Mangwon Market — Attraction in Seoul

Mangwon Market: Where Seoul's Real Energy Lives

Forget the crowded, tourist-saturated lanes of Gwangjang Market for a moment. If you want to experience the vibrant, beating heart of everyday Seoul, Mangwon Market is your destination. My visit there was an absolute highlight of my trip, offering a perfect blend of authentic local life and the trendy, youthful energy that the surrounding Mangwon-dong neighborhood is known for.

The moment you step inside, you're hit with a symphony of sizzling griddles, the cheerful calls of vendors, and the incredible aroma of street food that is both affordable and delicious. I started with the famous tteokbokki, which was perfectly spicy and chewy, then moved on to a crispy hotteok, a sweet pancake oozing with melted brown sugar and nuts. The best part? You can graze your way through the entire market without breaking the bank.

What truly sets Mangwon apart is its seamless fusion of the old and the new. After exploring the traditional stalls selling fresh produce, kimchi, and seafood, you can literally walk across the street and find yourself in a world of minimalist coffee shops, independent boutiques, and cool bakeries. It’s this contrast that makes it so special. You can sip on a craft coffee while watching ajummas expertly haggle over the day's catch.

It’s not a curated tourist experience; it’s a living, working market where locals shop. This authenticity is its greatest charm. I spent a whole afternoon there, and it flew by. Whether you're a foodie on a budget, a photographer looking for compelling scenes, or a traveler wanting to see a more relaxed side of Seoul, Mangwon Market is an unmissable, genuine, and incredibly lively experience. I can't...

🇰🇷 Visited 15/12/2023 Freezing Cold Saturday Morning. The following sharing are based on our unbiased personal opinion and experience

We discovered this local market on Google map and read the reviews that it's not overwhelmed by tourists and here we are braving the freezing cold ❄️ morning taking the public transport to reach the destination

The first stall we came across was this stall selling dough sticks. We brought a few to try out and it's actually quite nice. Moving on we saw this issac toast stall selling delicious looking toast bread. We ordered the ham, cheese and potato toast. Yes it was good as well.

And we saw the next stall prepping huge succulent meat ball on the cooking plate. And we ordered a set of 2 for 7000won. Yes it was good as well. And while waiting for the next batch of meat balls to be served we hope on to the opposite stall for some hot tokpokki, tempura and hot soup.

Everything in this market taste heavenly. Or maybe it was the weather but nevertheless we like what we eat so far. And the last stall we settled for was the long queuing noodle shop. They served quite a few variety of noodles. And we order each of the noodles to try, oh man yes it taste just as good as the rest.

Overall a 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ for this mangwon market. Not too crowded with tourist for now. Do make a trip down and try it...

Stalls I ate are listed below Overall cost and quality of the food is higher at Mangwon when compared to Nandeamun and Meyongdong markets

Most of the restaurants are open by 11am but if you want to pick up some fruit or produce you can come earlier.

#28 Hotteok (Not fried) 8/10 -2000won -They only sell mixed seeds -There is a nice balance between the shell, sugar and seeds -Wait a minute before biting in the inside is very hot

#16 Pork knuckles -I never tried the pork knuckle but this is the only stall that I found that sold juice -4000won for the juice which was very good

#58 Kalguksu 홍두깨손칼국수: 7.5/10 -6000 won for the perilla kalguksu -Soup was better than the noodles. The noodles were good but it wasn’t as springy as I would like.

#68 HOONHOON HOTTEOK 훈훈호떡: 8.5/10 -My favorite hottoek in Seoul so far -Basement near the side entrance

#39 Fried Peppers 7/10 -Filled with minced pork -I tried the spicy version but I think the original should be better since it won’t be soggy. -spicy version was still crispy on the sides and overall it was still good

#48 Fried chicken 큐스닭강정: 6.5/10 -Sauces were good but the chicken was cold -ordered Korean sauce and Mustard -They give you a tteok

Fried Dough...