Today, we visited Gwangjang Market, one of South Korea's oldest and largest traditional markets. Jongno 5-ga is where you'll find Gwangjang Market. Dongdaemun Market, Euljiro, and Cheonggyecheon are all nearby.

 

 

Jaseonne

Address : 395-6 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul  OPEN GOOGLE MAP

Started with Tteokbokki (rice cakes in gochujang) and Gimbap (seaweed rice roll). It is a store called "Jaseonne" that kept popping up in my Instagram feed. The place was packed when we arrived, but when we returned a little later, we were able to find a place to sit.

Plenty of Mayak Gimbap (mini gimbap) on the right. Sundae and Jokbal can be seen on the left.

Similar to the Sundae (type of blood sausage) we're used to, but much thicker.

Poorly maintained menu

Mayak Gimbap 3,000 won

There must be an original house of Mayak gimbap, but nowadays you can find this dish (mini gimbap with mustard sauce) just about anywhere. The taste was fine, but it was served too cold.

Tteokbokki  3,000 won

Tteokbokki is the house specialty. You can get 7 rice cakes for 3,000 won, however, there are no fish cakes included. The rice cakes were quite chewy and had a sweet and spicy flavor.

This combination cost only 6,000 won.

The Tteokbokki certainly looks tasty. Mayak gimbap is not something I would recommend, but Tteokbokki is.

 

 

Jeollado Heotjip

Address : East A23, 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul  OPEN GOOGLE MAP

This is called Jeollado Heotjip, a raw fish (sashimi) eatery recommended by a friend.

Even though it was just 2 p.m. on a weekday, it was already nearly packed. 

Assorted sashimi is 10,000 won (per person), and Soju / Beer is 5,000 won for each bottle.

Some veggies and sauces. Especially, cho-gochujang (spicy and sweet dipping sauce made of red pepper paste) was fantastic.

To drink Somaek (a cocktail mixed with soju and beer), we ordered a bottle of Soju and Beer.

Assorted Sashimi for Two  20,000 won

At the end of dinner, we noticed we were missing the Salmon. At first, we thought Yellowtail was given instead, but then I saw that other diners had both salmon and yellowtail. When I asked her right before we left, she stated that she had forgotten. 

The sashimi was all really tasty and fresh. There was plenty of flatfish, the octopus was tender, and the yellowtail had a decent amount of grease.

They were all very friendly. Unfortunately, the market was still too chilly for eating outside. Nonetheless, the market had a fantastic atmosphere.

 

 

Gangane Tteokbokki

Address : Arcade #101, Jongno 32 Gil 2, Jongno-gu, Seoul  OPEN GOOGLE MAP

Operation Hours : Tuesday-Sunday : 11:00 - 18:00 (Monday closed)

Gangane was the only restaurant in Gwangjang Market that appeared on the Internet when I searched for Tteokbokki (rice cakes in sweet and spicy gochujang).

That's why there was such a long line. However, the wait wasn't too bad because customers ate and left fast.

This Tteokbokki topped with thinly sliced radish made my mouth water.

Combo of Tempura / Tteokbokki with Sikhye (traditional sweet Korean rice beverage). 

The squid and the seaweed rolls tempura were both crispy and tasty. However, Tteokbokki was better at the Jasonne.

 

To help with digestion, we went on an aimless stroll.

Then I followed the crowds to an establishment serving NudeGimbap (inside-out Gimbap). Baek Jong-won, a well-known food expert, also stopped by.

We stumbled into this store by complete chance, even though it is located some distance from the main food street.

Japchae Gimbap  3,000 won

For only 3,000 won, you can enjoy this combo of Japchae and Tuna cheese Gimbap (inside-out gimbap).

It looks simple but trust me, it tastes fantastic. The gimbap is tasty on its own, but it's even better when paired with the included seasoned red pepper. Skip the Mayak kimbap and go for this instead.

There was another long line of people. It was a Sundae stand featured by famous YouTuber Pungja. We also joined the line at this Sundae place.

One person controls the line, one cuts Sundae while the other collects payment.

Sundae  6,000 won (250g)

Some say it was well-known even before the famous YouTuber Pungja visited it. I joined at 15:55 and waited in line for approximately half an hour.

We ordered some to go and ate on the sidewalk. This flavor has me wondering why anyone would wait in line. Perhaps it's because I'm already full, but this Sundae smells strong, and I'm more accustomed to ones made with glass noodles than ones made with sticky rice inside. There will be people who enjoy it and those who don't. Even my friend did not enjoy it very much.

The reason we came out here today was to eat Hotteok (a type of filled pancake), but they weren't open. Yet, despite everything, we had a wonderful day visiting Gwangjang Market and enjoyed a lot of delicious food.

 

Address : 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul  OPEN GOOGLE MAP

Phone : +82-2-2267-0291

 

Source : https://blog.naver.com/thief318/223003533578

Writer : thief318

Special thanks to thief318

 

gwangjang market seoul jongno jongro

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