Home Asia Namdaemun Market Street Food Guide | Seoul, South Korea

Namdaemun Market Street Food Guide | Seoul, South Korea

by Chasing a Plate

Namdaemun Market is the biggest traditional market in Korea. It’s a labyrinth of stalls selling everything from fashion to household goods. It’s also the PERFECT place to eat Korean street food. You’ll be able to sample a tonne of traditional Korean street food at Namdaemun Market from morning until night. Here’s what you should be eating…

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First, watch our Namdaemun Market Street Food Video…

1. Hotteok

A Korean pancake/donut which comes in both a savoury and sweet version- this is one street food we guarantee you’ll become addicted to. When eating at Namdaemun Market you must sample the savoury hotteok from the famous stall located right by Gate 2 of Namdaemun Market.  A glutinous rice dough is stuffed with glass noodles and vegetables and then shallow fried in a pan of oil until crispy and golden. This stall bastes a fruity glaze over the top of the crunchy hotteok before serving. A MUST EAT!
Savoury hotteok at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

Savoury hotteok at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

2. Eomuk or odeng

Eomuk or fishcakes are a popular street food snack in Korea. All over Namdaemun market you’ll see eomuk served odeng style. Fish cakes are skewered and simmer in a hot broth. If you see an odeng stall just pay for the number of skewers you want and help yourself to a cup of hot broth, brush the soy and chilli sauce onto your fishcake before munching. Warming and delicious!

3. Mandu

Mandu are dumplings and this popular stall (watch the video for more details) in Namdaemun Market serves up a variety of both steamed and fried mandu. Grab a plate of dumplings and cosy up in the corner with a cup of odeng broth and some slices of pickled, sweetened radish. The kimchi mandu are especially good!
Mandu at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

Mandu at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

4. Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki is a Korean street food favourite. Pans of rice cakes wallow in a gochujang (red chilli pepper paste) sauce and are often served with pieces of eomuk (fishcake). The rice cakes are chewy and the gochujang is sweet with just a hint of spice. Don’t miss this popular Korean street food!
Tteokbokki at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

Tteokbokki at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

5. Kalguksu and Boribap in Kalguksu Alley

All around Seoul are hidden alleys and food streets which specialise in particular dishes. Namdaemun Market has Kalguksu Alley, a narrow food street where diners sit shoulder to shoulder whilst slurping bowls of kalguksu- a handmade, knife cut noodle soup. Kalguksu is simple- made up of an anchovy broth, dried seaweed, tofu and strands of wheat noodles. The noodles are thick and bouncy and the broth has a mellow fish flavour.
Another popular dish to order is the boribap- a mixed barley and vegetable dish. Gigantic bowls of fresh lettuce, mushrooms and pickled vegetables line the counter of the stalls ready to be tossed into bowls alongside sesame oil and gochujang (red pepper paste). When you eat at these stalls you will also receive a small bowl of naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), vegetable soup and kimchi free of charge.
Kalguksu at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

Kalguksu at Namdaemun Market, Seoul, South Korea

Namdaemun Market
21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Namchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul
Open daily. All the stalls we visited are open during the day as well as in the evening.
Seoul Subway Line 4, Hoehyeon Station Exit 5

Travel Insurance

No matter where you’re travelling to we always recommend you have travel insurance. We use and love World Nomads. The great thing about them is that you can purchase travel insurance while you’re already travelling!

We hope this Namdaemun Market food guide has helped you eat and explore like a traveller, not a tourist! 

Spending more time in South Korea? Check out ourGwangjang Market Street Food Guide’ 

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 NAMDAEMUN MARKET STREET FOOD GUIDE

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1 comment

Top 5 foods to eat in Korea and where to go to eat it | Digital Marketing Management – Student Blogs 04/03/2019 - 6:09 am

[…] Seoul: Street food, So this is cheating a bit as it’s a whole category but Seoul has the best street food in the world, in my humble opinion, and the best places to find it is in Myeongdong and Namdaemun Market   […]

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