A Tour of Koreatown

Chef Pablo Park was born in Argentina to Korean parents. He grew up in Barrio Coreano (Koreatown) and after living abroad in Canada and Seoul for many years, he moved back to Buenos Aires and opened Kyopo restaurant, which specializes in Korean and Asian fusion dishes.

There are more than one hundred Korean restaurants in Buenos Aires, many located inside private family homes in Koreatown. These restaurants are not marked from the outside and traditionally are closed to the public, only catering to those within the community. While today this is slowly changing, many restaurants still only grant entrance to those who speak Korean or are accompanied by someone who is Korean.

Korean food in Argentina is a match made in heaven. Meat is an important part of the Korean diet, and Argentina is known as a meat capital. In many second-generation Korean-Argentine families, it’s traditional to eat Argentine barbecues with kimchi, rice, and banchan. There are still many restaurants in Koreatown that serve traditional Korean home-cooked food.

Pasaje Ruperto Godoy has turned into a major gastronomic hub in Koreatown. The pedestrian-only street has popular restaurants and cafés like Azit for Korean fried chicken, BAB for Korean barbecue, Maum for specialty coffee and kimbap, a karaoke bar, and Pan Moa which makes delicious cakes and pastries. 

One of Pablo’s favorite places to eat sweets is Pan Moa. Fabiana Chang, a pastry chef from Korea, has lived in Argentina for over 40 years. She worked for many years with her husband in the pharmacy they own in Koreatown, but opened her pastry and coffee shop, Pan Moa, 5 years ago in the Ruberto Godoy passageway.

Fabiana makes a purple sweet potato cake specially requested by her Korean clients. “I’d describe my pastries as Korean and French. My training is French, but my customers in the neighborhood request Korean pastries, which tend to have less fat, less cream, and aren’t as sweet as Argentine desserts,” Fabiana explains.

In years past, the amount of Korean products were limited and only available in Chinatown. Today, there is a wide selection of items, which can be found in Barrio Coreano supermarkets.

These supermarkets also carry fresh fruits and vegetables typically used in Korean cooking like Napa cabbage and daikon radish.

Pablo uses many Korean products in his cooking, like this sesame oil that is made in Argentina by a member of the Korean community. He also uses ingredients like soy sauce, gochujang (fermented chili paste), and gochugaru (ground Korean chili). 

Many of these supermarkets also sell pre-made foods like kimchi and mandú (dumplings), which are called "empanadas al vapor" to cater to Argentine customers.

While most Argentine palates aren’t accustomed to spicy food, in recent years the food scene has witnessed a growing interest in Korean flavors. The majority of the traditional Korean restaurants are still located in Flores and Floresta, but are now expanding to popular gastronomic hubs like Palermo, Centro, and Chacarita. Even Pablo has plans to open a restaurant in Villa Crespo, which he says will feature Korean ingredients.