A Taste of Seoul’s Food Markets, One Step and One Stall at a Time

If you ask someone after their first visit to Seoul what they most remember about the South Korean capital, you’ll probably notice their eyes widen, then glaze over with the dreamy recollection of someone readying to share the sordid details of a fiery fling.

Be forewarned: What they’re really about to share is everything they ate along the way in Seoul.

That includes rice cakes coated in diabolically red sauce, Escher-esque spirals of fried potato wrapped around a stick, plump pillows of chives and pork-filled dumplings capable of inducing food coma by sight alone, never mind the kaleidoscope of small side dishes essential to any Korean meal.

That sort of visceral response is unsurprising; the cuisine’s confidently bold confluence of garlicky, pungent, spicy, sweet and savory flavors punctuated by the ever-present notes of fermentation hits the palate with a punch. Or as a friend with a love for spicy-savory flavors remarked during a meal in Seoul, “It hurts so good!”

It’s not uncommon for first-time visitors to associate their fondest bites not while seated at one of Seoul’s countless restaurants, but standing with food in hand within one of the city’s bustling food marketplaces.

Unlike the slow burning romances associated with a K-drama television series, Korean food – specifically the snacks and meals sold across Seoul’s food markets – are rapidly prepared and intended to be eaten nearly as quickly. You can find food markets scattered throughout the city, each associated with certain specialties. Among them:

Gwangiang Market: Addictively delicious mung bean pancakes

One cannot discuss Seoul’s food markets without paying homage to Gwangjang Market (광장시장), one of the city’s older and most popular marketplaces. Gwangjang, established in 1905, hosts stalls and shops dedicated to fabrics, traditional crafts and clothing. The market has evolved into a bit of a tourist trap but is still deserving of a walk-through.

Inside, the sound of metal spatulas scraping against large iron griddles greets visitors just ahead of the savory aroma of bindaetteok – crispy scallion and meat-laden mung bean pancakes fried till golden – tempting further investigation. Nearby stalls display glistening cuts of yukhoe, a Korean-style beef tartare seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and garnished with julienned Asian pear, a dish that puts its European counterpart to shame in texture and taste.

Venture even deeper and vendors rolling mayak kimbap might attempt to coerce you to stop to sample that Gwangjang Market specialty.

“Mayak” translates to “narcotic,” a playful nod to the roll’s addictive reputation. Filled with pickled vegetables, liberally brushed with sesame oil and served with a sweet-tangy sauce to dip, the bite-sized seaweed wrapped rice rolls offer an ideal grab-and-go snack.

Namdaemun Market: Knife-cut noodles and piping hot pancakes

Just a short subway ride away lies Namdaemun Market, Korea’s largest traditional market whose history dates to the 1400s. Wear your most comfortable shoes, because this 10,000-stall market stretches across several city blocks near the historic Namdaemun Gate, also known as Sungnyemun Gate.

Here, you can sample kalguksu, handmade knife-cut noodle soup served in steaming bowls brimming with rich broth and tender noodles.

Those with a hankering for something sweet should leave room for one of the market’s most popular offerings, hotteok, the sweet, oil-fried flotillas filled with a mixture of brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts.

They are best enjoyed on cold days (plus they are instant hand warmers).

Noryangjin Fish Market: Where the Sea Comes Ashore

For seafood lovers, Noryangjin Fish Market rates high for its rows upon rows of stalls dedicated to the ocean’s bounty, all sourced from the seas surrounding the peninsula: plump oysters, live octopuses wriggling in tanks, prehistorically massive king crabs, alongside other offerings from the sea rarely seen or sold abroad. The market operates on a straightforward premise:  Select your seafood, haggle over the price, then take it to one of the on-site restaurants where it will be prepared into hoe (sliced raw fish) served sashimi-style or haemul jjigae (spicy seafood stew) served volcanically hot. Jetlagged visitors take note: The fish market operates 24 hours a day.

Tongin Market: A taste of nostalgia

Tucked away in the quieter neighborhood of Seochon is Tongin Market, a smaller marketplace with a nostalgic and charming atmosphere. Tongin, established in 1941, operates under a Dosirak Café (create your own lunchbox) concept.

Upon entering, you buy a set of brass coins reminiscent of old Korean currency alongside a lunch tray. The coins are your currency to use at various marked stalls, each offering small portions of such dishes as jeon (savory pancakes), ddeok galbi (grilled beef patty stuffed with rice cakes), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles with julienned vegetables).

Tongin operates much like an enormous food court, allowing diners to piece together a meal affordably and with great variety, an ideal primer for those new to Korean cuisine.

Mangwon Market: The locals’ hideaway

For those seeking a more local vibe, Mangwon Market in the Mapo district offers a glimpse of Seoul unfiltered.

The market is a mosaic of fresh produce stands, butcher shops and prepared food stalls. Freshly baked ppang (bread) mingles with the aroma of grilled fish and simmering stews, a pleasant pandemonium. 

One standout sold in Mangwon Market: chapssal donut (left), glutinous rice confections coated in sugar and filled with sweet red bean paste. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, they’re unpretentious but undeniably delicious, reflective of Mangwon as a whole.

Beyond the well-known markets

Although the larger markets offer a wealth of experiences, smaller markets, such as Gyeongdong Market, known for its vast selection of traditional herbs and medicinal ingredients, or Majang Meat Market, specializing in fresh cuts of meat, provide a deeper dive into Seoul’s culinary depths.

At Gyeongdong Market the air is thick with the earthy scent of ginseng, dried mushrooms and various roots with reputed health benefits. Even if you’re not in the market for herbal remedies, the experience is enlightening and informative about Korea’s approach to food as medicine.

Majang Meat Market, on the other hand, is a carnivore’s paradise. Restaurants adjacent to the butcher shops will cook your selected cuts on tabletop grills. Koreans are especially partial to samgyeopsal (pork belly), wrapping the unctuous slivers of pork in leafy greens with a dollop of spicy fermented paste before swallowing the whole package in one go.