Eat from start to finish: A big roundup of street food and traditional snacks at Namdaemun Market

Text and photos by /MIKA

I was only on day three of my Seoul article from last October when I had to go to Seoul again XD, so I had to quickly publish some backlogged articles. This one also introduces the street food stalls at Namdaemun and recommends a super friendly, warm, and adorable hat shop in Namdaemun called ‘SEGI Cap&Hat’. The hats here are cute, cheap, and you can even haggle if you buy more. The best part is that the owner, Ajumma, is super nice and very patient. Since we were staying near Namdaemun, we dropped by whenever we felt like it, and everyone ended up buying quite a few hats to take home. Another thing worth recommending is the traditional snacks at Namdaemun. Namdaemun is a large traditional market in Seoul, so the shops and snacks here all have history and best represent Korean local culture. In addition to the 50-year-old Han Soon-ja Grandma’s handmade knife-cut noodles and Sunchunwang (King Sunchun’s Pig Trotters) that I wrote about last time, there are also my personal favorites like black sugar pancakes and vegetable pancakes… They’re so delicious when freshly made and hot off the griddle.

The best time to visit Namdaemun is in the morning, so you can grab breakfast while you’re at it. Early in the morning that day, we headed out to explore Namdaemun. The hotel we stayed at this time, HOTEL TONG Seoul Myeongdong, was very close to Namdaemun—just a short walk away.

We accidentally came across their traditional folk event, kind of like our Mazu procession—it was really lively.

Namdaemun is actually a traditional market, so they sell all kinds of things—daily necessities, home appliances, clothes, etc. The clothes are a bit more mature, so it’s more suited for middle-aged women to shop here. But I still love coming to Namdaemun because things are cheaper and you can haggle. Plus, you often find hidden gems here.

They sell everything here—from stationery, clothing, shoes, bags, skincare products, to local specialties… you name it, they’ve got it.

The most common items are clothes for mature women.

They also have children’s clothing.

Scarves are super cheap here—only 60 Taiwanese dollars—and the patterns aren’t bad either~

Namdaemun is really huge. Besides the ground level, there are indoor markets and department stores, and every alley sells all sorts of things. You could literally spend hours exploring here.

There are a few streets that sell more youth-oriented items, and there are also many well-known skincare shops here.

Korean ajummas are super skilled—they’re amazing at carrying stuff on their heads. Especially the delivery ajummas, who you’ll often see weaving through streets and alleys with food stacked on their heads during meal times.

SEGI Cap&Hat
Phone: 754-7046
Address: Jung District, Seoul, South Korea, Nanchang-dong
Highly recommend this hat shop. Ajumma is great at business—she’s friendly, warm, and adorable. The hats are cheap and you can haggle. It’s located right in the middle of the alley between Exit 5 and 6 of Hoehyeon Station. Turn right, then it’s the second shop on your left. Just keep an eye out and you’ll find it. You can check the map herehere

This shop has a wide variety of hats for both men and women—cheap and practical.

I love all the hats I picked this time!! Each one is about 300 Taiwanese dollars—pretty cheap, right? Actually, I’ve noticed that a lot of hats in Japan also come from Korea, so buying hats in Korea is not only cost-effective but also offers tons of styles.

Cute hats, Ajumma, I love her!! I’m going to visit her shop every time I go to Seoul.

I said there are just so many types of snacks at Namdaemun, so my advice is to come hungry and have brunch here~

I can never resist the aroma of roasted chestnuts XD. Don’t you think chestnuts are super delicious? Especially the ones from Japan and Korea—they’re huge.

You almost never see chestnuts roasted this dark in Taiwan, haha~ By the way, good chestnuts are also a matter of luck. I once got some that were undercooked and super crispy because they were half-raw XD

This one is also near Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station. Turn right toward the market, and you’ll know it’s the place when you see a long line. They sell black sugar pancakes and vegetable pancakes.

Their pancakes look super oily, don’t they?

They’re fried until crispy and golden brown—looks so delicious. The oil looks pretty clean though.

I ordered one black sugar pancake and one vegetable pancake. I waited in line for a while to get them, but they were hot and so exciting to eat.

Their vegetable pancakes have glass noodles, veggies, and more. The crispy, golden crust paired with the tasty veggies and glass noodles is amazing. I didn’t manage to photograph their fruit sauce, but Korean vegetable pancake stalls usually have a pot filled with a bunch of fruity and veggie sauces—it’s really unique.

Black sugar pancake
Black sugar cakes with a hint of cinnamon, filled with sesame seeds, nuts, and sweet, crunchy black sugar... The crispy fried crust paired with the fragrant cinnamon black sugar and nutty texture is absolutely delicious—but just a bit too sweet for me to finish one whole piece XD

You often see these grilled rice cakes by the roadside. It's that simple—just grill them until slightly charred and dip them in honey. Very filling...

These red bean buns also seem pretty popular.

They’re filled with red bean paste.

They’re actually really tasty, you know? The bun skin is very elastic and has a nice texture.

This is the legendary famous Kamegu Bun Shop. Just look for the spot surrounded by a crowd of people—that’s it. You can also find it right to the right of Exit 5 at Hoehyeon Station.

They have three flavors: original, spicy, and red bean. I heard they’re all delicious, but we didn’t buy any because we were too full, and the line was just way too crazy, so we gave up XD

I’ve actually been let down by Korean buns quite a bit before—either too sweet or just a little weird in flavor—so this time I was a bit hesitant to try... But next time if I go back to Namdaemun, I’d like to save some stomach space to see just how good these legendary Kamegu buns really are.

Ha? Here’s Namdaemun Market
Address: 283, Jongno 4-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
Phone: 02-747-3685
Business Hours: 07:00–16:00
Transportation: Subway Line 4, Namdaemun is right at Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station.
 

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MIKA’s Travel & Food Journal"