Food you must try at Gwangjang Market 🌟

A trip to Seoul, South Korea will be incomplete without a visit to any of their traditional markets for the street food. Gwangjang Market is the oldest and largest market you’ll find in Seoul, where you will be spoilt for choices with about 5,000 stalls there. Upon entering the market, you’ll be greeted with street food stalls lined in a row, where some may feel overwhelmed with the choices offered.

After several visits to the market over the years, here’s a couple of food items that I feel Gwangjang market is better known for:

𖤐 Mandu, Korean dumplings (unpictured) - stuffed Korean dumplings that are usually filled with kimchi & pork, pork & chives, or prawns

𖤐 Knifecut Noodles (unpictured) - as it’s name suggests, the noodles are handmade giving it its irregular shape, all blanched in a warm comforting soup

𖤐 Korean spicy rice cakes & Fishcakes - spicy chewy rice cakes, Korean fish cakes all tossed in the sweet and savoury concoction of tteokbokki sauce

𖤐 Assorted Korean Pancakes - this comes in a huge variety of ingredients, ranging from fish, meat patty, vegetables, crabstick etc. basically anything you like but coated in eggs and pan fried

𖤐 Mungbean Pancakes - if you’re a vegetarian, this is the snack for you! Grounded mungbeans are mixed with flour and pan fried. The pancakes are crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside. You may opt for a version with minced pork for those who wish to have more protein in their pancakes.

𖤐 Korean Street Toasts (unpictured) - this is a more affordable version of the famous street toast chain, Isaac toast. It features two plain slices of white bread, with a slice of ham, fried egg, fresh shredded cabbage all drizzled in a generous lashing of sweet chilli and mayo

𖤐 Korean Traditional Fried Doughnuts (unpictured) - visually, this looks exactly like a fried plain doughnut that is dusted with sugar. The only difference between this and the regular doughnut is the flour used, where the Korean variation uses rice flour to achieve the chewier texture.

𖤐 Korean mini kimbap (unpictured) - these are bits sized kimbaps that are known to be dangerously addictive from the aroma of the sesame oil used in the kimbap. I’ve had these before and couldn’t stop at a plate! Another common dish you’ll find in the same stall is the seasoned glass noodles (japchae 잡채), which i absolutely enjoy.

𖤐 Raw beef sashimi (육희) - if you’re adventurous and wish to try more exotic variations, this is the one for you. The raw beef sashimi is shredded thinly and generously drenched in sesame oil to rid off the gamey beef flavours. These are topped with a raw egg yolk where it’s creaminess helps to mellow out dish. I love having this with the side dishes on the table as the variation in flavours help to prevent flavour fatigue.

𖤐 Raw octopus - I was terrified of this at first but grew to enjoy it. The raw octopus would be squirming in the plate, where the tentacles will stick to your lip or tongue as you place the octopus in your mouth. This is a strange feeling but I loved the flavours of this dish.

Unfortunately, I lost a bulk of the photos I had taken in the market, but I’ve been dreaming of the image of them and cannot wait to be back for more. You may still head over to my Tiktok page where I have pinned a video of my market experience. The cost of most food items will range between 1,000 krw to 10,000 krw (SGD 1-10), making it incredibly affordable for the mass crowd.

If you’re planning a trip to Korea, this will be one of the few markets I’d highly recommend if you wish to try a wide variety of Korean traditional foods in the country. Additionally, it is located very close to most tourist attractions such as Bukchon Hanok village, Myeongdong, Dongdaemun with just a few subway stations away!

Address:

Gwangjang Market (광장시장)

88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

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