The food alley
Stalls and benches in a row.
Bgag — CC0 · Bgag — CC0 · Pfc. Bo Park, 2ID PAO, US Army — Public domain · Rystheguy — CC BY-SA 4.0
One of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Korea, set up by Korean merchants at the start of the twentieth century and now holding thousands of shops under one roof. It was long known for silk, hanbok fabrics and bedding, whose shops still fill the upper floor along with a well-known vintage clothing section. Today, though, it is famous for the food alley at its centre, where the stalls stand shoulder to shoulder and customers sit on benches around them. Its best-known dishes are bindaetteok, a fried mung-bean pancake, small gimbap rice rolls, and hand-cut noodles. Tourist numbers grew after it appeared in international food programmes. Most stalls are not halal, and some dishes are cooked with non-halal fat or meat, so ask before you order and keep to vegetable and seafood options if you wish. Ask the price before you sit down. The fabric shops trade in the daytime and mostly close on Sundays, while the food alley stays open into the night. The market is close to the Cheonggyecheon stream and Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
Stalls and benches in a row.
Silks on the upper floor.
A well-known section.
88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu; Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1), exit 8
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