김밥 도감 101· ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ROLLS

EVERY STYLE OF KOREAN KIMBAP

Grouped by what makes each roll distinct: where it started in Korea, what replaces the rice, or how Manhattan counters reinvented it.

10-SECOND CHEAT SHEET: KIMBAP VS. MAKI SUSHI김밥과 스시는 완전히 다릅니다
WHAT TO CHECK	KOREAN KIMBAP (김밥)	JAPANESE MAKI SUSHI
Rice seasoning	Warm roasted sesame oil & sea salt	Tangy rice vinegar & sugar
Core fillings	100% cooked beef, egg, braised roots & pickled danmuji	Raw fish (sashimi) or single seafood cut
Dipping sauce	Zero soy sauce needed — seasoned inside & out	Soy sauce, wasabi & pickled ginger
Office desk life	Built for room-temp field trips (holds 2+ hours)	Must be eaten chilled immediately

CLASSIC STAPLES

기본 김밥

The baseline rolls every counter is judged on

gimbap기본김밥

Basic Kimbap

Rice, seaweed, and a fixed cast of fillings. Everything else on this page is a variation on it.

pickled radish · carrot · spinach · egg · burdock · fish cake

REGIONAL ICONS

향토 김밥

Born in specific Korean market towns and ports

chungmu-gimbap충무김밥

Chungmu Kimbap

Kimbap with nothing inside it. The fillings arrive on the side, in a bowl.

rice

mayak-gimbap마약김밥

Mayak Kimbap

Finger-thin mini rolls from Seoul's Gwangjang Market, dunked into a sharp mustard-soy dipping sauce.

carrot · pickled radish · spinach

MODERN WAVE

현대 김밥

Egg-wrapped keto and high-protein Seoul evolutions

keto-gyeran-gimbap키토 계란김밥

Keto Egg Kimbap

Zero rice. Dozens of delicate golden egg ribbons replace the grain for a high-protein modern roll.

shredded egg omelette · carrot · cucumber · pickled radish · perilla leaf

BORN IN NEW YORK

뉴욕 김밥

Rolls shaped by NYC delis and fine-dining kitchens

spam-gyeran-gimbap스팸계란김밥

Spam & Egg Kimbap

A New York roll. You will not find it written up in Korean sources.

spam · egg · pickled radish

STREET GEOMETRY

형태 변주

Same sesame ingredients engineered in a new shape

samgak-gimbap삼각김밥

Triangle Kimbap

The convenience-store shape. The real invention is not the triangle — it is the wrapper.

tuna mayo