Food Guide
Global Fast Food Chains that have Special Menus in Korea
Brooke
June 10, 2026
When you visit Korea, it is tempting to skip the global fast food chains and focus only on local restaurants. Usually, that is the right instinct. But Korea is one of the rare places where familiar brands like McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway, and Starbucks have menus that feel completely different from what you may know back home.
From bulgogi burgers and sweet potato pizza to Jeju matcha drinks and chewy rice-flour doughnuts, many international chains in Korea offer local-only items built around Korean ingredients and flavor preferences. Some are seasonal, some vary by location, and some have become local classics.
Here are the Korea-only or Korea-famous fast food menu items worth trying—and all of them can be ordered directly through Shuttle.
McDonald’s is the world's leading fast-food chain, and it offers a variety of specialized items on its Korean menu, including burgers, sides, desserts, and drinks.
The “Taste of Korea,” an ongoing campaign launched by McDonald's in 2021, features specialty food and beverage items made with locally sourced agricultural ingredients (garlic, green onions, sweet potatoes, specialty fruits, and more). This campaign supports local farmers while providing customers with unique-flavored items.
McDonald’s also offers specific McMorning menu items available only in Korea that are local favorites.
Despite the name, the McSpicy Shanghai Burger is only offered in Korea. This burger is a 100% chicken breast patty coated with rice crumble and a spicy seasoning. It is topped with crunchy lettuce and fresh tomatoes on a sesame seed bun. This is the top-selling burger in McDonald’s in South Korea, so it is a must-try!
The Bulgogi Burger features a savory meat patty marinated in a sweet and tangy bulgogi sauce, and is topped with creamy mayo and crisp lettuce on a sesame seed bun. This is perfect for those who want a mix of sweet, savory, and tangy all in one.
The sweet potato fries are part of the “Taste of Korea” campaign and are a crispy, sweet alternative to McDonald's regular potato fries. These fries are only offered in-store
McDonald's is available on Shuttle in select areas.
A local favorite muffin packed with savory bacon, fresh lettuce, tomato, and a soft egg, which offers a fresher bite for the morning.
This chewy wrap features bacon, lettuce, spicy chicken, and a sweet white mayonnaise sauce for a sweet-and-spicy taste, all wrapped in a tortilla.
McMorning is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Burger King is known for its flame-grilled burgers and signature Whopper sandwich. Its exclusive food items in Korea blend sweet, savory, and spicy flavors.
The Garlic Bulgogi Whopper features a flame-grilled beef patty, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and crispy garlic chips, all topped with bulgogi sauce. This Whopper is the perfect representation of both sweet and savory, with an extra crunch and enhanced garlic flavor.
This protein-heavy burger is filled with two flame-grilled beef patties, four slices of American cheddar cheese, crispy lettuce, onions, and pickles, and is topped with mayonnaise and ketchup. The Ochi Maximum 2 is part of a collaboration with Korean mixed martial arts legend Choo Sung Hoon and, as a result, is inspired by his high-protein diet.
This hot and crispy pie is filled with a smooth, soft sweet potato paste and a rich cream cheese filling. This is the perfect little sweet treat, offering a sweet-and-savory flavor similar to cheesecake.
Burger King is available on Shuttle in select areas.
KFC is a global fast-food chain specializing in Southern-style fried chicken. The KFC localized menu in Korea focuses on signature glazes such as sweet-and-spicy and soy-garlic.
This crispy chicken is tossed in a thick red glaze made from fermented Korean chili paste (gochujang), garlic, sweet rice syrup, and ketchup, resulting in a sweet, savory, and slightly tangy flavor with a mild spice level.
The Sweet & Spicy Chicken Rice bowl has a butter-garlic rice base with crispy, bite-sized chicken tenders on top, and is covered in a sweet and spicy local glaze. This dish is perfect for solo dining and provides a fast, casual meal that is filling and quick to eat.
KFC is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Subway is a fast-food restaurant franchise that specializes in customizable subs, wraps, and salads. The Subway menu in Korea features locally sourced proteins (Anchang Beef, Spicy Shrimp, Egg Mayo, etc.) and a variety of fresh salads.
This fixed-recipe wrap is full of three plump, juicy seafood shrimp, creamy egg mayo spread, shredded lettuce and cheese, sweet chili and ranch sauce, and is all placed inside a whole wheat tortilla wrap.
This salad has fresh mixed vegetables, shredded cheese, avocado, lentils, chickpeas, and a whole-wheat tortilla, all topped with delicious spicy shrimp. This is a great dish for shrimp lovers or anyone looking for a high-protein meal.
Subway is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Taco Bell is an American fast-food chain heavily inspired by Mexican cuisine. The specialized Taco Bell menu in Korea features traditional local favorites such as sweet-and-savory meats, potatoes, and cheese dishes.
The Beef Potato Bowl offers a simple meal all in one container, similar to the Korean dish bibimbap. The bowl has Mexican rice, crispy potato cubes, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, warm nacho cheese sauce, and the option between classic ground beef or sweet-and-savory bulgogi beef. This dish has a savory, creamy, and non-spicy flavor palate which is perfect for all ages!
This popular dessert dish blends a fried cheese ball, a popular South Korean side dish, with the sweet flavor loved in Western cuisine. The chewy dough is filled with sweet cream cheese and completely covered in cinnamon sugar. This is a great option for those who want a sweet-and-savory side dish or dessert.
Taco Bell is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Pizza Hut is a widely popular pizza restaurant chain, and its localized Korean menu features pizzas with sweet potato crusts, sweet bulgogi beef toppings, and surf-and-turf combinations (pizzas that pair luxury meats with seafood). The Korean-exclusive pizzas embrace the sweet-and-savory flavor dynamic that is widely popular in Korea and offer a new set of tastes for foreigners.
The Seafood King Pizza is loaded with large, crisp shrimp along with chewy scallops. For the sauce, the shrimp are seasoned with a savory Cajun sauce, and the scallops are drizzled with a sweet chili sauce. This pizza is a must-try for seafood lovers!
This pizza is topped with sweet, golden whole corn and spicy nacho cheese crumbles. The Gold Corn Harvest pizza provides a perfect blend of sweet and savory.
The Grilled Bulgogi pizza is topped with smoky bulgogi, mushrooms, onions, and green bell peppers, with a drizzle of smoky barbecue and mayonnaise, creating a crunchy, sweet-and-savory pizza. This is a pizza loved by people of all ages!
Pizza Hut is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Papa Johns is an American pizza restaurant chain that has expanded into over 45 countries. Their localized menu in Korea combines traditional American-style dough with savory meats, garlic, and potatoes to create the sweet-and-savory combination loved by locals.
The Irish Potato pizza offers a sweet combination of rich, savory garlic sauce and plain potato cubes, with mozzarella, sweet corn, onions, bacon bits, and mushrooms. This pizza is perfect for those looking for something sweet and savory without the spice!
A highly popular side dish in Korea, the Supreme Papa Bites are like bite-sized pizzas! Italian sausage, salty pepperoni, bell peppers, chewy string cheese, and pizza sauce are all wrapped into the soft dough and drizzled with a savory garlic sauce.
Papa Johns is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Domino's is the world’s largest pizza company and is considered a luxury pizza brand in Korea, offering a wide variety on its localized menu. The menu specializes in premium toppings, including steak and shrimp. Dominos is slightly more expensive than Pizza Hut and Papa Johns, but its distinct flavors make the price worth it.
This surf-and-turf pizza pairs plump, crunchy black tiger shrimp with tender, smoky, seasoned wagyu beef. Four types of cheeses, mozzarella, cheddar, ricotta, and feta, are utilized on the pizza along with a horseradish sauce, which creates a blend of savory, tangy, and mild spice.
The Wild West Steak pizza is loaded with chunks of savory grilled beef steak and topped with a rich cowboy butter cheese sauce. This bold and smoky pizza is a must-try for steak lovers!
Domino's is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Shake Shack is an American restaurant chain that was introduced to South Korea in 2016. Currently, their specialized menu in Korea offers less variety than those of other fast-food chains on this list, but they do offer a few items with popular Korean ingredients, such as their Bulgogi line.
This premium bulgogi burger features an angus beef smash patty and is layered with thinly sliced, tender, sweet-and-savory bulgogi that is perfectly marinated. Local vegetable pickles are placed on top to add crunch, and it all sits within a toasted potato bun.
This unique bulgogi dog creates a fun and delicious twist between the American hot dog and Korean barbecue flavors. This dog includes beef sausage, soy-marinated beef bulgogi, a rich bulgogi mayo sauce, and local vegetable pickles, all put into a potato bun. This is a good choice for those interested in the bulgogi burger but want something a little lighter.
Shake Shack is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Krispy Kreme is an American doughnut company that offers a variety of doughnuts and drinks. Krispy Kreme’s localized menu in Korea actually rotates based on character collaborations and flavor trends, changing about every month.
The Premium Strawberry Fields doughnut is a staple Krispy Kreme donut in Korea and creates a strong sweet-and-sour flavor profile. The soft, outer dough is filled with a fresh, sweet-and-sour strawberry filling. Rather than a traditional glaze, the Premium Strawberry Fields is dusted with powdered sugar.
This refreshing smoothie blends sweet, ripe apricots and fresh, tangy red plums to create a thick, tangy, sour-sweet flavor. This is the perfect drink to enjoy during the summer heat!
Krispy Kreme is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Dunkin’ Donuts is an American multinational coffee and doughnut company. Their localized menu in Korea features chewy, rice-textured doughnuts, also known as their Chewsity line.
This chewy donut is shaped like a ring and is simply flavored with fragrant olive oil and a thin sugar glaze. This is a quick, clean, and perfect treat, especially if you want to enjoy it on the go!
The Cappuccino Chewisty is made from a coffee dough, created with cappuccino coffee concentrate added directly to the dough before it is fried. The chewy doughnut also has a thin sugar glaze. This is a mess-free doughnut with the perfect mix of sweetness and roasted coffee bitterness.
Dunkin' Donuts is available on Shuttle in select areas.
Starbucks is the largest coffee chain in the world, and its localized menu in Korea focuses on adapting to regional specialties and using traditional Korean ingredients in its drinks and food.
This signature drink is made with Teavana black tea and infused with a honey-grapefruit sauce. This is a great option for anyone wanting a drink with a sour-sweet balance.
The Jeju Malcha Latte is one of the top-selling tea-based drinks, made with regionally sourced ingredients that give it an authentic, earthy green tea flavor. This drink uses premium organic matcha sourced directly from Jeju Island, then mixed with steamed or iced milk. This is a must-try for matcha lovers!
Starbucks is available on Shuttle in select areas.
You probably will not have time to try every localized fast food menu in Korea, but a few are worth making room for. McDonald’s is the easiest starting point because its Korea menu has several local favorites, from the Bulgogi Burger to sweet potato sides and limited-time Taste of Korea items. For something more distinctly Korean, Pizza Hut and other pizza chains are also worth exploring, especially if you have never tried sweet potato crust, bulgogi toppings, or Korea’s take on surf-and-turf pizza.
The best part is that you do not need to hunt these menus down in person. Open Shuttle, check what is available near you, and try one of Korea’s localized global-chain favorites from home, your hotel, or wherever you are staying.
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