While Korean food is one of the most popular cuisines in Singapore, it isn’t what you’d call cheap to have—in most cases, at least. This list compiles cheap Korean food places that price most of their main dishes under $15, so you’d be able to have your fill of dishes such as soondubu jjigae and jjajangmyeon without breaking the bank.
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Wooga Jjajang is an instance of a hawker stall that does Korean eats almost as well as its restaurant counterparts. Located in Old Airport Road Food Centre, the stall is helmed by Chef Marcus Yu, former CEO and chef of the now-defunct Dong Bang Hong Korean-Chinese Restaurant. Its most popular dish is the Yoo-ni Jjajang Myeon ($6.50), which differentiates itself from your regular jjajangmyeon by pairing special black bean sauce with minced meat, instead of your usual veggies and diced pork. Another affordable dish here is the Spicy Lala Kal-Guksu ($8), AKA knife-cut noodles, which come with lala clams and wheat flour noodles, freshly made and imported from Korea.
Read our Wooga Jjajang review.
Address: Old Airport Road, #01-84, Old Airport Road Food Centre, Singapore 390051
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11am to 8:30pm
Wooga Jjajang is not a halal-certified eatery.
While many Korean restaurants price their soft tofu stews AKA soondubu jjigae around $20, Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu, a hawker stall with outlets in Ang Mo Kio and Punggol, has soondubu sets from a mere $5.90. If it’s your first time here, try the Pork Soon Tofu Set ($6.90), which has silky tofu and sliced pork in a rich broth along with a bowl of rice, kimchi, and seaweed. You can also get affordable noodle dishes here, such as the Seafood Soon Tofu Ramyeon ($7.90).
Read our Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu review.
Website | Full list of outlets
Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu is not a halal-certified eatery.
Meokja by JUNGGA may be a restaurant, but that doesn’t stop it from offering wallet-friendly Korean food. Dishes such as JjaJang Myeon ($12+), JjamPpong ($13+), and Kimchi Jjigae ($12.90+) are under $15, and the good variety of options here means you’re likely to satisfy your Korean food cravings without having to splurge. Don’t forget to order the Yangnyeom Chikin ($7.50+), which consists of chunky, juicy boneless chicken marinated in a piquant gochujang sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Read our Meokja by JUNGGA review.
Address: 1 Selegie Road, #02-03, GR.iD, Singapore 188306
Opening hours: Daily 11:30am to 10pm
Tel: 9067 7077
Website
Meokja by JUNGGA is a Muslim-owned eatery.
With four hawker stall outlets across the country, JIN Kimchi Express is an accessible and affordable option when it comes to Korean food. The Jin Signature Kimchi Stew Set, priced at $6, comes highly recommended. It features a delightful combination of their house-made cabbage kimchi and thinly sliced pork belly in a spicy stew, accompanied by a serving of rice and two distinct varieties of kimchi—cabbage and cucumber. The Icy Mul Naengmyeon ($8.80), which stars buckwheat noodles, a half boiled egg, shredded cucumber, and pickled white radish, is also a good pick.
Read our JIN Kimchi Express review.
Website | Full list of outlets
JIN Kimchi Express is not a halal-certified eatery.
Claiming to have the “best kimchi in SG” on their Instagram page, Chelabela is a great hawker stall for delicious Kimchi (from $5) and other Korean dishes that are also value for money. Their Pork Tofu Soup, for instance, will only set you back $6, while their Chicken Tteokbokki costs $7. There’s also the Army Stew ($18), AKA budae jjigae, which is good for two to share. It comes with the usual suspects of luncheon meat, sausages, Korean fishcake, and tofu in a savoury soup base.
Read our Chelabela review.
Address: 603 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, Singapore 560603
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11am to 2:30pm, 4:30pm to 7pm
Website
Chelabela is not a halal-certified eatery
For affordable Korean fried chicken in Singapore, you can’t go wrong with Phat Fingers. With several dine-in and delivery-only outlets in Singapore, it is relatively easy to get your hands on the franchise’s delectable chicken, which starts from just $7.90. You can also opt for the chicken burgers, such as Psy’s Famous Chicken Burger ($8.90) and the Nuclear Spicy Xtra Hot Burger ($8.90), which features a mouth-numbing spicy-sweet sauce. Those who prefer having chicken with rice can have the Chicken Poppers K-rice Bowls ($7.90) instead.
Read our Phat Fingers review.
Website | Full list of outlets
Phat Fingers is not a halal-certified eatery.
Fans of jjajangmyeon will undoubtedly know O.BBa Jjajang, one of the most acclaimed restaurants of its kind in Singapore. If you’re craving their noods, but don’t want to pay as much for them, you can drop by one of the O.BBa Jjajang Express outlets. A hearty bowl of Jjajangmyeon here goes for $6.80, which is far more bang-for-your-buck than the flagship restaurant’s prices, which are upwards of $13. Their spicy Jjamppong is quite affordable too, as it is priced at $8.80.
Website | Full list of outlets
O.BBa Jjajang Express is not a halal-certified eatery.
Image credit: @jeongsjjajang
Another hawker stall that offers authentic Korean eats at affordable prices, Jeong’s Jjajang makes their noodles by hand, and that’s probably why so many have raved about the texture of dishes such as the Jjajangmyeon (from $6.50) and Jjampong (from $8.50). You can supplement those delicious noodles with moreish sides, including Tangsuyuk (from $7) and Fried Dumplings ($2.50). They also have Korean fried chicken—you can get Korean Half Chicken here for $15.
Address: 161 Bukit Merah Central, #01-3749, Singapore 150161
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9:30pm
Tel: 9832 1525
Website
Jeong’s Jjajang is not a halal-certified eatery
Image credit: @ssadagimbabsg
SSADA GIMBAB is a Korean restaurant in Beauty World’s Bukit Timah Shopping Centre that’s known for its unique gimbap flavours. Their Mala Pork Gimbab, priced at $10, features rice rolls filled with spicy pork, egg, cucumbers, and other ingredients, all infused with the distinct mala flavour. It’s described as moderately spicy, making it manageable for most, except those who typically order the “da la” level of spiciness at mala restaurants. Other decently priced items here include the Kimchi Fried Rice ($12) and Spicy Stir Fried Squid Rice ($13).
Address: 170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #B1-14, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, Singapore 588179
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10am to 3pm, 5pm to 9pm
Tel: 8267 3730
Website
SSADA GIMBAB is not a halal-certified eatery.
Kim Dae Mun is one of the most affordable Korean eateries you can find along Orchard Road. Give their Spicy Pork ($10.50) a shot—it’s a sizzling hotplate creation brimming with marinated pork, spring onions, and cabbage. Another recommended dish is the Pork Kimchi Soup ($9.50), featuring a generous portion of pork, tofu, cabbage, onions, and glass noodles bathed in a flavorful and tangy broth. If patrons prefer, they have the option to substitute the pork with either chicken or beef.
Address: 100 Orchard Road, #01-03D, Concorde Shopping Mall, Singapore 238840
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 11am to 8pm
Website
Kim Dae Mun is not a halal-certified eatery.
The next time you’re craving Korean food, but are on a budget, check out some of the picks on this list. For some of the top Korean restaurants in Singapore, regardless of the price, read our best Korean restaurants in Singapore listicle. For more jjajangmyeon, have a look at our best jjangmyeon spots in Singapore listicle.
Feature image adapted from @jeongsjjajang and @39weather.
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