On the road for Chuseok? Popular rest stop foods await

This Chuseok, South Koreans are expected to make approximately 37 million trips across the country to visit family, pay respects to ancestors and celebrate the harvest festival.

Long hours on congested expressways could be tiring, but rest stops that offer a variety of foods and entertainment could help fight the exhaustion.

Here’s the list of some of the most popular dishes at different rest stops across the country.

1. Ginseng galbitang (ginseng beef short rib soup)

Geumsan Insam Land Service Area on Tongyeong-Daejeon Expressway, Hanam-bound

Geumsan, a county in South Chungcheong Province, is renowned for Korean ginseng. Reflecting this local specialty, the rest area offers a variety of ginseng products and ginseng-infused food and desserts. This hearty, nourishing soup has a rich and clean taste, making it perfect for rejuvenating weary drivers.

2. Sotteok sotteok (sausage and rice cake skewers)

Anseong Service Area on Gyeongbu Expressway, Busan-bound

Sotteok sotteok, a portmanteau of the Korean words for sausage (sosiji) and rice cake (tteok), is a popular Korean street food that combines the two ingredients on a skewer. Glazed with a sweet and spicy sauce made from gochujang and ketchup, this savory skewer can be found at almost every service areas. The Anseong stop became especially famous after appearing on a popular variety show.

3. Imsil cheese cheolpan bibimbap (Imsil cheese pan-fried bibimbap)

Osu Service Area on Suncheon-Wanju Expressway, Gwangyang-bound

This adds a new spin to the beloved Korean bowl of steamed rice with fresh vegetables, marinated meat and spicy gochuchang sauce by topping it with famous melted cheese from nearby Imsil, the first place to make cheese in Korea. The sizzling bowl of bibimbap is healthy and filling, a perfect meal for a road trip. Bibimbap with plant-based meat is also available.

4. Andong grilled salted mackerel

Andong Service Area on Jungang Expressway, Busan-bound

Salted mackerel is the local specialty of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. The set menu features grilled mackerel on a skillet and a bowl of rice and soup with several side dishes. The mackerel is cooked in a clay oven, creating the distinctive crispiness on the outside and moist inside.

5. Dakgaejang (spicy chicken soup)

Manghyang Service Area on Gyeongbu Expressway, Busan-bound

Craving for something spicy? Stop by Manghyang rest area, which is known for its dakgaejang. The hearty and flavorful soup is cooked for a long time, using various herbal medicines, chicken, vegetables and bay leaves

6. Hanwoo tteok deodeok steak (Hanwoo beef steak with rice cake and lance asiabell roots)

Hoengseong Service Area on Yeongdong Expressway, Gangneung-bound

The steak combines two specialties of Hoengseong County in Gangwon Province: hanwoo (Korean premium beef) and deodeok (lance asiabell roots). The beef steak is made of minced beef and rice cake, topped with thinly shredded deodeok. The dish is 15,000 won ($11.48) is quite pricy for a rest stop dish, but it is popular, especially after the menu appeared on many TV shows.

7. Cheese Sinnaeso (Cheese Schnitzel)

Chilgok Service Area on Gyeongbu Expressway, Busan-bound

Hanmi Sikdang, a popular restaurant located in front of the US Army base Camp Carroll, has opened a branch at the Chilgok Service Area to cater to more visitors. It specializes in dishes like hamburgers and pork cutlets, mixing American and Korean flavors. The Cheese Sinnaesal is a unique reinterpretation of the Austrian pork cutlet dish, schnitzel, featuring a crispy pork schnitzel and melted cheese nestled between slices of white bread. The Old-fashioned King-Sized Tonkatsu is also a popular choice.