2 days ago
Korean food seems to be everywhere in the U.S.
Korean food — ranging from the fine cuisine that wins James Beard awards to the gooey corn dog cheese pulls trending on TikTok — is surging in popularity across the U.S.
Why it matters: Although most Asian restaurants in America serve Chinese, Japanese or Thai food, there's clearly an appetite for more Korean restaurants.
Catch up quick: First came Korean fried chicken. Then, kimchi turned into a go-to condiment, and ready-to-use Korean barbecue sauces hit shelves, says Tim Fires, president of global food service at market research firm Circana. "The spicy and sweet flavor profile really resonates."
Now you can buy Korean corn dogs at Costco. "That's when you know it's hit mainstream."
By the numbers: In 2024, there was a 10% increase in the number of Korean restaurants in the U.S., per Circana data.
And the number of fast food chains that offer Korean fried chicken and corn dogs has increased by about 15% each from last year.
Meanwhile, Korean fine dining establishments are also taking off.
Zoom in: Two Hands Corn Dogs is one of the biggest Korean food chains in the U.S.
It opened its first store in California in 2019, and now has more than 70 national locations.
What they're saying: "Before the increased popularity of Korean culture in the U.S., I wanted to introduce urbanized Korean street food to friends and colleagues in America," CEO Paul Yoo tells Axios.
"For me, (eating a Korean corn dog) invokes healing memories of life before we grew up. The good old days of earning allowances from parents for a quick bite with friends at the local fair after school," he says.
The big picture: Americans are listening to K-pop music and using K-beauty products, so it follows that they're also eating South Korean food.
"The alignment between food and beauty often does show similar trends," says Fires. "If you think about it, it's what's inside and outside of the body."
