Hello from Seoul! Today, we are going to show you the TOP 5 Korean STREET FOOD you must try in the Namdaemun market! They are all our favorite! Follow us!
Namdaemun Market 남대문 시장
Namdaemun market is one of the oldest and largest markets representing South Korea as well as Seoul. It was named Namdaemun market because it is right next to Namdaemun, Great South Gate! It is located in the center of Seoul, so it is one of the most famous tourist attractions.
Since it is such a big market, there must be a lot of delicious food, right? We will show you one by one.
1. Knife-cut Noodle Soup(kalguksu 칼국수)
There is a magical entrance to a whole new world from the market. If you open this door, you will see an amazing knife-cut noodle soup alley. As a Korean, if I miss this place when I visit this market, I feel like something is missing.
My favorite thing about here is that I can see them cooking in front of us! It makes me feel like a kid waiting for my mom’s comforting meal.
The broth here is very deep and thick. It is an anchovy and vegetable base broth, but not many people can feel the fishy taste from this soup.
And it is hand-pulled noodles, so the texture is very interesting. You will be so into it.
2. Boribap 보리밥
Here, you can also have boribab, but this boribap is like country-style bibimbap. It contains barley instead of rice. If you order this boribap, you can even have knife-cut noodles soup, cold noodles, soybean soup, and kimchi all at once.
How much is this combo? It is only $5.20. That is insane!!!
3. Dumplings(mandu 만두)
Now, the next food is these dumplings. I don’t know why but street food in Korea is more delicious in the wintertime. Maybe it is because of steam coming from the food, I don’t know. Anyways, it is impossible for me to pass the stall when I see the dumplings like that. Can you?
They don’t sell this each. You have to buy at least 5 pieces and the price is also very generous. It is only $3.50. That’s why I love traditional markets.
This is pork dumpling (Gogi mandu, 고기 만두). It has quite thick skin, not like xiaolongbao but it has lots of filling. You may feel it is too thick but it has the great dough to filling ratio. It is balanced well and this is incredible.
It has pork, onions, cabbage, and chives and once you bite, the juice comes out like fireworks in my mouth. It is not much different from other dumplings in Korea, but I don’t know why it is strangely very addictive. So I’ve never passed here, I can’t help myself.
Unlike Claire, I prefer kimchi dumplings(김치 만두) because I love the crunchiness of kimchi and spicy and sour flavor. Nothing can beat the combination of pork and kimchi.
4. Chicken Bone Soup (Dak-gomtang 닭곰탕)
The next place is the chicken soup place. This is a place that serves traditional Korean chicken soup, and I am pretty sure you guys may have not seen this place on Youtube because this is very local.
It is a very old restaurant that started in 1962, but recently it has become more popular through SNS.
When you think of Korean chicken soup, the first thing that comes to your mind is ginseng chicken soup, but this soup is cleaner and neater than ginseng chicken soup.
If you order 고기백반(go-gi-baek-ban), you can enjoy boiled chicken and chicken soup separately. Normally, in Korea, we use old chicken for chicken soup because it is good for making deeper and neat broth. Since this chicken is an old one, the texture will be very different from what you expect. It is quite firm and chewy and it really goes well with this kimchi.
You need lots of energy to travel to Seoul but if you eat this, you won’t have a problem for two weeks!
5. Japchae Hotteok 잡채 호떡
I’m not a person who carries cash with me, but I brought cash today! Why? To eat this Hotteok!
This super crispy golden brown fried donut is stuffed with some vegetables and glass noodles and they spread the special sauce with a brush.
Since this place has been introduced a lot on Youtube, you might think it is touristy but it is definitely not. Most locals know this place and when we come around here, we also wait for 10 or 15 minutes to eat this fantastic hotteok!
Alright, today we introduced the top 5 must-try food in the Namdaemun market. We ate them all in one day but, since this market is so huge that we walked a lot, so our bellies are ok. Don’t worry!
I hope you guys enjoy walking around Namdaemun market and try some delicious food that we introduce today.
Alright, this is it for today, and we will see you next time!
o Namdaemun Market 남대문시장
– Address: 21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 서울 중구 남대문시장4길 21
o We had…
1. Boribab 보리밥: $5.20 2. Knife-cut noodle soup (Kalguksu) 칼국수: $5.20 3. Dumplings (Mandu) 만두: $3.50(6pcs) 4. Chicken Soup (Dakgomtang) 닭곰탕: $6.80 5. Japchae Hotteok 잡채 호떡: $0.85
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1 Comment
Hi there, can you share how to get to the Dumpling place, Dak-gomtang 닭곰탕 and hotteok shop please? Namdaemun is a maze and I can never find the shops! Thank you!