{"id":1515,"date":"2026-05-10T02:33:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T17:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ktripmate.com\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2026-05-24T04:29:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T19:29:36","slug":"jongno-5ga-walking-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ktripmate.com\/ja\/jongno-5ga-walking-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond Gwangjang Market: Hidden Streets and Local Food in Seoul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Exploring the Side Streets of Jongno 5-ga: Beyond Gwangjang Market<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After spending some time at Gwangjang Market, I ended up walking toward Jongno 5-ga just to get away from the crowds for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weirdly enough, I think I enjoyed the side streets more than the market itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Near Exit 8, I noticed a lot of locals heading into a random second-floor restaurant, so I decided to follow them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turned out to be a small seolleongtang place that felt completely different from the busy market outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inside was quiet and relaxed, mostly office workers eating dinner after work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ordering was done through tablets at each table, and they even had English menus available, so it felt pretty easy for tourists to order. The photos on the screen also helped a lot, even without using a translator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One thing I didn\u2019t expect was that they also had vegan menu options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a seolleongtang restaurant, the menu was more varied than I expected, so it seemed like a good spot even if everyone in your group likes different kinds of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The self-serve side dishes were surprisingly good too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides kimchi and kkakdugi, they also had salted squid, which went really well with the hot soup and rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the self-serve side dishes were completely free, so no need to worry about extra charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Korea, people often say that \u201crice gives you strength,\u201d and honestly, sitting there eating rice soaked in hot ox bone broth felt incredibly comforting after walking around all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It reminded me again why soup dishes are such a big part of Korean food culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The owner also spoke a bit of English, so communicating wasn\u2019t really a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Just look at this milky broth. Doesn\u2019t it make you hungry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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