Gwangjang Market Food Tour: 14 Korean Foods You Need to Try in Seoul

If there is one place in Seoul that I recommend where you can eat your way through all types of Korean food, in one afternoon or evening, it’s Gwangjang Market.

I’ve visited Gwangjang Market a few times now, but on my last trip, I joined a food tour through this famous market and got a chance to try 14 different Korean dishes and drinks, from familiar favorites like kimbap and tteokbokki.

I booked my Gwangjang Market Food Tour through Viator, and having a local guide made the experience very enjoyable. Instead of wandering around wondering what to eat, the guide had us try his favorite Korean dishes.

In this guide, I’ll take you on a Korean food tour with me and explain the dishes I tried at Gwangjang Market, my thoughts, and more about the tour, Korean food, and Seoul in general.

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What is Gwangjang Market

Seoul has a lot of great street and night markets and Gwangjang Market is amongst my favorite. It’s one of the city’s most famous traditional markets and has an incredible selection of fresh Korean food.

Gwangjang Market is a great place to explore, even beyond food. Walking through the market, you’ll find rows of stalls selling everything from traditional Korea foods to clothing, fabrics, and handmade goods.

Where is Gwangjang Market

Located in the Jongno District of Seoul, Gwangjang Market is easily reachable by public transit or on foot, depending where you are staying.

If you are relying on public transport to reach Gwangjang Market, I recommend getting off at Jongno 5 subway station on the Blue Line.

I stayed in the Myeongdong area of Seoul and ended up walking to Gwangjang Market, it was roughly 20-25 minutes.

Brief History of Gwangjang Market

Gwangjang Market started in 1905 and is still thriving today. It was a well established market at a time when many other markets were temporary or had limited times.

Ultimately the market grew and catered to people traveling between the Jongno and Dongdaemun areas.

Because of its location and popularity, Gwangjang Market developed into the large market you see today.

What is Gwangjang Market Famous For?

Gwangjang Market is popular with both locals and tourists. For many visitors, the food is the main reason to visit.

The market is jam packed with stalls, food vendors, and restaurants. Some of the well known food are gimbap, mung bean pancakes, and tteokbokki.

I love the sheer variety found at Gwangjang Market. Every time I come here, I visit new stalls and try different dishes. It can be overwhelming, which is why I ended up doing a food tour of Gwangjang Market.

Why Take a Gwangjang Market Food Tour?

Gwangjang Market is easy enough to explore on your own. In fact, I did when I first visited Seoul. But there are so many food stalls and options to choose from, it can be difficult to know what to try, especially if it’s your first time.

Taking a Gwangjang Market food tour means the guide already has everything figured out, from the best stalls to the must-try dishes.

My tour allowed me to sample 14 different food dishes and drink sand learn more about what we were eating.

If you are visiting Seoul for the first time or don’t want to tackle a market alone, a food tour is the best way to experience Gwangjang Market.

Book a Gwangjang Market Food Tour

I booked my Gwangjang Market food tour through Viator, it was a great way to experience the market and sample local eats.

⏰ This is one of the most popular tours in Seoul, so make sure to secure your spot ahead of time by booking online through Viator.

14 Food & Drink we Tried on Our Gwangjang Market Food Tour

The thing I love about food tours, is the variety and amount of food you get to try. I’ve done food tours in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and many other places and they are always one of the highlights of my trip.

Not only did we sample delicious Korean food, we also got to try local alcoholic beverages and learned about Korean customs, culture, and the food itself on this food tour.

Below are the Korean dishes and drinks we sampled at Gwangjang Market.

1. Mayak kimbap

Our Seoul street food market tour started with a local street food called Mayak Kimbap.

Mayak Kimbap is a bite-sized seaweed roll that is filled with rice and vegetables. I am not big on seaweed wrapped rice, but this was actually pretty good.

For those that don’t know Korean, “Mayak” means drug as in it is addictive and that refers to the mustard sauce served with the kimbap. The dipping sauce is very good, but pretty spicy.

2. Tteokbokki

If you are familiar with Korean food, then you already know, seen, or maybe even tried, Tteokbokki.

Tteokbokki is one of Korea’s most popular street food dishes. If you are wondering what to eat at Gwangjang Market, I’d start with Tteokbokki.

It’s made from Korean rice cakes and is cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce, traditionally gochujang, which is a red chili paste. The sauce is where the flavor is!

The rice cakes are soft and chewy and it’s kind of fun to eat. You’ll see it at all night markets in Korea, they sell them to with chicken. I like it a lot, but honestly I can only eat so many, it’s best in small amounts for me.

It is a classic Korean comfort food and one of the dishes I was excited to try during the Gwangjang Market food tour.

3. Kimchi & Gogi Mandu

One of my favorite things I tried at the Gwangjang Market was Kimchi Mandu.

These are Korean dumplings that are filled with in this case kimchi, but you can also find ones with pork, tofu, and other vegetables.

The kimchi mandu is nice because you get a little sweet and spicy from the kimchi.

Gogi Mandu are meatfilled dumplings filled with minced pork and green onions. I liked both of the dumplings, so it was nice to be able to sample each one. This tour allowed us to eat as many as we wanted.

There is one place at Gwangjang Market that is famous for their Kimchi and Kalguksu Mandu, and it’s Gohyang Kalguksu. Gohyang Kalguksu was even featured on Netflix’s Street Food: Asia.

We got to meet the owner, she was super friendly, and we tried numerous other dishes from Gohyang Kalguksu to include Kalguksu and

4. Kalguksu

Another dish we tried from the same vendor, Gohyang Kalguksu was Kalguksu. This is a knife-cut wheat noodle served in a warm and savory broth.

The broth had a warm pepper taste to it with seaweed and other vegetables. Trying kalguksu was a nice change of pace from some of the other dishes we tried.

5. Nokdu bindae-tteok

Another one of my favorite Korean street food dishes was the Nokdu bindae-tteok. This is a traditional Korean mung bean pancake. We tried two, one plain and one with meat, I loved both but preferred the pork filled one.

At Gwangjang Market, you can see vendors making the Nokdu bindae-tteok fresh in front of you. They grind the mung beans and mix with ingredients and then cook on a hot griddle.

The combination of the crispy exterior and flavorful filling made it easy to see why it’s a favorite at Gwangjang Market.

6. Gogi-Wanja

Along with the Nokdu bindae-tteok, we also tried Gogi-Wanja. Gogi-wanja is a Korean meatball or meat patty. Gogi-wanja is typically made with ground pork but beef is also popular.

The ones we had were pork filled and they smashed them like pancakes and fried until golden brown.

7. Yuk-heo

Yuk-how is a Korean dish of seasoned raw beef like beef tartare but it’s thinly sliced strips with sesame oil.

I really enjoy raw beef and thought the sesame oil paired nicely with the meat. You can’t eat to much of it, so it’s a great appetizer or small side dish.

8. San-nakji

San-nakji is a famous Korean dish and a must for first-time visitors to South Korea. It’s fresh raw octopus that is cut into small pieces and served immediately with sesame oil.

What makes this dish bizarre is that many of the octopus pieces are still moving or squirming around the plate.

The texture can be an issue to some but it’s chewy, sticky, and moves. Don’t let them steer you away from trying San-nakji as it is flavorful and fun to eat.

9. Ddukbulgogi

Another soup dish I tried on my Korean food tour was Ddukbulgogi. For the most part, most people are familiar with bulgogi, it’s thinly slices, marinated beef and it’s delicious in anything it goes in.

We tried Ddukbulogi at a restaurant while drinking Korean beers and Soju, it pairs nicely with drinks.

This dish is a stew made with bulgogi and vegetables, served in a piping hot earthenware pot.

10. Bibimbap

Bibimbap is one of my all time favorite Korean dishes and it’s one of Korea’s best-known meals. Bibimbap means “mixed rice” and it’s a unique dish that comes in all sorts of varieties.

Bibimbap usually consists of rice with assorted vegetables, meat, a fried egg, and gochujang. The bowl is a hot earthenware pot where the rice caramelizes on the bottom, you then mix everything together. It’s simple and so delicious.

11. Kkwabaegi

What better way to end the Seoul food tour then with dessert? Kkwabaegi is a twisted Korean donut made from sweet yeast dough that is twisted and fried.

The Kkwabaegi I had was coated in sugar. The texture was light and fluffy, it was delicious and the perfect ending to our Gwangjang Market food tour.

12. Yakgwa

Our food tour guide gave us each a Yakgwa. This is a traditional Korean honey cookie made of wheat flour, honey, sesame oil, and other ingredients. The cookie is then deep fried and soaked in a sweet syrup.

It’s more of a dessert treat or snack, I took mine with and ate in the next day on the way to Namhansanseong. Honestly, I enjoyed the Yakgwa but it was overly sweet. I could only eat but one at a time.

13. Makgeolli

Makgeolli is a traditional Korean rice wine, it’s milky, sweet, and kind of fizzy. I’ve never had this before but it seemed to be quite popular! Again, this is the benefit of joining a food tour in Korea, I found a lot of new to me drinks!

The alcohol content is pretty low but served chilled, it was refreshing and went great with food.

14. Soju / Maekju

If you travel to Korea and don’t try Soju, then have you even been to Korea? It’s everywhere and seems to be enjoyed by all!

This clear spirit is made from grains or starches and has a clean and sweet flavor. To me, it tastes like watered down vodka. But you can find Soju at convenience stores, restaurants, and grocery stores.

Maekju is the Korean word for beer and often times it is paired with soju to make a drink called somaek, which is a combination of the two. Often times you can take a shot of soju and drop it in the beer and sip it down.

Trying fun drinks and playing Korean drinking games was a fun way on this tour to experience another part of Korean food and drinking culture.

Is a Food Tour Worth it in Seoul?

After trying around 14 different Korean foods and drinks at Gwangjang Market, I can say that taking a food tour was a fun way to experience Korean dishes in Seoul, plus I learned a lot about Korean food, customs, and so much more.

I’ve been to Seoul many times and have been to Gwangjang Market at least two other times. I found myself trying the same food dishes because they were familiar to me.

This tour allowed me to try new dishes I would never have ordered on my own and our guide made the whole tour a very pleasant experience.

What I liked most was the variety. The guide introduced me to a wide range of foods and drinks.

I think the Seoul Street Food Market Tour is especially worthwhile if you are visiting Seoul for the first time, aren’t sure what to order, or simply want to try as many different Korean foods as possible.

That being said, you don’t have to take a tour to enjoy Gwangjang Market. If you are comfortable exploring on your own and know what foods to try, you can certainly visit the market independently.

Gwangjang Market Food Tour FAQ

What food is Gwangjang Market famous for?

Gwangjang Market is famous for Korean street foods and traditional dishes like mayak gimbap and bindae-tteok.

Since it was aired on Netflix's Street Food: Asia, Gohyang Kalguksu is a famous stall that serves kimchi and gogi mandu and kalguksu.

Is Gwangjang Market worth visiting in Seoul?

Yes, Gwangjang Market is worth adding to your Seoul itinerary, especially if you enjoy lively markets and fresh food.

Do I need to go on a food tour at Gwangjang Market?

Although recommended for first-time visitors or anyone who wants to meet people and try a variety of food dishes, it's not required. You can explore on your own and order what you want.

Conclusion

My Gwangjang Market food tour turned out to be a fun and very filling way to experience Korean food in Seoul.

Trying around 14 different unique dishes and drinks from kimbap and tteokbokki to kimchi mandu and drinking soju, gave me a chance to sample much more than I would have if I explored the market on my own.

I said this already, but I loved the variety. Some foods were familiar to me while others were more adventurous. Having a local guide made it easier to know what to try and gave us insight into the foods we ate.

If you are visiting Seoul for the first time and love trying new foods, I think a Gwangjang Market food tour is a great experience to add to your Korea itinerary.

I booked my tour through Viator and if you’d like to experience the same Gwangjang Market tour and try some of the foods I mentioned in this guide, you can check out some of the available tours below.

Have you been to Seoul and enjoyed the food? Let me know in the comments your favorite dishes so I can try it next time. Safe Travels!

Gwangjang Market Food Tour: 14 Korean Foods You Need to Try in Seoul

All You Need to Know About Gwangjang Market

Why Take a Gwangjang Market Food Tour?