SEOUL · GWANGJANG MARKET ROUTE

Gwangjang Market Route

Gwangjang Market, opened in 1905, one of Seoul's oldest permanent markets. The raw beef of Yukhoe Alley, the mayak gimbap rolled by a mother-and-daughter ajumma, the mung-bean bindaetteok fried on the griddle. Down both sides of the narrow aisles, steam, the sound of oil and red sauce blend together. A daytime route through an old market's food, stall by stall.

🚇 Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga🚶 ~100 min on foot🍽 6 dishes

What Gwangjang Market is

Gwangjang Market, opened in 1905, is one of Seoul's oldest permanent markets. Once a trading market for cloth and hanbok, over time it came to be known for food. Down both sides of the narrow, roofed aisles crowd stalls of yukhoe, bindaetteok, mayak gimbap, sundae and tteokbokki. Shoppers, tourists and market workers mix, and at lunch the aisle jams shoulder to shoulder. Right out of Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga, it is a corner where the original scene of Seoul's food remains just as it was.

What to eat at the stalls

The market's headline is yukhoe first. Several specialists serving thin-cut raw beef with egg yolk and pear gather in one corner, called "Yukhoe Alley." Another signature is mayak gimbap, rolled thumb-thin — dipped in sweet-soy-and-mustard sauce it becomes impossible to stop, hence the name. Then there is bindaetteok, mung beans ground on a stone mill and fried; the light janchi guksu; sweet-hot tteokbokki; and freshly fried kkwabaegi. Oil and sweetness, heat and stock change over one after another within the narrow aisle.

How to walk this route

Gwangjang comes into its own by day. Starting from Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga, walk the aisles as if circling the market. First sit for a plate in Yukhoe Alley, then pick at mayak gimbap and bindaetteok, change the taste with janchi guksu and tteokbokki, and take a breather on the sweetness of kkwabaegi. Since you eat raw beef, freshness and hygiene matter — a busy hour and a fast-turning shop are the safe choice. The market centres on daytime; many stalls close by evening, and some rest on Sundays and holidays. Cash is safest, though more shops now take cards and mobile payment. Enjoying the crush, crowds and all, is how you walk Gwangjang.

Route map

Jongno 5-ga Stn → Yukhoe Alley → Mayak Gimbap lane (a loop of the old market)　·　numbers match the dishes below

The dishes on this route (6)

Tap through to each shop and dish

肉1MeatSomunnan Yukhoe×Yukhoe소문난육회 × 육회Fresh lean beef sliced thin and dressed with sesame oil, sugar and garlic, a raw egg yolk set in the centre of the plate. Mix in the julienned pear, break the yolk and coat it all, and the meat's sticky sweetness gains the pear's moisture and the scent of sesame oil. Cold, soft, sweeter the more you chew. You can also order beef liver (cheonyeop) or blanched yukhoe. Gwangjang's Yukhoe Alley gathers people for this one plate — the market's liveliest corner.Nearest Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga Stn, Exit 8, 3-min walkPrice ₩20,000 飯2RiceMonyeo Gimbap×Mayak Gimbap모녀김밥 × 마약김밥Tiny gimbap rolled no thicker than a thumb. Inside is plain — just rice, pickled radish, carrot and spinach — but dipped in a mustard-and-sweet-soy sauce it becomes impossible to stop, which is why they call it "mayak (narcotic) gimbap." Bite-sized, you pick them up one after another. Heavily dusted with sesame, the rice tightened faintly with vinegar and salt. At a counter on the market's narrow aisle, an ajumma keeps rolling briskly. Take a plate of several and eat standing — the Gwangjang way.Nearest Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga Stn, 4-min walk (inside market)Price ₩3,000 串3SnacksSunhine Bindaetteok×Bindaetteok순희네빈대떡 × 빈대떡Soaked mung beans ground on a stone mill, mixed with bean sprouts, kimchi and pork, and fried into a round in a generous pool of oil. On the big griddle before you, batter is spread one after another, the spit and smell of oil drifting into the aisle. Fresh off the heat, the edge is crisp and the centre soft and mealy. Dip it in soy with vinegar and chili, gnawing raw onion between bites. Order a bowl of makgeolli and the market-canteen scene is complete. One is plenty for two.Nearest Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga Stn, 3-min walk (inside market)Price ₩5,000 麺4NoodlesGwangjang Kalguksu Stall×Janchi Guksu광장시장 국숫집 × 잔치국수Thin, somen-like noodles set into a clear broth drawn from dried anchovy and kelp. On top go shredded egg, chopped scallion, a little kimchi and Korean seaweed. Light, its salt gentle, it settles the body between the oily grazing of the market. The noodles are soft and slip down easily. A little of the chili powder or seasoning paste on the table gives the bowl a spine. Many stalls also offer thick hand-cut kalguksu, and either suits, depending on the day's mood.Nearest Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga Stn, 4-min walk (inside market)Price ₩5,000 串5SnacksGwangjang Tteokbokki Stall×Tteokbokki광장시장 떡볶이 × 떡볶이Stick-shaped rice cakes simmered sweet-and-hot in a red sauce of gochujang and sugar. It bubbles in a big pan, the sauce clinging thickly to the cakes. Chewy and springy, the sweetness comes first and the chili heat chases after. Square fried fish cake (eomuk) and boiled eggs often go in too. At the market you stand at the pan, take a paper plate and pick at it on the spot. A mouth flushed with heat is then calmed by sundae or noodles bought next door — that is the rhythm of the walk.Nearest Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga Stn, 4-min walk (inside market)Price ₩4,000 甘6SweetsGwangjang Kkwabaegi Stall×Kkwabaegi광장시장 꽈배기 × 꽈배기Wheat dough twisted into two entwined strands, fried crisp and rolled in sugar. Crunchy outside, chewy within, with more bite than a doughnut. Fresh from the oil it is faintly warm, the sugar crackling. Some mix in glutinous rice flour for extra spring. Just right for a sweet breather after walking the market. One is cheap, so many buy a few and pick at them on the move. It keeps once cool, but nothing matches the fragrance straight from the oil.Nearest Metro L1 Jongno 5-ga Stn, 3-min walk (inside market)Price ₩1,500

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