So you’re visiting Seoul, lucky you! Seoul has a wide variety of street food to offer. Whether you’re in the mood for something sweet or savory, you can find it all in one of the city’s many stalls.
Two of our favorites locations for street food are Meyongdong Shopping Street that operates every day from around 5PM, and Gwangjang indoor market.
Here are 18 street food you have to try!
Tteok-bokki (떡볶이)
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street \ Gwangjang Market
Hot and spicy rice cakes in creamy chili sauce. These are so popular you can find them practically anywhere – street food stalls, snack bars, markets and restaurants. When I first saw these snacks I was a bit intimidated by the bright vivid red color. Fear not – they are indeed spicy but not burn-your-mouth-and-catch-on-fire-spicy.
32cm Long Twist Ice Cream
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
You can’t stroll around Meyongdong without noticing people walking around with these tall ice cream cones. They come in a variety of flavors: choco-vanilla, green tea-vanilla and yogurt strawberry. A cone will cost you 2000₩ \ $2 \ 6.5₪. Even on colder days, this cone melts pretty fast so hurry up with the pictures! 😉
Kimbap (김밥)
Where: Gwangjang Market
While some claim this is a Japanese sushi variant, others say this food was developed from the local tradition of rolling cooked rice and side dishes (pickled radish, egg, spam, etc.) in seaweed. It’s very popular and can be found in street stalls, restaurants and even convenience stores and can serve as a great light meal. Unfortunately the Gimgane restaurant I visited had since closed down, so if you’re looking for a Kimbap specialty restaurant visit this post. You can also find it in Gwangjang Market.
Poop Pancake
Where: Ssamziegil Mall
At the top floor of Ssamziegil, a colorful arts and crafts shopping center, you can find the Poop Cafe, offering poop-themed food and drinks (read more here). Outside it the Poop Pancake stand, where you can pamper yourself with a cute poop shaped pancake filled with chocolate or red beans for ₩1000 \ ₪3.5 \ $1. I got the chocolate filled one and it was super yummy!
Kimchi (김치)
Where: Everywhere!
Kimchi is THE staple food in South Korea, and It was a part of every meal we had there. Kimchi is basically salted and fermented vegetables, mostly cabbage and radishes, and seasoned with chili powder, but really there are endless variations. It’s usually spicy – very spicy! It is served as a side to almost every Korean dish. In Lotte department store we spotted an entire section dedicated for Kimchi of every kind and color.
Egg Bread (계란빵)
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
Sweet dough and cooked egg baked which we discovered to be a true delight. It’s a perfect snack to eat on the go. This was definitely one of my favorites. I got one for ₩1500 \ $1.5 \ ₪5 but I think they can be found for even cheaper.
Dragon beard candy \ Kkul-tarae (꿀타래)
Where: Insadong
This bite-size sweet snack is produced by twisting and stretching malt and honey into 16,000 strands. It is then filled with peanuts, walnuts, chocolate and other goodies. If you’re lucky enough you’ll get to watch them make it. Unfortunately I didn’t get the chance to view this magic in action but I did enjoy this snack very much.
Fishcake Soup (어묵국)
Where: Gwangjang Market
This dish, also called odeng, features fish cake on a stick and hot, comforting broth. While this dish might not be the most attractive, it makes up for it in taste. It’s extremely cheap and you can find it in many food stall in Gwangjang Market market. Just grab a seat at one of the many stalls and munch away.
Steamed Corn on a Stick
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
Just a corn on the cob, but boy it was so freakin’ delicious! I’m telling you, there’s something special about those..
Hotteok (호떡)
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
Pronounced ‘ho-tok’, this is a Korean pancake, served with a variety of fillings, usually a mixture of brown sugar, honey, cinnamon and chopped peanuts. These pancakes are a very popular Korean snack and can be smelled from miles away. Beware – these are extra sweet and oily!
Mandu (만두)
Where: Myeongdong Kyoja
Every nation has its own variation of dumplings: The Russian have Pilmeni, the Polish have Pierogi, the Japanese have Gioza and the Korean have Mandu. The recommended and super packed Myeongdong Kyoja serves steamed mandu made from minced pork and Chinese leeks, fresh vegetables and homemade sesame oil.
Haemul Pajeon – Pancakes (해물파전)
Where: Gogung
Don’t be mistaken by the name – these may be called pancakes but they are savory and stuffed with sea food and green onions. One of my favorite Korean street food.
Tokkebi Hotdogs
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
You might wonder how come hot dogs became a staple of Korean street food, but it turns out Koreans have a soft spot for Hot Dogs. They’ve mastered the art of hot dog coating, as you can see – they dip-fry it and cover with french fries making it resemble a spiked club. This is also where the name of this dish comes from. (tokkebi is a ruthless creature that casts evil spells on mean people)
Strawberry Mochi
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
A traditional Japanese rice cake, that is very popular in the streets of Meyongdong. The mochi is filled with red bean (azuki) and strawberry. What is so special about the mochi is its Q Texture – chewy and rubbery.
Tteok-Galbi (떡갈비)
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
A Korean street food dish made from short ribs. The minced meat is marinated in sweet and salty sauce and then deep-fried and served of a skewer. It’s the perfect meal-on-the-go.
Grilled Clams
Where: Meyongdong Shopping Street
Melted cheese and scallop served in the shell – sounds great but the biggest attraction here is actually the guy making it using two mini flame throwers.
Banana Milk (바나나맛 우유)
Where: convenience stores
I want to finish this post with two beverages. Thye don’t exactly fir the definition of street food, but every food needs a beverage to wash it down with. First to mention is the Banana Milk. It’s one of the most popular drinks in Seoul – more than 800K bottles are sold each day in Korea! As a banana die hard fan I was absolutely sold with this drink.
Milkis (밀키스)
Where: convenience stores
The second drink I want to snick into this post is Milkis. It’s a carbonated milk and yogurt flavored beverage. Yep, milk soda. You can also find it in different flavors, such as peach, mango, melon and more.
Have fun in Seoul!
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