When I first arrived in South Korea for a teaching job, I can’t say it was love at first bite. So, when I finally had a chance to escape the small coastal town I was living in for a weekend in Seoul, I knew I needed to let the bigger-city Korean cuisine change my mind.
That first visit to Seoul landed me at Namdaemun Market, one of the city’s most famous markets. And as this was my first of many trips to Asia, visiting Seoul’s largest traditional Korean market was, well, a bit of a shock.
After a couple of visits on my weekend trips to Seoul, here’s what I’d tell any first-time visitor to expect at Namdaemun Market, especially what I’d go out of my way to eat…
What I’d see, do & eat at Namdaemun Market
Namdaemun Market is a bustling marketplace that dates back to the Joseon Dynasty, when King Taesong built shops around Namdaemun Gate. Since its “official” opening in 1964, Namdaemun Market has blossomed into over 10,000 shops. It’s the largest market of its kind in South Korea.
And when I first walked in, it really felt like it.
Even when you know what you’re shopping for (or, in my case, what I wanted to chow down on), the sheer amount of choice at Namdaemun Market can feel overwhelming.
As I strolled among the stalls and shops, vendors seemed to vie for my won in every direction. I spotted everything from household goods to traditional Chinese medicine to clothing.
But lest I forget the BIG reason why Namdaemun Market quickly became one of my favorite places to visit in Seoul: its food.
(And after my lackluster culinary experiences in small-town Korea, I’d consider this market one of the culinary hotspots that sparked a love of Korean food that continues to this day.)
Out of all the places I ate street food in Seoul, Namdaemun Market was one of my favs. It’s chock-full of some of the tastiest Korean food I tried while traveling/living in South Korea.
Here are a few dishes I’d recommend keeping an eye out for…
Mandu
Mandu are Korea’s answer to Chinese xiaolongbao. These silky-smooth dumplings are one of my favorite street snacks on the planet, not just in Seoul or South Korea.
The popular Gamekol Son Wangmandu was one of my favorites for mandu in Namdaemun Market. It’s located a few doors down from Gate 5.
I’d recommend trying their kimchi mandu for a unique Korean spin on Asian dumplings. While I wasn’t (yet) a fan of kimchi on its own (actually, that’s an understatement), this was the first time I started to appreciate its sour-and-spicy flavor combo.
The bright and tangy sourness of the kimchi paired with the springy, chewy texture of the dumpling wrapper is as satisfying a street food snack as I’ve had anywhere in Seoul.
Kalguksu
Of all the specialty foods in Namdaemun Market, none is more famous than kalgusku. This Korean soup is based on a hearty seafood broth and topped with hand-cut wheat noodles.
Kalguksu was one of the yummiest street foods I tried while visiting Seoul. (And a huge surprise for my unaccustomed taste buds.)
Kalguksu broth tastes clean and salty, with its distinct anchovy base adding complexity to the dish. Like any noodle soup, my favorite part is sloshing into the thick, soft, hand-cut noodles that give off a satisfying mild chew. The vegetables soften in the broth, punched up by the sharp and crunchy shards of kimchi.
There’s an entire street within the market dedicated to this delicious soup: Kalguksu Alley. The alley sits just inside Gate 5.
You can’t really go wrong with any of the choices along Kalguksu Alley. My favorite “trick” in any situation where I’m totally clueless on what to do (which is more often than not for me in Asia) is to follow the crowds. They did not lead me astray here!
Eomuk
As I grew my appreciation of Korean food, I began to see eomuk at food stalls all over South Korea. At the time, all I knew was that these fishcakes were a staple at Namdaemun Market. The most popular variety here is served on skewers with a savory mixture of soy and chili.
I’m not normally a huge fan of fish dishes, but I decided to break out of my comfort zone and gobble one of these up. And I was happy I did, because these were actually quite memorable and not nearly as fishy as I had anticipated.
Eomuk tastes mildly fishy and savory, with a bit of sweetness from the broth it’s been sitting in. The texture is soft and springy, almost sponge‑like, and it releases a little broth when you bite into it.
Even if (like me) you’re not normally a fan of fish, eomuk might change your mind.
Galchi-jorim
If eomuk pushed me out of my Korean food comfort zone, Galchi-jorim Alley shoved me right off the edge. The alley sits inside Namdaemun Market, and you’ll smell it before you see it.
Gas grills line the entrance with pots of galchi-jorim bubbling away, filling the air with a deeply spicy, pungent smell that I find hard to describe, but impossible to ignore.
The dish itself is braised hairtail (beltfish) simmered in a fiery red chili sauce with daikon radish and green onion. The radish soaks up the broth, which explodes the second you nip into it.
Galchi-jorim Alley started in the 1980s when vendors began braising cheap hairtail to feed night-shift market workers, and it just took off from there. The fish at most restaurants here is sourced from Yeosu, Jeju, and Mokpo.
Huirak Galchi (22-6 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil) is one of the oldest spots along the strip and usually has pots simmering outside that tip you off before you’ve even made a decision.
I wouldn’t overthink it. Most places along Galchi-jorim Alley serve a near-identical set meal with rice and banchan, and there’s no menu to agonize over at the better ones.
Hotteok
These delicious pancakes are one of Seoul’s favorite street foods. Hotteok come stuffed with a variety of ingredients ranging from sweet to savory.
(The savory ones remind me of a Korean version of the famous Japanese street food, okonomiyaki, which I demolish as much as I could whenever I visit Japan.)
The food cart near Gate 2 is a fantastic place to grab hotteok. I absolutely loved their specialty: a savory hotteok filled with japchae (glass noodles seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce) and vegetables like carrots and spinach. The pancake is then pan-fried to perfection.
I love how the chewy, slightly crisp exterior gives way to the soft, slippery japchae inside, bursting with soy and sesame flavors.
Tteokbokki
No matter where I went in South Korea, I saw these little silky rice cakes on the menu. One of the most popular street foods in Korea, tteokbokki has a texture similar to gnocchi. (And one I find oddly satisfying.)
Tteokbokki is pan-fried with a spicy gochujang-based sauce that’s both a tad spicy and sweet.
Admiring that oh-so silky smooth texture is easily my favorite part of the tteokbokki experience. From my experiences eating these across the country (with admittedly mixed reactions), the sauces can be quite different depending on the stall.
I’d recommend trying a few different takes on tteokbokki before deciding if it’s a love-it or leave-it Korean street food.
(I personally prefer mine with a bit more spiciness than tanginess.)
Korean chicken
I didn’t know it at the time, but I can’t visit a Korean market without beelining for the closest Korean chicken stall. If you haven’t tasted traditional Korean chicken, let me just say you’re missing out on one of the world’s most delicious street foods.
Okay, it might not sound THAT exciting, but hear me out…
Unlike in many other Korean dishes, the flavors in Korean chicken are more easily tolerated by Western palates, while still being unique. The secret to these crispy, juicy chicken chunks is the spicy, tangy marinade, dripping with gochujang.
(Yep, that same now-famous Korean fermented hot pepper paste that’s grown so much in popularity in the West since my visit that telling anyone about it now feels like “mansplaining.”)
If you want to try Korean chicken while wandering about Namdaemun Market, I’d recommend BBQ Express. The portions are massive. And their chicken? Well, it was nothing short of a revelation, thanks to its sweet-yet-tangy sauce and perfectly crispy batter.
(And was the spark for my continuing obsession back home.)
Getting to Namdaemun Market
The easiest way to get to Namdaemun Market by public transportation in Seoul is via the subway. Scoot over to Hoehyeon Station on Subway Line 4, using Exit 5 to get out to street level.
The exit spits you out in front of one of the market’s main gates. It’s a short walk from here to many of Namdaemun Market’s top food stalls and restaurants, including Kalguksu Alley.
