, walk down, bear right at the fork, look for the green sign. No English menu. Yukjeon and mung bean pancake. Tue–Sun from 14:00 (until 2 a.m. Fri–Sat), closed Mondays.

For potato pancake with a lean pour: Sanchez Makgeolli (Anguk-dong)

Yunboseon-gil 26. Basement level, down a side alley off the main road — you will walk past it unless you're looking. The potato jeon is the signature, and it comes alive against lean Song Myeong-seop makgeolli. Eight tables total, so seats go fast. Daily 18:00–01:30.

For a walk down Pimatgol: Sigol Jeonjip (Jongno 3-ga)

123 Jong-ro, near Exit 1. A pancake house that also serves proper meals — bean sprout soup, sundubu — so you can handle dinner and drinks in one sitting. Low prices. 10:00–21:00.

For textbook bindaetteok: Nagwon Bindaetteok (Nagwon-dong)

Supyo-ro 22-gil. Narrow, old, unchanged. Seafood pajeon, potato jeon, chive jeon. Go on a rainy day and the picture completes itself.

For a group with non-Korean friends: Bekseju Maeul Jonggak

Ujeongguk-ro 2-gil, beside the Bosingak Bell Pavilion. Tasting flights of traditional liquor, group tables, and the easiest access of anywhere on this list. 17:00–24:00, closed Sundays.

For 40+ varieties and fruit blends: Seo Pi Dong Pa (Myeongnyun-dong)

Technically Jongno District, practically the Daehangno area. An overwhelming makgeolli list, plus blended versions with fresh strawberry, peach, or mango. This is where you see how young Koreans actually drink it. Open until 2 a.m.

For pairing with a Seochon walk: Chebudong Janchijip (Seochon)

Jahamun-ro 1-gil, walkable from Gyeongbokgung. Chive pancake, janchi-guksu, perilla sujebi. No reservations, so expect a wait. 10:00–22:00.

[Image alt text: bindaetteok and makgeolli at a Jongno tavern]

6. Practical Warnings for Rainy Day Korean Food and Drinking

Always carry the bottle upright

The cap on unpasteurized makgeolli has a tiny vent hole so fermentation gas can escape. Lay it on its side and it will almost certainly leak.

Your bag turns white. I've watched it happen more than once.

Avoid the tourist-facing bars on Insadong's main street

Some post photos outside with no prices. A pancake that costs ₩5,000–13,000 (USD 3.60–9.50) in a market or a side alley can appear at ₩19,000–25,000 (USD 14–18) on the main drag.

Check whether prices are posted outside before you sit down.

Walk Pimatgol while you're there

In the Joseon era, commoners had to prostrate themselves when a nobleman's procession passed on the main road. So they built a back alley to avoid it. Pi (avoid) + mat (horse) — the horse-avoiding alley.

The pancake houses and makgeolli bars are still in it.

Price expectations

One pancake: ₩10,000–15,000 (USD 7–11). One bottle of makgeolli: ₩4,000–7,000 (USD 3–5). Two people can eat and drink well for ₩30,000–40,000 (USD 22–29).

Skate restaurants are the exception. Budget separately.

Going alone is fine

Solo diners are common in old pancake houses. Just avoid the 19:00–21:00 crush, because the seating is tight.

7. FAQ: Korean Food on a Rainy Day

What Korean food do Koreans eat when it rains?
Overwhelmingly, jeon — Korean pan-fried pancakes. Pajeon (scallion), bindaetteok (mung bean), kimchi-jeon, potato jeon, chive jeon, seafood pajeon. Makgeolli alongside is the default. Among soups, sujebi (hand-torn dough soup) and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) also count as rainy-day food.

What's a good first Korean food and drink pairing for a visitor?
Pajeon or bindaetteok with Jipyeong saeng-makgeolli. Neither has a strong aroma, and both are available in any neighborhood. Save the skate-and-makgeolli combination (hongtak) for much later.

What's the difference between pajeon, buchimgae, and bindaetteok?
Jeon is the umbrella term. Pajeon is built on scallions, bindaetteok is made from ground mung beans, and buchimgae is simply the more casual everyday word for jeon. Kimchi-jeon, potato jeon, and chive jeon are all members of the same family.

Do pancake restaurants really fill up when it rains?
They do. In that card-company analysis of Seoul restaurant sales, pajeon specialty restaurants saw an 89% sales increase over clear days when rainfall hit 30–50mm. On a rainy evening, expect to queue at any well-known spot.

Should I shake makgeolli or not?
Both are correct. Unshaken, it's clear and light. Fully mixed, it's thick and nutty. Pour one glass before mixing and one after — the difference is obvious.

Does makgeolli contain artificial sweetener?
Many budget bottles do. Look for "감미료" (sweetener) or aspartame on the label. Aspartame-free bottles — Neurinmaeul, Song Myeong-seop — taste noticeably less sweet but finish much cleaner.

Is makgeolli gluten-free?
No. The grain is often 100% rice, but the fermentation starter (nuruk or ipguk) frequently contains wheat. If you have celiac disease, check every label.

How many people does one bottle serve?
A 750ml bottle poured into ceramic bowls gives you two to three servings. Two people sharing one pancake will want one or two bottles. Low ABV is not permission to drink it like water — you'll regret that in the morning.

8. What to Do the Next Time It Rains

If you want to understand Korean food properly, when you eat matters as much as what you eat. A pancake and a bowl of makgeolli on a rainy night isn't a choice from a menu. It's a choice the weather makes for you.

So check the Korean forecast. If rain is coming, your evening is already booked.

Find a jeonjip. Order pajeon or bindaetteok. Order one bottle of makgeolli. Pour the first glass without shaking it. Then mix it and pour a second.

Rain outside the window. The same sound coming off the pan.

That's the moment you understand what's been installed in every Korean brain.

Three things to do

Check the forecast. Going to a pancake house on a rainy day is the entire article in one sentence.
Start with Jipyeong (about ₩1,900 / USD 1.40) and run the three-pour method. It gives you a fixed reference point for your own taste.
Get off at Jongno 3-ga Station and walk into the Ikseon-dong or Nagwon-dong alleys. One block off the main tourist street is always the right answer.

Three-line summary

Koreans crave pajeon and makgeolli when it rains because the sound of frying echoes the sound of rain, and because low daylight is commonly linked to a serotonin dip that drives carbohydrate cravings.
Makgeolli separates in the bottle, so pouring it unshaken gives you a light, clear drink while mixing it gives you a thick, nutty one — three distinct pours from a single bottle.
Start with Jipyeong, move to aspartame-free bottles for the real flavor, and try Boksoondoga or Haechang for something special; in Jongno, the options run from Ho Seonsaeng Jeon at Gwangjang Market to the skate specialists of Insadong.

Related reading

[Part 1] What Is Makgeolli? Korea's Cloudy Rice Wine, Explained
Haejangguk: What Koreans Eat the Morning After
Still Moving: The Yongsan Sashimi Restaurant Where Italian Chefs Ate 15 Kinds of Fish
[Coming soon] Gwangjang Market, Fully Mapped: From Bindaetteok to Yukhoe

Sources

MBC Every1, Welcome, First Time in Korea?, Episode 440 (broadcast August 6, 2026)
Financial News — analysis of pajeon restaurant sales by rainfall level
Korea Tourism Organization, Visit Korea — traditional foot-pressed nuruk breweries

Konnetflix | Korean Food Guide by a Local

Korean Food on a Rainy Day: Pajeon, Makgeolli & Where to Go