Seoul’s traditional markets: what to eat at each
Seoul’s covered markets are where the city eats cheaply and well, and each is known for something different. You sit at a stall counter, point, and the food is made in front of you. These are the ones worth crossing the city for.
How to eat at a market
- Sit where there is space at a stall counter, and point at what you want; many stalls have picture menus.
- Bring cash for the smallest stalls, though most now take cards.
- Many market shops close one day a week, often Sunday; the food stalls usually stay open.
| Gwangjang Market | The famous one: bindaetteok mung-bean pancakes fried in front of you, mayak mini kimbap and yukhoe beef tartare, with makgeolli. Busiest in the evening. |
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| Namdaemun Market | The biggest and oldest general market, a maze of clothes, kitchenware and ginseng, with an alley of kalguksu noodle stalls and hotteok stands. Mornings are best; many shops close on Sundays. |
| Tongin Market | The coin lunch box: buy brass coins and fill a tray from the stalls, with oil tteokbokki as the local speciality. Right after the palace. |
| Mangwon Market | Where locals shop: cheap fried chicken, croquettes and fruit, then a walk to the Han River park at the end of the road. |
| Gyeongdong Market | The herbal-medicine market, with ginseng, dried roots and a Starbucks in an old cinema. Unlike anywhere else in the city. |
| Noryangjin Fish Market | Choose live seafood downstairs, then have it prepared as raw fish or stew in the restaurants upstairs, paying a small table charge. Best at lunch or dinner. |
After dark: night markets
- Myeongdong street food sets up from late afternoon along the main shopping streets: grilled lobster tails, egg bread, tornado potatoes and skewers, at tourist prices.
- Gwangjang Market is at its liveliest in the evening, when the pancake stalls are packed with office workers.
- Dongdaemun’s fashion malls trade late into the night, and the Dak Hanmari alley serves until after midnight.
- Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market is a seasonal weekend market of food trucks and craft stalls, usually from spring to autumn at Yeouido and other Han River sites. Check the current season’s dates. See the Han River parks.
Eating in KoreaShopping in SeoulKorea on a budgetAll traditional markets
