Gwangjang Market Guide: What to Eat and How Not to Get Overcharged (2026)

Last updated: October 2026

Walk out of Jongno 5-ga Station into Gwangjang Market's food alley and the first thing you notice is the smell of mung bean pancakes frying in oil. It's one of the Seoul markets foreign visitors go to most.

Since 2023, though, Gwangjang has been in the Korean news again and again for overcharging. There was a video of a ₩15,000 plate of jeon that came with about ten small pieces, and reviews of stalls switching an order to a pricier mixed platter nobody asked for and charging double.

So this guide covers two things: what to eat, and how to avoid getting ripped off.

The basics

Getting there	Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1), Exit 8 is closest to the food alley. You can also walk from Euljiro 4-ga Station (Lines 2 and 5).
Food alley	Open every day, roughly from morning until late evening. Hours vary by stall.
Main building and vintage arcade	Daytime hours, closed on Sundays
Payment	Card readers are around, but many stalls prefer cash. Bring some.

On a Sunday, the fabric and hanbok shops and the vintage clothing arcade are closed, and only the food alley is open. If you want to browse too, go on a weekday or Saturday.

1. What to eat

Dish	What it is
Bindaetteok (녹두 빈대떡)	A thick pancake of ground mung beans fried in oil, crisp on the outside
Mayak gimbap (마약김밥)	Finger-sized gimbap rolls dipped in mustard sauce
Yukhoe (육회)	Seasoned raw beef, mixed with pear and egg yolk
Kalguksu, janchi guksu (칼국수, 잔치국수)	Warm noodle soups, good on a cold day
Sundae, tteokbokki (순대, 떡볶이)	Street snack stalls

Prices vary from stall to stall, so check the price board at each one.

The name mayak gimbap means "addictively good". There are no drugs in it. Run it through Papago and you'll get "Drug Gimbap", which surprises a lot of people. More in How to Use Papago.

Yukhoe is raw beef, so if it's your first time, order a small portion. The yukhoe specialists are indoor restaurants in the side alleys, not the open stalls.

In Seoul, bindaetteok comes with makgeolli. That's the standard order.

2. How to avoid getting overcharged

Check the price board before you sit down. Since 2024 the market has been adding portion sizes to menus, in grams or pieces, next to the price. Pick a stall that lists the portion. If you can't see a price, ask before you sit.

Order exactly what's on the board. Some stalls have offered to "mix it for you" or turned an order into a mixed platter that costs more. Point at the item on the menu when you order. If you don't want the switch, say "No, just this."

Check your food when it arrives, not after you've eaten. Compare it with the portion on the board. If it looks short, say so right then.

Water should be free. In April 2026, a stall that charged a foreign customer ₩2,000 for water was suspended. If someone asks you to pay for water, something's off.

Bring small bills. ₩10,000 and ₩5,000 notes cause fewer arguments over change than ₩50,000 notes.

If something goes wrong, call 1330, the Korea Travel Hotline. It has English speakers and can interpret and help you file a complaint. A stall registration system took effect in June 2026, so a photo of the stall makes a complaint easier.

3. Crowds

After 7 pm on Fridays and Saturdays it's hard to get a seat at the stalls. You sit on narrow benches shoulder to shoulder with strangers.

4. The downsides

The same dish can come in a different size and at a different price at each stall.

Stall benches are narrow with no back, so they're not comfortable for long.

There have also been hygiene complaints. If that worries you, choose an indoor restaurant in the side alleys over an open stall.

Before you go

• Bring cash, mostly ₩10,000 and ₩5,000 notes
• On Sundays, only the food alley is open
• Check the price and portion before you sit
• Point at the menu when you order
• Call 1330 if there's a problem

Not sure how to pay elsewhere in Seoul? See paying in Korea as a foreigner.