Chinese food is extremely popular in Korea. The restaurants are everywhere and are usually noticeable by their obligatory red neon and frontage, as well as having Chinese characters on the sign and window, despite being run by Korean owners. You can also see delivery drivers on motorbikes whizzing all around the country, with their metallic heat boxes, often with Chinese food inside. However, the Chinese food that has been popularized here is not what you'd expect to see in the West or even China. You won't find dumplings, dim sum, wonton soup, kungpao chicken, shark fin, etc...At least not at 99% of these Chinese places in Korea. What is all the rage is Koreanized Chinese.
The 3 most popular dishes of Koreanized Chinese food are jjajangmyeon (noodles in a black bean sauce), jjambbong (noodles in a hot broth mixed with seafood and vegetable), and tangsuyuk (sweet and sour deep-fried pork). These 3 can be found in different varieties and can usually be ordered as a set, ie., tangsuyuk + 2 jjajangmyeon or 2 jjambbong for 12,000won, etc...
Chinese food is alway served with some token banchan, such as danmuji and onions.
In areas of Seoul with large population of joseonjok foreign workers, it is possible to find authentic Chinese restaurants (as opposed to Korean-Chinese 중화요리). These restaurants are meant for the local workers, not foreigners. In general, they often have a menu for Chinese dishes written in Chinese characters, in addition to a menu written in hangul with Korean and Korean-Chinese dishes. The ability to speak and read Korean and/or Chinese normally necessary in these kind of places, which can be found in back-alleys around Seoul but particularly in parts of Geumcheon-gu.
Chinese Cuisine in Korea
The Big 3 and their varieties
 The traditional banchan that comes with all Korean Chinese dishes, clockwise from right, Danmuji, Chunjang, and onions. Other Chinese food
Authentic Chinese or Western-style Chinese restaurants
See Also
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