Gwangjang Market isn’t just Seoul’s oldest traditional market — it’s the place where I finally understood why Koreans get so nostalgic about street food. Built in 1905 on the site of the old Baeogae Market, it’s widely considered Korea’s first modern permanent marketplace, and walking through it today still feels like stepping into three different eras at once: bolts of hanbok silk, sizzling griddles, and tourists filming everything on their phones.
I’ve dragged more visiting friends through Gwangjang Market than I can count, and I still manage to get turned around near the entrance every single time. So this guide follows one simple idea: enter through North Gate 2, walk in a straight line, and you’ll hit almost every legendary stall without backtracking once.
Getting to Gwangjang Market: Parking & Transit Tips
Parking around Gwangjang Market is tight and not really worth the stress. (View on Naver Map) Your best bet is leaving the car at the Jongmyo Public Parking Lot and walking about 10 minutes to the market.
By subway, take Line 1 to Jongno 5(o)-ga Station and use Exit 8. By bus, get off at the “Jongno 5-ga · Gwangjang Market” stop. One tip that saves a lot of confusion: skip the entrance directly across from the bus stop (North Gate 1) and instead walk left along the main Jongno road — you’ll pass the Bucheon Yukhoe annex and the yukhoe alley before reaching North Gate 2, which is really the heart of the market’s food scene.
The North Gate 2 Straight-Line Food Trail
If you set Gwangjang Market Chapssal Kkwabaegi (near North Gate 2) as your first stop and just keep walking straight, the market’s most famous stalls line up almost perfectly.
Gwangjang Market Chapssal Kkwabaegi
This tiny stall selling glutinous rice twisted donuts (chapssal kkwabaegi) is locally famous as a spot international visitors — including, by several local reviews, Marvel star Brie Larson — have stopped by while touring the market. The kkwabaegi comes out hot and impossibly chewy, and the sweet potato mousse-filled donut next to it is just as good. I usually grab one on the way out as a reward for surviving the crowds.
Ganggane Tteokbokki
Open since 1997, Ganggane Tteokbokki makes its broth with grated white radish instead of plain water, which gives the tteokbokki a cool, slightly thick, almost soup-like quality that’s different from the sweeter versions you’ll find elsewhere in Seoul.
Sunhui-ne Bindaetteok
Here they still grind mung beans on a traditional stone mill right in front of you before pan-frying the batter into crisp mung bean pancakes (bindaetteok). The meatball-style version (gogi wanja) is also worth ordering, and the tangy onion-soy dipping sauce cuts through the oil nicely. If you’re taking it home, reheating it in an air fryer or dry pan works far better than the microwave.
Monyeo Gimbap
Tucked into a corner near the central plaza, Monyeo Gimbap specializes in the original mini “mayak” gimbap — just carrot and pickled radish inside, but somehow perfectly seasoned. The sharp mustard dipping sauce, mini yubu-chobap (seasoned tofu pockets), and thick rice tteokbokki round out a full, comfortable sit-down snack.
Gohyang Kalguksu
This stall appeared in Netflix’s Street Food: Asia (2019), which featured Gwangjang Market’s old-school food stalls in its Seoul episode. Watching the hand-pulled knife-cut noodles get rolled and cut to order in front of you, then dropped into a rich anchovy broth, is half the reason to stop here.
Best Yukhoe (Korean Beef Tartare) & Daegutang in Gwangjang Market
No trip to Gwangjang Market feels complete without trying the raw octopus (san-nakji) stalls near the seafood section — a favorite experience for foreign visitors, though it’s not for everyone.
Bucheon Yukhoe (Main & Annex)
Bucheon Yukhoe opened in 1965 as “Bucheon Sikdang” and has been recognized as a Michelin Guide Seoul Bib Gourmand selection for multiple consecutive years. The Seoul-style yukhoe — fresh Korean beef tossed with sesame oil, crisp pear, and egg yolk — is the draw. If the line at the main branch looks long, checking the Tabling waitlist app or trying the nearby annex location usually saves time. I always order the yukhoe bibimbap alongside a plate of nakji-tangtang-i (chopped raw octopus) to share between two people — it’s the combination locals actually order, not just the tourist-menu version.
Bakgane Bindaetteok
This two-story spot is roomy and comfortable by market standards, and it’s a good one-stop option if your group wants bindaetteok, yukhoe, and kalguksu all under one roof without hopping between stalls.
Eunseong Hoetjip (Eunseong Daegutang)
For a spicy, clean-tasting cod stew loaded with roe and milt, Eunseong Hoetjip is the go-to — best paired with a cold bottle of soju on a chilly day.
Beyond Food: Shopping & Coffee Breaks in Gwangjang Market
Gwangjang Market isn’t only about eating. If you’ve read my guide to exploring Seoul without a car, you already know I like building in a slower stop between food runs — and this market has a few good ones.
Olive Young Gwangjang Market
Near Ganggane Tteokbokki, this retro-concept Olive Young store recreates a 1960s shop atmosphere, complete with hanbok-fabric personal color testing and photo zones.
Cafe Onion Gwangjang Market
Near the South Gate 1 exit, Cafe Onion leans fully into the market’s raw, unpolished aesthetic — tape-wrapped chairs, cardboard-box menus — and serves a genuinely good flaky strawberry pastry alongside its coffee.
Ilho Sanghoe
Just across from Sunhui-ne Bindaetteok near North Gate 2, this small roastery cafe is run by an award-winning roaster and is worth a quick standing-table espresso before you dive back into the food stalls.
Recommended Signature Dishes & Price Guide
Below is a quick reference table for the core food stalls and cafes mentioned in the guide, featuring the top recommended dish and accurate current market price range for each spot.
| Stall / Spot | Top Recommended Dish | Approx. Price (KRW) |
| Gwangjang Market Chapssal Kkwabaegi | Twisted Rice Doughnut (Kkwabaegi) | ₩1,000 |
| Ganggane Tteokbokki | Radish-broth Tteokbokki | ₩5,000 |
| Sunhui-ne Bindaetteok | Mung Bean Pancake (Bindaetteok) | ₩5,000 – ₩6,000 |
| Monyeo Gimbap | Mayak Gimbap (1 portion) | ₩3,000 – ₩4,000 |
| Gohyang Kalguksu | Hand-pulled Knife-cut Noodles (Kalguksu) | ₩6,000 – ₩7,000 |
| Bucheon Yukhoe | Beef Tartare (Yukhoe, ~200g) | ₩19,000 – ₩20,000 |
| Bakgane Bindaetteok | Stone-ground Mung Bean Pancake | ₩5,000 – ₩6,000 |
| Eunseong Hoetjip | Codfish Stew (Daegutang) | ₩26,000 (2-person portion) |
| Cafe Onion Gwangjang Market | Strawberry Pie & Coffee | ₩5,000 – ₩7,000 range |
Final Tips Before You Go
Gwangjang Market has faced its share of criticism over hygiene inconsistencies and rising prices tied to tourist demand, so sticking to stalls with decades of history and a visible storefront — like the ones listed here — is the safest way to avoid overpaying. For more on navigating Seoul’s older neighborhoods on foot, check out my Jongno walking guide.
Prices at market stalls change often, so treat any specific won amount you see quoted online as accurate only as of the date it was posted, not a fixed rate.
