The guide › Seoul › The markets
Seoul · Food and everything else
The liveliest places in the city, and the best pleasure-for-price ratio for eating. Each has its speciality, its hours and its pitfalls.
Updated 7 October 2026
In the food alleys you sit on a bench at the stall, point at what you want, and pay when you leave. Prices are displayed; if they are not, ask before ordering — "eolmayeyo?". A few very touristy markets have been called out for small portions or surprise extras: looking at the price board solves the problem.
Bring cash. More and more stalls take cards or bank transfer, but not all, and rarely for small amounts.
The most famous for eating, open since 1905. The specialities: bindaetteok mung-bean pancakes fried in front of you, "mayak" mini gimbap, yukhoe beef tartare, knife-cut kalguksu noodles. Very busy; come late morning or mid-afternoon.
The largest traditional market in the country: ten thousand shops across several streets. Clothes, tableware, ginseng, glasses, souvenirs. Not to be missed: kalguksu alley and the braised hairtail alley. Largely closed on Sundays.
The textile district. The big wholesale malls open at night and close in the morning; the retail arcades run in the daytime. Right beside it, Zaha Hadid's Dongdaemun Design Plaza, all aluminium curves, is free to walk through.
You choose your live fish or shellfish on the ground floor, then an upstairs restaurant prepares it, raw or grilled, for a per-person fee. Open day and night; the auctions take place around 1 am.
A real neighbourhood market near Hongdae, loved for its fritters, croquettes and sauced fried chicken.
A small market near Gyeongbokgung. You buy old-style coins and build your lunch tray as you go from stall to stall.
The market for medicinal herbs and ginseng, huge and barely touristy. An old cinema there has been turned into a spectacular café.
Almost a kilometre of cheap clothing shops beneath the express bus terminal. Bargain heaven, especially at the end of a season.
| Dish | Korean name | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| Mung-bean pancake | 빈대떡 bindaetteok | ₩5,000–8,000 |
| Mini gimbap | 마약김밥 mayak gimbap | ₩3,000–4,000 |
| Knife-cut noodles | 칼국수 kalguksu | ₩6,000–10,000 |
| Spicy rice cakes | 떡볶이 tteokbokki | ₩4,000–6,000 |
| Sweet filled pancake | 호떡 hotteok | ₩1,500–3,000 |
| Beef tartare | 육회 yukhoe | ₩15,000–25,000 |
| Fish-cake skewer | 어묵 eomuk | ₩1,000–2,000 |
Most markets run from 9 am to 6 pm for shops, later for food. Many stalls close on Sundays.
Possible for clothes and souvenirs when you buy several items, never for food.
At eomuk stalls, the hot broth is served in a paper cup, as much as you like. In winter, it is a lifesaver.
Portions are generous. As a pair, order one dish at a time and move on to the next stall: you will taste three times as much.