A Lively ‘Museum of Street Food’
I went to Gwangjang Market mostly because everyone kept telling me I had to go at least once while visiting Seoul.
And yeah… the place is honestly chaos.
The second you walk in, there’s food everywhere.
Pancakes frying, steam coming out of giant noodle pots, people squeezing past each other nonstop.
At one point I honestly had no idea where I was even walking anymore.
I tried a few things inside the market, and some of it was good, but I think I liked the atmosphere more than the actual food itself.
A Giant ‘LiviReal Tips for First-Timersng Museum’ of Street Food
Walking through Gwangjang Market, there’s food everywhere you look.
Stacks of bindaetteok frying nonstop, steaming tteokbokki and noodles, and vendors making mandu right in front of people waiting at the stalls.
Some areas smell like fish cake broth, while others are filled with giant pots and piles of ingredients for spicy soups.
The whole market feels loud, crowded, and a little chaotic, but that’s honestly part of the experience.
The Hype of the Michelin-starred Yukhoe Alley
Real Tips for First-Timers
The Luggage Nightmare: If you have a suitcase, good luck.
The market gets ridiculously crowded and the alleys are really narrow.
I saw several people struggling with luggage and it looked miserable. Please, store your bags before you enter!
The Yukhoe (Beef Tartare) Hack: The famous yukhoe place was completely packed when I went.
I noticed a lot of tourists just standing around waiting, but apparently you have to register at the kiosk first.
Once I figured that out, it was way easier to just wander around until my turn came up.
Essential Travel Tips Before You Go
- The Shortcut: Use Exit 11 of the Jongno 5-ga Station underground shopping center. It connects directly to the North Gate 1 (북1문) of Gwangjang Market, allowing you to bypass the heaviest crowds.
- Pharmacy Shopping: The nearby Jongno Woori Pharmacy (종로우리약국) and Ujeong Pharmacy (우정약국) are famous among locals for offering the cheapest vitamins and supplements. If you are an international traveler, be sure to bring your passport.
You can get an instant, on-site tax refund for purchases over 15,000 KRW. - Cash & Timing: It is highly convenient to carry some 1,000 KRW and 5,000 KRW cash bills for small street food purchases.
To avoid overwhelming crowds, aim to visit around 10:30 AM or 3:00 PM. - Luggage Storage: The pathways inside the market are extremely narrow and crowded, making it very difficult to drag a suitcase.
It is highly recommended to store your luggage in the lockers inside Jongno 5-ga Station before entering.
But if Your Goal is a “Gourmet Culinary Experience”…
To be honest, I think Gwangjang Market is more about the atmosphere than having the best meal in Seoul.
The market is fun, loud, and definitely worth seeing, but once it gets really crowded, the long waits and packed seating can get a little tiring.
I still enjoyed visiting, but personally I ended up liking the small restaurants in the nearby alleys more.
The food there felt a bit calmer and more satisfying, especially after spending time in the busy market.
Places serving seolleongtang or dak-kalguksu around Jongno 5-ga honestly ended up being some of my favorite meals in the area.
How to Experience Gwangjang Market 200% (The Chef’s Way)
Honestly, I think Gwangjang Market is more fun as a place to walk around and experience rather than somewhere to sit down for a long meal.
The atmosphere is great, there’s food everywhere, and it’s worth seeing at least once.
But after a while, I found myself wanting to get away from the crowds a little.
That’s when I started wandering into the nearby alleys around Jongno 5-ga, and personally, I liked those areas much more.
There are a lot of small local restaurants there serving things like seolleongtang or dak-kalguksu.
Nothing fancy, but the kind of places where office workers quietly eat dinner after work.
The food also felt more comforting compared to the busy market snacks.
Especially on colder nights, sitting down with a hot bowl of soup somehow felt way more satisfying than standing in line inside the market.
I’m not saying the market food is bad or anything.
I still think Gwangjang Market is worth visiting for the atmosphere alone.
But if you end up getting tired of the crowds like I did, walking just a few minutes into the side streets completely changes the experience.
The Streets Around Jongno 5-ga I Ended Up Liking More
After spending some time at Gwangjang Market, I started walking into the nearby alleys just to get away from the crowds for a bit.
That’s where I found a small seolleongtang place and the nearby chicken noodle alley, which honestly ended up being some of the places I remember most from the area.
Seolleongtang Near Jongno 5-ga : The seolleongtang place I found near Exit 8 was much quieter than the market area.
- Seolleongtang Near Jongno 5-ga : The seolleongtang place I found near Exit 8 was much quieter than the market area.
The soup was simple but comforting, especially after walking around crowded streets for hours.
There wasn’t anything flashy about the food, but the broth tasted rich and felt like the kind of meal locals eat regularly rather than a place made for tourists. - Walking Through the Chicken Noodle Alley: Later that night, I walked through the nearby dak-kalguksu alley.
Even before entering, you could already smell chicken broth coming from the large pots inside the restaurants.
There were still long lines of locals waiting outside, and compared to the market area, the atmosphere felt much more local and relaxed.
👉 [Read the Full Guide: Seolleongtang & LocalChicken Noodle Review]