The Seoul Jib Korean Restaurant, now a sprawling space that can accommodate 150 people, was once located in a small, rented flat in Bishalnagar, Kathmandu that could barely fit 50 people. Rajeshwori Thapa Magar, owner of the restaurant and a trekking guide for Korean tourists, never imagined she would have to relocate to a new place within four years of its launch. “My target customers were the Korean clients I had through my travel agency. I never thought I would get a lot of Nepali customers,” she says. Indeed, Korean restaurants get a lot of Nepali customers and it’s mostly the youngsters who visit these places to experience Korean culture. Tejendra Nath Adhikari, past president, Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN), says a lot of new Korean establishments have come up in recent years. “There must be around 50 to 60 proper Korean restaurants in Kathmandu, not counting the ones that serve Korean cuisine as a part of its menu,” says Adhikari.

Bibek Gurung, operational manager at Hankook Sarang Korean Restaurant, says that each outlet of the restaurant caters to around 200 customers during the weekday. The number goes up to 400 on the weekends. On special occasions and public holidays, it becomes difficult for the staff to manage the customer flow.

The reason behind peoples’ love for Korean dishes seems to be the influence Korean dramas, movies, bands, and celebrities have on the Nepali audience, says Barsha Paudel, a 27-year-old student, who lives in Manamaiju, Kathmandu. Paudel has been a fan of Korean drama ever since she was a teenager. “The food they show on the TV shows looks so appetizing and aesthetic that I too felt like having Korean cuisine. That’s how my love for it started,” she says. She is fascinated by the way they serve Korean food.  As Korean food comes with a variety of side dishes, it looks really pleasing. There are plenty of options, catering to different kinds of taste palates and that makes Korean cuisine all the more appealing for youngsters like Paudel. Asmita KC, 29, who works at Spiceroom Nepal, a restaurant located inside Hotel Yak & Yeti, Durbarmarg, Kathmandu, is a die-hard fan of Korean cuisine and culture. She believes the deep rooted fandom culture that Korea has is also one of the reasons why many want to try out their cuisine. Most fans want to taste the dishes that their favorite celebrities claim to love. “While copying them is one thing, most of them, including me, genuinely start liking the dishes and choose to visit Korean restaurants frequently when that happens,” she adds. Twenty-eight-year-old student Dikki Sherpa, from Pharping, Kathmandu, agrees with KC. Initially, she wanted to try Korean cuisine after coming across mukbang videos (where viewers watch the host eat) on YouTube. Now, she is a regular at Jeju Do, a Korean restaurant in Durbarmarg, Kathmandu. Ravi Maharjan, co-owner of Korean BBQ Restaurant in Ekantakuna, Lalitpur, claims most of his customers bring back their parents and older relatives to try out the cuisine after liking it themselves. Indra Sen Sunuwar, founder of Jeju Do, says most of his customers became regular visitors after figuring out Korean food is far healthier than any other meal served at restaurants. “After Covid-19 pandemic people started being more health conscious, fueling the craze of Korean cuisine,” he adds. Korean dishes include a lot of vegetables and the nutritional value is high, say restaurant owners. Since the vegetables are mostly fermented or cooked in a stew, there’s very little oil in the dishes. “It’s usually difficult to find healthy yet tasty food at restaurants but with Korean food, that’s never a problem,” says Paudel. She claims that the use of flour and monosodium glutamate (MSG), an ingredient added to enhance flavor, is minimal in Korean dishes. KC, on the other hand, adds Korean food is somewhat similar to Nepali food  and she also finds it doesn’t upset her digestive system, like other heavily spiced and oily cuisines. Much like a Nepali meal, Korean dishes come with a lot of sides (Banchan in Korean): There are  Kimchi (fermented cabbage), Mu Saengchae (spicy radish salad), Sigeumchi Namul (seasoned spinach), Sukju Namul (seasoned bean sprouts), and a lot more, along with the main course. “But the spices and sauces used in Korean food make it taste different from what we usually have,” she says. This, she adds, makes the food feel familiar and unique at the same time. Magar from Seoul Jib Korean Restaurant says the charm of Korean food is that it is both savory and sweet at the same time. “Nepali customers who frequent my restaurant love that,” she adds. Pooja Subedi, 29-year-old former bartender living in Dhapasi, Kathmandu, who often visits Korean restaurants, says that the restaurant’s ambience is equally important for her to enjoy her food. “I could eat Korean food anywhere, but I like to visit a restaurant that has done its part to showcase Korean culture even through their decor,” she says. And the restaurants are well aware of that. The ones ApEx spoke to have invested in creating Korean traditional houses and cultural settings. Some of them even have their staff members wear traditional Korean attire. Special attention has been paid to the seating arrangements, which are quite similar to restaurants in Korea, with low tables that require you to sit on the floor. The tables have an attached grill that allows you to make your own barbeque. Yandu Sherpa, owner of Saan Sarang Korean Restaurant in Boudha, Kathmandu, says one of the most ordered food items in their restaurant is Samgyeopsal (pork barbeque). She adds that most of her customers order Soju (rice wine) to go with the barbeque. It’s their way of enjoying the Korean experience to the fullest as people in Korean dramas are often seen having Soju along with the Samgyeopsal. However, Paudel says Korean food is a little expensive in comparison to other cuisines. The price ranges from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000, or even more for a single dish. But KC, on the other hand, mentions that a meal can be cheap or expensive depending on how and what you order. “I mostly order Kimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Rolls) and a soup. It generally costs around Rs 700, which I think is pretty decent for a good meal,” she says. Magar mentions that Korean dishes come in large portions, and are best suited for a group of people. “Ordering two meals, say a Samgyeopsal and Kimchi-jjigae (kimchi stew), will be enough for around eight people,” she says. This is because both the dishes come with a lot of accompaniments, including rice. It’s not just the restaurants that have realized and cashed in on Kathmandu’s Korean food craze. Even grocery stores have started stocking Korean food items. “A few years back, all we could get was ramen, and that too only at a few places,” says Subedi, “But now they are available in every other shop in town.” Restaurant owners back his claim. They say it’s not very difficult to find items needed to make Korean dishes in Nepal. Earlier, much of the ingredients had to be imported from Korea. “Four years back, I had to request my clients to bring spice from Korea, but now everything is available in Kathmandu,” adds Magar. Many stores also sell packed kimchi, authentic Korean spices, and seaweed among other items. Also, there are a few stores dedicated to selling Korean food items only. The steadily growing craze will probably be fueled by more Korean restaurants in Kathmandu in the days to come. Adhikari of REBAN mentions a lot of people are investing in restaurants these days, and that there are quite a few Korean establishments in the making. “Kathmandu residents are fascinated by Korean culture, and that will continue to be a boon to restaurateurs,” he says.