Korean Drinking Culture and Anju: The Food That Makes Drinking Make Sense

In Korea, there is a concept that has no direct Western equivalent: anju (안주).

Anju is food that accompanies alcohol. Not appetizers before a meal, not bar snacks while you wait for something, not finger food at a party — anju is a specific category of food designed to be eaten in tandem with specific drinks, with the relationship between the drink and the food considered as deliberately as a wine pairing at a French restaurant.

The idea that you might drink alcohol without eating is, in Korean culture, a little unusual. Drinking and eating are part of the same activity.

This is the guide to understanding how that works.

The Drinks

Soju (소주) is the baseline. The most consumed spirit in the world by volume (yes, in the world), soju is a clear distilled spirit traditionally made from rice, though modern commercial versions are often made from sweet potatoes, tapioca, or grain. It's typically 16-25% ABV — lower than vodka, higher than wine.

The flavor is clean, slightly sweet, and relatively neutral. It's designed to be consumed chilled in small pours (a shot-sized glass), either straight or mixed, and almost always accompanied by food.

Makgeolli (막걸리) is the older and more traditional drink — an unfiltered fermented rice wine. Slightly fizzy, milky white in color, low in alcohol (6-8% ABV), and slightly sweet with a pleasant sour funk. It's the country cousin of soju — more rustic, more complex, increasingly fashionable. Traditionally served in a large bowl or brass kettle and ladled into flat cups.

Maekju (맥주) is beer. Consumed widely, especially with fried foods. Korean beer brands (Hite, OB, Cass) are light lagers — mild and cold, designed not to compete with the food.

Bokbunja-ju is a black raspberry wine — deep red, sweet, and fruity. Less common but notable as a softer option.

Mixed drinks: Somaek (소맥) — soju mixed with beer — is perhaps the most popular drink in Korea. The ratio varies by preference (the generally recommended ratio is about 1:3 soju to beer, creating a drink that's slightly stronger than beer but more sessionable than straight soju). The mixing is done at the table.

The Food: Anju

Anju is selected based on the drink, the company, and the mood. Different drinks suggest different food.

Anju for Soju

Samgyeopsal (삼겹살): Grilled pork belly is the canonical soju pairing. The fat of the pork belly and the clean neutrality of soju are designed for each other — the soju cuts through the fat, the fat fills out the clean neutrality of the soju. Wrapped in lettuce with garlic and ssamjang between bites.

Haemul pajeon (해물파전): Seafood and green onion pancake. Slightly crispy exterior, soft and savory interior studded with clams, squid, or shrimp. The brininess of the seafood and the savory depth of the pancake pair with soju's clean sweetness.

Jokbal (족발): Braised pig's trotters served cold, thinly sliced, with shrimp paste for dipping. A classic late-night soju anju, often delivered to tables in Korean drinking establishments.

Ojingeo (오징어): Dried squid — either plainly dried or seasoned (yangnyeom ojingeo) with a spicy-sweet sauce. The chewy texture and ocean flavor work with soju's neutrality.

Dubu kimchi (두부김치): Pan-fried tofu served alongside stir-fried kimchi. Simple, filling, and complementary. The mild tofu balances the spicy fermented kimchi; together they make an ideal soju companion.

Anju for Makgeolli

Pajeon (파전): Simple green onion pancake — less elaborate than haemul pajeon. The slightly sour quality of makgeolli paired with the savory, slightly oily pancake is a classic combination in Korean culture. There's a saying: pajeon is the anju for rainy days and makgeolli — the gray sky, the sound of rain on a roof, a bowl of makgeolli and a plate of pajeon.

Kimchi pancake (김치전): Older, more fermented kimchi used as the primary ingredient. The sourness of the kimchi echoes the slight sourness in makgeolli. Complementary acids.

Doenjang jjigae: The fermented depth of the stew mirrors the earthy quality of unfiltered makgeolli. Both products of long fermentation; the pairing makes conceptual and sensory sense.

Bindaetteok (빈대떡): Mung bean pancakes. A more filling option, with a slightly nutty flavor from the mung beans. Historically considered the anju for makgeolli in outdoor markets.

Anju for Beer

Korean fried chicken (치킨): The most famous Korean food in the world is primarily an anju dish. Chimaek — chicken (치킨) plus maekju (맥주, beer) — is a national institution. The crispy, double-fried chicken with cold beer is consumed at virtually every Korean social gathering.

Tteokbokki: The spicy rice cakes go surprisingly well with light Korean lager — the beer provides a cooling counterpoint to the building heat of the gochujang sauce.

Gwak (곽): Bar snacks in packaged form — dried squid, dried fish, crackers, nuts. Available at convenience stores throughout Korea and consumed at the table.

The Drinking Etiquette

Korean drinking culture has distinct social rituals that shape the entire experience.

Pour for others, not yourself. In formal or semi-formal settings, you don't pour your own drink. You pour for the people next to you, and they pour for you. The act of pouring is an act of attention and care.

Accept with two hands (or right hand supported by left). When receiving a poured drink, hold your glass with two hands or support your right arm with your left. This is a sign of respect.

Don't let empty glasses sit. The expectation is that empty glasses get refilled promptly. Letting someone's glass stay empty is inattentive.

The first shot is together. Geonbae (건배) — cheers. The first drink is typically taken together, in one shot. After that, pacing is individual.

Poktanju (폭탄주) — bomb shots. Dropping a shot of soju into a glass of beer and drinking it quickly is a social ritual, especially in work drinking contexts. The word translates as "bomb alcohol." The pressure to participate is real in certain social contexts, though younger generations are increasingly negotiating these expectations.

The 2차 (icha) system. A Korean night out often involves 1차 (ilcha) — the first establishment, usually dinner — followed by 2차 (icha) — the second establishment, usually a bar or noraebanng (karaoke room) — and sometimes 3차 (samcha). Each round moves the night forward. The anju changes with each venue.

The Pojangmacha (포장마차)

The most atmospheric context for Korean drinking culture is the pojangmacha — the street tent bar. A small orange tent on a sidewalk or in an alleyway, with plastic stools, bare bulbs, and a menu of simple anju designed to be eaten while drinking soju or makgeolli.

The pojangmacha is where Koreans process the day. Business discussions, relationship conversations, post-work decompression — it happens here, at plastic tables, with paper cups and cheap soju and tteokbokki.

The food is simple by design. The atmosphere is the point.

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Korean drinking culture is, at its core, a philosophy about food and drink belonging together and about the act of sharing them being the vehicle for human connection.

The anju is not an afterthought. It's the architecture of the evening.

Related reading: What Is Soju? | Korean Side Dishes — Banchan Guide | What Is Makgeolli?