What to Eat with Soju: Pizza and Spaghetti

Recommended Soju Snacks: Pizza and Spaghetti

A few days ago, I had a glass of soju with some leftover Ottogi pizza and Ottogi spaghetti. Frozen pizza and spaghetti are surprisingly affordable options when you want something simple to eat with soju at home. Ottogi frozen pizzas are sometimes available for around 9,900 won for two, so I occasionally keep a couple in the freezer. On this particular day, I heated up just a few slices of frozen pizza and ate them with spaghetti.

Why Are Pizza and Spaghetti Good Snacks with Soju?

Just like the popular combination of fried chicken and beer in Korea, pizza and spaghetti are usually eaten with beer. I do not drink much wine, so I cannot really comment on that pairing, but personally, I think pizza and fried chicken also go very well with soju. More precisely, ordinary diluted Korean soju does not have an especially strong aroma or flavor, which makes it relatively easy to drink with many different kinds of food.

People often say that beer goes well with pizza, spaghetti, or fried chicken because these foods can feel rich or greasy. For me, however, the downside is that beer makes me feel full very quickly. It may be fine if I am only eating one slice of pizza, but if I am eating both pizza and spaghetti, adding beer on top of that can make the meal feel quite heavy.

Why Does Soju Pair Well with So Many Different Foods?

I am talking about ordinary diluted Korean soju such as Chamisul or Chum Churum. People often say that younger Koreans do not drink as much soju as previous generations did, but if you ask me whether soju itself is actually a delicious drink, I am not really sure.

Depending on the product, sweeteners may be used, so you might notice a slight sweetness, although it is certainly not what most people would describe as a sweet drink. It does not have the powerful aroma of Chinese baijiu, nor does it have a particularly distinctive flavor profile like sake or traditional Korean distilled spirits. Personally, I think this relatively neutral flavor is exactly what makes soju easy to pair with many different foods.

In fact, Koreans do not normally eat pizza or spaghetti as side dishes with soju. Pizza is much more commonly associated with beer, while spaghetti is not generally thought of as a traditional soju snack at all. However, if you actually try pizza or spaghetti with soju, you may be surprised by how well they go together. The combination may sound unusual at first, but in practice, the rich cheese, tomato sauce, and salty toppings pair quite naturally with the relatively neutral flavor of soju.

Whisky, which Koreans traditionally used to refer to broadly as “Western liquor,” also seems to have become much more popular these days. I only buy a bottle at a supermarket once every few years, but whisky has such a distinctive aroma and flavor that you naturally start thinking about which foods will pair well with it. Soju, on the other hand, has the advantage of not overpowering the flavor of the food.

That is why I think soju works surprisingly well with rich foods such as pizza. If I am eating a few slices of pizza and some spaghetti while drinking, I personally find soju more comfortable than beer because it does not make me feel full as quickly. Of course, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is not a good idea, and ordering expensive side dishes every time can also become costly, so using frozen pizza or spaghetti that you already have at home can be a convenient alternative.

Can Spaghetti and Pizza Really Be Soju Snacks?

Drinking soju with spaghetti or pizza may sound like a slightly strange combination at first, but once you actually try it, there is nothing particularly odd about it. Pork belly, braised chicken, and beef may be considered more typical soju foods in Korea, but I think most well-seasoned dishes can work reasonably well with soju.

The crust of an Ottogi frozen pizza can also be surprisingly good with soju when it is cooked until slightly crispy. After eating the parts covered with toppings, I sometimes tear off a small piece of the crispy crust, eat it, and then take a sip of soju.

For reference, I personally do not drink zero-sugar soju very often. Zero-sugar does not necessarily mean that the product contains no sweeteners at all, and the ingredients and flavor vary depending on the brand. The zero-sugar soju products I have tried simply tasted somewhat different from regular soju in terms of sweetness and mouthfeel, so they were not really to my taste.

People often say that cheese should be paired with wine, but I think a simple slice of cheddar cheese can also be quite good with soju. I placed a slice of cheddar cheese on top of the spaghetti, which gave it a richer flavor and made it work even better as a drinking snack. Cheese can become heavy and rich if you eat too much of it, though, so I prefer to keep the portion moderate.

In the end, you do not necessarily need pizza or spaghetti either. You can simply look through your refrigerator and find something that works as a snack with soju. I think that flexibility is possible because soju itself does not have an overpowering aroma or flavor. If you do not want to order separate delivery food and already have leftover pizza or spaghetti at home, this is certainly a combination worth trying.

Pizza, Spaghetti, and Soju Q&A

Do Pizza and Spaghetti Go Well with Soju?

It ultimately depends on personal taste, but I think they pair surprisingly well. Ordinary diluted Korean soju does not have an especially strong aroma, so it does not interfere much with strong flavors such as cheese, pepperoni, and tomato sauce. Pizza and spaghetti do not necessarily have to be paired with beer, so if you enjoy soju, they can be worth trying as simple drinking snacks at home.

Which Goes Better with Pizza, Beer or Soju?

There is no single correct answer because it depends heavily on personal preference. If you enjoy carbonation and the refreshing bitterness of beer, beer may be the better choice. However, if you find beer too filling when eating both pizza and spaghetti, soju can be another option. Personally, I find soju a little more comfortable when I am eating several slices of pizza together with spaghetti.

Is Spaghetti Good with Soju?

Spaghetti with a reasonably flavorful sauce, such as tomato sauce or meat sauce, can work quite well as a snack with soju. Adding a slice of cheese or serving it together with pizza also makes it easy to turn a simple meal into both dinner and a drinking snack without preparing a separate dish.

Is Frozen Pizza Good as a Soju Snack?

Frozen pizza is convenient because you can heat only as much as you need when you want a simple snack with soju at home. If you already have leftover pizza, you can reheat it and add something such as cheese or spaghetti from the refrigerator without having to order additional delivery food.