Gwangjang Market

광장시장 먹자골목

Sizzling mung-bean pancakes, yukhoe and mini gimbap in an old market

Hours

Varies by stall; food alleys roughly morning to about 10pm (check on site)

Address

88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu

Step into the crossroads at the middle of the market and the smell of ground mung-bean batter frying thick in oil reaches you first. The routine is to squeeze onto a long wooden bench at a stall and order bindaetteok with makgeolli, finger-sized 'mayak' gimbap, and sesame-oiled beef yukhoe. The market dates back to the early 1900s, so the upper floors still sell fabric and hanbok, and a few steps out of the food alleys it goes quiet. The knife-cut noodle stall from a Netflix food documentary still has a queue.