Korean Cup Bingsu 2026: The $3 Shaved-Ice Craze at Mega, Compose & More — Names, Prices, and How to Catch One Before It's Gone

If Korean food content has crossed your feed this summer, you've probably seen it: a clear plastic cup packed with snow-fine shaved ice, topped with red beans and a scoop of gelato, eaten straight with a spoon. That's cup bingsu — Korea's 2026 summer obsession — and the videos never tell you the parts you'd actually need before a trip: prices run from ₩3,900 (about $2.90) to ₩8,300 (about $6.10), every chain calls theirs something different, and the cheap ones sell out by afternoon. Cross-checking official brand announcements and Korean news reports (Newsis, Asia Economy, Edaily and others), here's the full picture — names, prices, and how to actually get one — as of August 11, 2026.

1. What cup bingsu is, and the one price table you need

Bingsu is Korea's classic shaved-ice dessert, traditionally a big bowl shared at the table. The 2026 twist is the single-serving "cup bingsu" sold at Korea's budget coffee chains — the Mega Coffee and Compose Coffee storefronts you'll see on practically every commercial block in Seoul. At these chains a full dessert costs less than a latte back home:

Chain	Cup bingsu menu	Price	Launched
Compose Coffee	Mango Grapefruit Yogu-bing · Condensed-Milk Watermelon Patbing	₩3,900 (~$2.90) each (per user + staff reviews)	May 12
Mega MGC Coffee	Red Bean Bingsu Parfait · Matcha Gelato Red Bean Parfait	₩4,400 (~$3.20) each	April 30
Ediya Coffee	Cup Patjeol-bing · Cup Mangko-bing · Cup Ducho-bing	₩4,900–5,900 (~$3.60–4.30)	April 30
Paik's Coffee (빽다방)	Whole Red Bean Cup-bing + mango, blueberry, choco (4 total)	Not officially published (check in store/app)	April → June 19
Starbucks Korea	Red Bean Bingsu Blended · Apple Mango Bingsu Blended	₩8,300 (~$6.10) at launch (per reviews; now winding down)	April 24

The short version: the cheapest cup bingsu costs less than half the most expensive one, the budget chains sell from morning but sell out early, and Starbucks — which ran the opposite playbook, orders only from 2 p.m. daily — has already pulled its official menu page. Dollar figures here are rough conversions at about ₩1,360 per USD; the won prices are the official ones.

2. Mega Coffee — the 2.2-million-cup phenomenon

The headline act is Mega MGC Coffee, one of Korea's biggest budget chains. Its summer lineup (launched April 30) is led by the Red Bean Bingsu Parfait at ₩4,400 (~$3.20) — same price as last year — joined this year by a Matcha Gelato Red Bean Parfait riding Korea's matcha wave.

The numbers are absurd: per Edaily, the summer menu as a whole sold 2.2 million cups in its first two weeks — roughly two per second — with the three cup bingsu items accounting for 1.05 million and the red bean parfait alone for 500,000. Last year's version sold 1.2 million in a month, and the single-serving bingsu series has now passed about 9 million cumulative. There's even a running Korean meme of part-time baristas begging customers to stop ordering it. (One footnote: only two of the "three cup bingsu items" are named in press coverage, so we won't guess the third.)

Photo: Mega MGC Coffee official summer campaign visual (as published by Hankyung, Apr 30, 2026) — the parfaits are in the center

3. Ediya, Compose, Paik's — the budget three compared

Ediya Coffee — the only one you can get delivered

Ediya launched six bingsu items on April 30: three cup versions — Cup Patjeol-bing (red bean + mini injeolmi rice cakes, ₩4,900/~$3.60), Cup Mangko-bing (mango + granola + coconut milk, ₩4,900), and Cup Ducho-bing (chocolate shell + kadaif + cream, ₩5,900/~$4.30) — plus three shareable plate bingsu at ₩12,800–13,800 (~$9.40–10.10). Notably, Ediya is the only chain in this comparison whose official announcement lists delivery apps (Baemin, Yogiyo, Coupang Eats) — though those apps generally require a Korean phone number, so for most visitors this perk applies mainly if you're staying with someone local.

Photo: Ediya Coffee official visual (as published by Asia Economy, Apr 29, 2026) — cup bingsu on the left, plate bingsu on the right

Compose Coffee — cheapest in Korea, but know the size

Compose launched two cup bingsu on May 12 — Mango Grapefruit Yogu-bing and Condensed-Milk Watermelon Patbing — at ₩3,900 (~$2.90) each, the lowest price in this comparison. Two honest caveats: the price isn't in news coverage, so it's confirmed from matching franchise-staff posts and buyer reviews; and per a staff post, the cup is 14 oz, the same as their cream latte cup — smaller than the reels make it look. Think "cheapest, not biggest."

Paik's Coffee — biggest lineup, no published prices

Paik's (빽다방 — the budget chain from celebrity chef Paik Jong-won's company) started with the Whole Red Bean Cup-bing in April (whole red beans, injeolmi rice cake, roasted-grain misugaru powder over milk and condensed milk) and added mango, blueberry and choco versions on June 19, making four. Oddly, neither the official newsroom nor any press coverage lists prices — you'll have to check in store. Sold nationwide except some locations.

Photo: Paik's Coffee official menu image (as published by The Trippick, Apr 23, 2026) — the official menu info lists the cup at 414 ml (14 oz)

4. Starbucks — its first bingsu ever, and it's already disappearing

Starbucks Korea made this a story: on April 24 it launched its first bingsu menu since entering Korea in 1999 — the Red Bean Bingsu Blended (whole red beans, chapssal rice cakes, injeolmi cream, roasted soybean powder) and Apple Mango Bingsu Blended. Two quirks set it apart: orders opened only from 2 p.m. each day, and it was billed from day one as available "through early summer" only. Launch price was ₩8,300 (~$6.10), grande only — per consistent user reviews and review articles, since the official page can no longer confirm it.

And that early-summer warning came true: as of August 11, 2026, the official Starbucks Korea menu page for the bingsu is dead (we checked directly). No formal end-of-sale notice exists, so if you're set on trying it, check the Starbucks Korea app for leftover availability by store before making the trip. For what else is on the Korean Starbucks summer menu — much of it exclusive to Korea — see our Starbucks Korea 2026 summer menu guide.

Photo: Starbucks Korea official visual (as published by Esquire Korea, Apr 22, 2026)

One more player worth knowing: premium chain A Twosome Place fields two "Snow Cup" bingsu shakes (Apple Mango, and a Milk Monaka collab with the historic Taegukdang bakery). Their official visual lists ₩6,300 (~$4.60) each, iced only — we couldn't re-confirm that price in press coverage, so treat it as indicative.

Photo: A Twosome Place official visual (as published by The Trippick, Apr 23, 2026)

5. Traveler tips — how to actually get one

• Go before mid-afternoon. The budget chains' bingsu sells out when ingredients run out, and that happens often. Locals check stock in the chains' own apps, but those are Korean-language and typically need Korean phone verification — the traveler move is simply to go early, and have a second branch in mind (in most commercial districts another Mega or Compose is a short walk away).
• Paying is easy. These are all major chains; international credit cards work at counters and kiosks. At ₩3,900–8,300 a cup, this is one of the cheapest "viral Korea food" experiences you can have.
• Group of 3–4? Do the plate math. Three Ediya cup bingsu cost ₩14,700, while a shareable plate bingsu runs ₩12,800–13,800 and can serve more.
• Chasing the Starbucks one? It's a long shot in August — the menu page is gone. Check the app before you go, and have a budget-chain backup.
• Don't wait for September. No chain has announced an end date, but these are summer-only menus — last year Mega wrapped its season in early September (per a 2025 report), and Starbucks is already winding down. If cup bingsu is on your Korea list, do it in August.

If you strike out on bingsu on a hot day, convenience stores are the classic Korean plan B — our GS25 & CU summer picks guide covers what locals actually grab.

6. What we couldn't verify (in the interest of honesty)

• Paik's prices — not published anywhere official; check in store.
• End dates — none announced by any chain; "summer-only, likely gone around early September" is our best hedge, not a fact.
• The Starbucks ₩8,300 — consistent across reviews, but the official page is gone so it can't be re-confirmed at the source.
• Mega's third cup bingsu — press says "three items" but names only two.
• Real-time stock at any given store — varies by store and hour; no web source can promise you a cup.

Bottom line: cup bingsu is the cheapest way to eat the thing Korean social media is obsessed with this summer — from ₩3,900 (~$2.90) at Compose to ₩8,300 (~$6.10) at Starbucks — but it rewards early birds and August travelers. Save this post for your trip, and if you try one (or find a price we couldn't), drop a comment so the next traveler lands it on the first try.

Sources: official announcements and newsrooms of Mega MGC Coffee, Ediya Coffee, Compose Coffee and Paik's Coffee; Newsis (Apr 29 / Jun 19, 2026); Asia Economy (Apr 29, 2026); Hankyung (Apr 17 / Apr 30, 2026); Edaily (May 14, 2026); Seoul Economic Daily (May 3, 2026); Beyondpost (May 12, 2026); Esquire Korea (Apr 22, 2026); The Trippick (Apr 23, 2026); Joongang Economy News (Aug 29, 2025); Starbucks Korea official site (checked Aug 11, 2026). Compose and Starbucks prices are compiled from user reviews and staff posts as noted in the text. USD figures are approximate conversions at ~₩1,360/USD. Images are official brand visuals as credited in captions.