Gen Z drives Korean cuisine craze in India as orders jump 50% in a year
Swiggy data reveals Korean food orders in India surged 50% year-on-year in July 2025, with Gen Z accounting for 27% of demand and non-metro cities seeing rapid growth.
- Aug 12, 2025,
- Updated Aug 12, 2025 5:00 PM IST
Korean culture’s influence in India is expanding beyond music and entertainment, with food emerging as a major driver of interest. According to food delivery platform Swiggy, orders for Korean dishes in India grew by 50% year-on-year in July 2025 compared with the same month in 2024.
While metro cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad contributed the most to overall demand, the platform reported a 59% year-on-year rise in orders from non-metro markets. Cities including Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara, Mysuru and Mangaluru have shown strong adoption of Korean flavours.
Gen Z, recognised for rapidly embracing global trends, accounted for 27% of all Korean food orders on Swiggy over the past year. The company said this demographic has been one of the key drivers of the cuisine’s popularity in India.
Search data on the platform also reflected this growing interest. Terms such as “Korean bun”, “Korean cheese bun”, “Korean ramen” and “Korean chicken” were among the top trending keywords in the past year. Popular menu items included the Korean McAloo Tikki Burger, Korean Corn & Jalapeno Garlic Bread, Korean Tangy Chicken Roll and Korean Spicy Chicken Burger. Korean-inspired beverages such as Korean Yuzu-Pop Sprite have also gained traction.
Swiggy noted that the trend indicates a broader shift in consumer preferences, with Indians increasingly willing to experiment with international flavours. The company added that brands are responding by localising global cuisines to make them more accessible to Indian consumers.
Korean culture’s influence in India is expanding beyond music and entertainment, with food emerging as a major driver of interest. According to food delivery platform Swiggy, orders for Korean dishes in India grew by 50% year-on-year in July 2025 compared with the same month in 2024.
While metro cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad contributed the most to overall demand, the platform reported a 59% year-on-year rise in orders from non-metro markets. Cities including Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Vadodara, Mysuru and Mangaluru have shown strong adoption of Korean flavours.
Gen Z, recognised for rapidly embracing global trends, accounted for 27% of all Korean food orders on Swiggy over the past year. The company said this demographic has been one of the key drivers of the cuisine’s popularity in India.
Search data on the platform also reflected this growing interest. Terms such as “Korean bun”, “Korean cheese bun”, “Korean ramen” and “Korean chicken” were among the top trending keywords in the past year. Popular menu items included the Korean McAloo Tikki Burger, Korean Corn & Jalapeno Garlic Bread, Korean Tangy Chicken Roll and Korean Spicy Chicken Burger. Korean-inspired beverages such as Korean Yuzu-Pop Sprite have also gained traction.
Swiggy noted that the trend indicates a broader shift in consumer preferences, with Indians increasingly willing to experiment with international flavours. The company added that brands are responding by localising global cuisines to make them more accessible to Indian consumers.