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Seoul · Namdaemunsijang

Namdaemun Market food: where Koreans eat in Seoul

7 places in and around the market. We counted them from 98 Korean blog posts by people who ate there. This is a count, not a ranking.

  • 2,438blog posts found
  • 100posts we read
  • 98posts with a real meal
  • 7places with 2+ bloggers
01
son-kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup)

Snack barKorean

Gamegol Sonwangmandu 가메골손왕만두 남대문본점 no complaints · recommended

Steamed dumplings · near Hoehyeon Stn

About 2 min walk from Hoehyeon Stn

15 bloggers ate here · 41 posts in this search named it · we read 15

recommended by 13 · complaints 0 · came back 7

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends
  • Good for one 2

Why they liked it

  • Big dumplings with thick, soft, chewy skin and a full filling. · 9 bloggers
  • The kimchi dumplings are well seasoned and a bit spicy. Many say they are the best. · 6 bloggers
  • Thick, chewy hand-cut noodles in a mild, deep anchovy broth. They go well with the dumplings. · 4 bloggers
  • Fair prices: noodle soup is 7,000 won, and 4 big dumplings are 5,500 won. · 3 bloggers

expect a line 10 · short walk 9 · fast 7 · got in without waiting 4 · good value 3 · good with kids 1

They ordered son-kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup)

More about Gamegol Sonwangmandu (25 posts read) →
Sources (15)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

02
tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and fried snacks

Snack barKorean

Aeni Tteokbokki 애니떡볶이 no complaints · recommended

Snack-bar food · near Hoehyeon Stn Exit 5

About 3 min walk from Hoehyeon Stn

13 bloggers ate here · 66 posts in this search named it · we read 13

recommended by 13 · complaints 0 · came back 3

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends 1
  • Good for one

Why they liked it

  • The fried snacks are big and crisp. Many like the thick fried squid most. · 11 bloggers
  • Busan-style tteokbokki (rice cakes in red sauce) topped with shredded radish. The sauce is sweet and rich. · 9 bloggers
  • The rice cakes are soft and chewy. · 4 bloggers
  • Less spicy than it looks, so it is easy to eat. · 4 bloggers

expect a line 6 · fast 2 · short walk 1 · good value 1

They ordered tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and fried snacks

More about Aeni Tteokbokki (30 posts read) →
Sources (13)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

03
suanlafen (hot and sour glass noodle soup)

Chinese

Jamae Sikdang 자매식당 no complaints · recommended

Sweet-and-sour fried pork · near Hoehyeon Stn Exit 5

About 2 min walk from Hoehyeon Stn

3 bloggers ate here · 26 posts in this search named it · we read 3

recommended by 3 · complaints 0 · came back 3

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends
  • Good for one

Why they liked it

  • Real Chinese home-style food in a place that feels like a local spot in China. · 3 bloggers
  • Hot and sour noodle soup that tastes close to the real thing. · 2 bloggers
  • The cumin fried chicken is crisp outside and tender inside. · 1 blogger
  • The sweet-and-sour pork stays crunchy. · 1 blogger

got in without waiting 2 · short walk 1

They ordered suanlafen (hot and sour glass noodle soup)

More about Jamae Sikdang (10 posts read) →
Sources (3)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

04
spicy mushroom shabu-shabu (hot pot with sliced beef)

Korean

Yunseul 윤슬 no complaints · recommended

Chinese hotpot · near Seoul Stn Exit 4, 2 min walk

About 6 min walk from Seoul Stn

2 bloggers ate here · 4 posts in this search named it · we read 2

recommended by 2 · complaints 0 · came back 0

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends
  • Good for one

Why they liked it

  • A calm room with big windows over the city. · 1 blogger
  • Shabu-shabu in a spicy, flavorful broth. · 1 blogger
  • Well-marbled beef and fresh vegetables. · 1 blogger
  • Private booths make it good for groups. · 1 blogger

view 2 · short walk 2 · good with kids 1 · booking recommended 1

They ordered spicy mushroom shabu-shabu (hot pot with sliced beef)

More about Yunseul (17 posts read) →
Sources (2)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

05
gochujang samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly in chili paste)

Grill houseKorean

Masinneun Samgyeopsal 2-hojeom 맛있는 삼겹살 no complaints · recommended

Grilled pork · near City Hall Stn

About 6 min walk from City Hall Stn

2 bloggers ate here · 15 posts in this search named it · we read 2

recommended by 2 · complaints 0 · came back 0

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends
  • Good for one

Why they liked it

  • Thin pork belly, plain or spicy, comes already grilled from the kitchen. · 2 bloggers
  • Great sides, like green onion kimchi and green onion salad. · 2 bloggers
  • Fair prices. · 1 blogger

expect a line 1 · good value 1

They ordered gochujang samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly in chili paste)

More about Masinneun Samgyeopsal 2-hojeom (18 posts read) →
Sources (2)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

06
latte

Cafe

MONTIST LAB COFFEE 몬티스트 랩커피 no complaints · recommended

Coffee · near Hoehyeon Stn Exit 4

About 4 min walk from Hoehyeon Stn

2 bloggers ate here · 7 posts in this search named it · we read 2

recommended by 1 · complaints 0 · came back 0

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends
  • Good for one

Why they liked it

  • An Australian-style takeout cafe for a coffee break on your market walk. · 1 blogger

expect a line 1 · short walk 1

They ordered latte

More about MONTIST LAB COFFEE (30 posts read) →
Sources (2)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

07
dak-gomtang (chicken soup)

Soup and riceKorean

Dakjinmi 닭진미강원집 no complaints · recommended

Ginseng chicken soup · near Hoehyeon Stn Exit 5

About 3 min walk from Hoehyeon Stn

2 bloggers ate here · 27 posts in this search named it · we read 2

recommended by 1 · complaints 0 · came back 1

  • English menu
  • Good with foreign friends
  • Good for one 1

Why they liked it

  • Clean chicken soup with a rich chicken-fat flavor. · 2 bloggers
  • About half a chewy old hen for 10,000 won. Very filling. · 1 blogger

expect a line 1 · short walk 1 · fast 1 · good value 1

They ordered dak-gomtang (chicken soup)

More about Dakjinmi (11 posts read) →
Sources (2)

These are Korean blog posts. They are written in Korean.

How we counted

Naver and Daum are Korea’s big web portals. Koreans use them the way much of the world uses Google, and many people post restaurant reviews on blogs there. Those posts are in Korean, so most visitors never see them. We searched there in Korean for “남대문시장 맛집” (what you might search in English as “namdaemun market food”) and similar phrases, and had AI read 100 of the posts. We counted only posts where the writer actually ate at the place. One blogger counts once for a place, even with many posts. Sponsored reviews are left out of the order. There is no score.

The dish pictures are drawings made by Gilpost from the posts. They are not photos of the real food.