Best Haitai Snacks Ranked by a Seoul Local

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The Snack Brand That Shapes Korean Convenience Stores

My downstairs GS25 is currently undergoing its late-night restock, which means cardboard boxes of snack bags are stacked chest-high near the register. While sliding past the cashier with a iced Americano, my eyes immediately landed on the yellow foil packs of Honey Butter Chips and the retro green boxes of Ace Crackers. Both are made by Haitai, one of Korea’s oldest confectionery giants founded back in 1945.

If you have ever stepped into a Korean mart or scrolled through K-food snack hauls online, you have definitely seen Haitai products. Along with rivals like Orion and Lotte, Haitai produces some of the most iconic pantry staples in South Korea. But with dozens of options sitting on store shelves—ranging from sweet pastry balls to crunchy gochujang-glazed bites—it is hard to know which bags are actually worth your hard-earned cash. Here is an honest breakdown of the best Haitai snacks you can pick up today, straight from someone who buys them almost every evening.

Top Haitai Snacks Ranked and Reviewed

1. Honey Butter Chip (허니버터칩)

Back in 2014, this single chip bag caused absolute chaos across South Korea. Stores sold out in seconds, celebrities were posting selfies with rare bags, and scalpers were selling them online for five times their retail price. The frenzy has calmed down now, and you can easily grab a bag for around 1,500 to 2,000 won at any local mart.

Taste & Texture: Honey Butter Chip features paper-thin, crispy potato slices coated in a savory, sweet, and rich seasoning made with French Gourmet Butter and acacia honey. It strikes a surprising balance—it is not sickly sweet like dessert chips, nor is it purely salty like a standard Lay’s potato chip.

Honey Butter Chip Taste Profile

Aspect	Rating (out of 5)	Note
Heat / Spice	0/5	Completely non-spicy and mild.
Sweetness	3.5/5	Balanced honey sweetness with rich butter notes.
Crunch / Texture	4/5	Paper-thin, light potato chip crispness.

Spice Level: 0/10. There is zero heat here, making it completely milder than even a pinch of Shin Ramyun broth powder.

How Koreans Eat It: While delicious straight from the bag, local university students frequently pair Honey Butter Chips with a cold glass of lager beer like Cass or Terra during late-night study breaks.

2. Homerun Ball – Chocolate (홈런볼)

Homerun Ball has been a staple at Korean baseball games and school field trips since 1981. Packaged in a recognizable plastic tray inside a soft foil pouch, these bite-sized choux pastry puff balls are stuffed with milk chocolate cream.

Taste & Texture: The outer shell is airy, light, and slightly soft rather than crunchy. As soon as you bite down, the soft pastry melts into the sweet, creamy chocolate center. Because the pastry is unsalted and delicate, the chocolate takes center stage.

Spice Level: 0/10. Completely sweet and mild.

How Koreans Eat It: Eating them raw out of the bag is fine, but the real secret known to locals is popping them into an air fryer at 180°C (350°F) for 3 minutes. The outer crust turns delightfully crispy while the chocolate inside melts into liquid lava. Alternatively, throwing the entire box into the freezer for an hour creates a firm, fudge-like bite.

3. Sindangdong Tteokbokki Snack (신당동 떡볶이)

Named after Sindang-dong, the famous neighborhood in Seoul renowned for street-style spicy rice cakes, this snack attempts to recreate Korea’s favorite street food in a crunchy, shelf-stable form.

Taste & Texture: Shaped like small, hollow tubular pasta sticks, these crunchies are dense and extremely satisfying to bite into. They are coated in a glossy, sticky glaze made from gochujang (fermented red chili paste) and soy sauce. The flavor profile starts sweet and smoky before building into a pleasant chili kick.

Spice Level: 3/10. It is significantly milder than actual Shin Ramyun soup and barely registers on the scale when compared to something intense like Samyang Buldak 2x Spicy noodles. It delivers a gentle warm tingle rather than burn.

How Koreans Eat It: This is a go-to late-night drinking snack (anju). Koreans frequently munch on these while sipping somaek (a mix of local beer and soju) during home movie nights.

4. Matdongsan (맛동산)

If you ask a Korean grandmother what her favorite snack is, there is a ninety percent chance she will say Matdongsan. Introduced in 1975, this traditional fried snack has stood the test of time and remains one of Haitai’s top sellers.

Taste & Texture: Matdongsan consists of deep-fried dough sticks coated in a thick, sticky syrup glaze and rolled in crushed peanuts. It has a heavy, dense crunch that makes a distinct loud sound when you chew. It tastes sweet, nutty, and slightly caramelized, with a yeast-fermented dough depth underneath.

Spice Level: 0/10. Strictly sweet and nutty.

How Koreans Eat It: It is traditionally enjoyed alongside a cup of hot barley tea or warm green tea to slice through the sweet glaze richness.

5. Oh! Yes (오예스)

Standing in direct competition with Orion’s world-famous Choco Pie, Haitai’s Oh! Yes is a square-shaped chocolate-covered sponge cake filled with chocolate cream. Haitai regularly releases limited-edition seasonal flavors like green tea, baked sweet potato, or strawberry, though the original chocolate remains supreme.

Taste & Texture: Unlike some commercial cake snacks that can feel dry or waxy, Oh! Yes uses mineral water in its dough production, giving the sponge cake an unusually moist and tender crumb. The chocolate coating is soft, and the chocolate cream core adds extra richness.

Spice Level: 0/10. Pure dessert treat.

How Koreans Eat It: Office workers love pairing an Oh! Yes cake with a hot shot of espresso or a glass of cold milk during afternoon fatigue slumps around 3 PM.

6. Ace Crispy Biscuits (에이스)

First hitting shelves in 1974, Ace is a classic square cracker with tiny pinholes poked across its surface. It might look plain compared to flashy modern potato chips, but its simplicity is its secret power.

Taste & Texture: Ace crackers are buttery, flakey, and light, with a faint hint of salt on the surface. They offer a delicate crumble similar to traditional butter biscuits, without being excessively oily.

Spice Level: 0/10. Neutral, buttery, and mild.

How Koreans Eat It: There is an unwritten law in Korean offices regarding Ace crackers: you must dip them into a hot mug of Maxim Mocha Gold instant mix coffee. The biscuit absorbs the sweet, creamy coffee liquid in seconds, creating a melt-in-your-mouth treat.

Price Per Serving Math

To understand the budget value of Korean convenience store snacks, take a standard bag of Honey Butter Chips priced at roughly 1,500 to 2,000 KRW in local Seoul marts. Assuming a standard bag serves approximately 2 portions, the cost averages around 750 to 1,000 KRW per serving. Note that this is an illustrative pricing example, as exact costs vary depending on store location, package sizes, and current promotions, so verify store prices before relying on them.

How to Get It Abroad

Finding the best Haitai snacks outside South Korea has become significantly easier over the last few years thanks to global distribution.

• H Mart & Lotte Plaza Market: If you live near a major Korean grocery store, you will find entire dedicated aisles filled with Haitai products. You can almost always secure Honey Butter Chips, Homerun Ball, Ace, and Matdongsan here.
• Local Asian Supermarkets: Regional Asian markets like 99 Ranch Market or independent Oriental food stores frequently carry Haitai snacks in their Korean food sections.
• Amazon & Online Retailers: For those without physical access to Asian markets, Amazon sellers routinely offer multi-packs and variety bundles of Haitai classics. However, keep in mind that online prices are generally marked up compared to local store prices in Seoul.

Key Takeaways

• Haitai is one of South Korea’s pioneer snack manufacturers, producing staple items like Honey Butter Chips, Homerun Ball, and Ace Crackers since as early as 1945.
• Simple preparation hacks—like air-frying Homerun Balls or dipping Ace Crackers in instant mix coffee—are widely popular among locals to elevate these classic snacks.
• Although easily accessible internationally via H Mart or Amazon, pricing outside Korea carries an online markup compared to the typical 1,500–2,000 won local convenience store prices.

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