The brutal winter in December didn’t deter us from heading out for some local street food during our Seoul trip. I have never been to any food markets despite having visited Seoul countless times. So it was interesting to witness especially, Netflix’s highly rated documentary series, Street Food: Asia, South Korea, in person.

While we did not manage to dine at the featured Lady in Pink, Yoonsun Cho’s Gohyang Kalguksu Stall for her lengendary knife-cut noodles; nor the mung bean pancakes from Pakgane Stall. We did secure some delicious produce from Hong Lim Banchan Stall, which carries an extensive selection of preserved foods, also known as banchan, commonly served alongside meals. The proprietress was friendly, not to mention beautiful! And she let us sample everything we laid our eyes on, if even for just a glance! There was so much to choose from. And everything looked tempting and tasty! We ended up buying more than planned to bring home. Prices are reasonable. I like the fact that the foods are made traditionally and 100% authentic!! They vacuum packed the foods for us; and by “vacuum pack”, it’s boxed, triple-wrapped in cling wrap and into a bag!

Honglim Banchan Stall @ 88 Changgyeonggung-roInside Gwangjang Market, Seoul, South Korea

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Kkwabaegi (Twisted doughnut, 꽈배기) – We were highly recommended the glutinous rice twists which are basically twisty doughnuts. We queued a good 30 minutes as they were making a fresh batch. You can see the making process while standing in line. The kneading, the cutting, the rolling, pinching , shaping, and finally, the frying. It all took longer than I’d expected. But wow! They were amazingly good coming straight from the fryer! We got the plain ones dusted with sugar cinnamon powder. But there are different varieties including red bean, sweet potato or black rice filling. Each twisty doughnut costs between 1000-1500 KRW. They were chewy and soft and fluffy all in the same bite! Totally delicious and extra comforting on a cold night!!

Kkwabaegi @ South Korea, Seoul, Jongno-gu, Jongno 4(sa)-ga, 188 105호

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We were looking to buy some Kimchi but all we could find was a row of large metal bowls holding what little was left of the day’s assorted kimchis, in the middle of the market aisle! It looked makeshift and frankly, a little “unprofessional”. But since there didn’t seem to be a more commercial kimchi shop within sight, we braved it and bought from this nameless, numberless, wall-less shop, which for a while, was also proprietor-less! Now the only advice I got for you, if you’re reading this, is: you gotta find this place! The kimchi was so, so, so, good! Perfect balance of spice, tartness, sweetness and crunch! We had to ration the portion so the little that we brought home would last us a longer period! Don’t miss this!

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When we finally got to sat down for dinner, it was after a long deliberation amongst the many, many, many stalls, serving mostly the same stuff! It was the kind, calm faces of Ajumma and her son, at Stall number 14 (and a stretch of empty seats which would fit all 6 of us!) that sealed the deal. It was the best decision. Not because the food was mind blowing, cuz they were really just ok: but because of the vibes of the entire experience, and the friendly company of the other patrons that truly made the meal memorable! The countless sojus and beers helped too!

Back to the food… as I said, they weren’t exactly mind blowing. But there is always a favorite. And that evening, the consensus hit was the live Octopus. Fished from a little tank alive and wriggling, chopped up and served with a mild chili sauce, roasted seaweed, sesame seeds and sesame oil. It was fresh (duh!) and chewy and sweet and spicy altogether. I have had live octopus many times and they have all been good. I was glad this one was too though initially, I was skeptical about the skinny appearance of the mollusk! Gotta try some!

For reference, these (circled) are the rest we ordered, there were blood cockles, beef lungs, pigs intestines, korean oden, Tteokbokki, chicken feet, stir fried squid, dumpling soup, plus one too many sojus and beers. The entire meal was around USD150. Not cheap per se, for street food. But we didn’t mind much. Something about this market setup.. casual, chill, relaxed… I think being in vacation mode played a part too.. it served a truly memorable time. Would definitely head back for more.. hopefully the prices don’t get even higher for us tourists!

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We spent a good amount of time at here at Gwangjang. Besides stuffing our faces, we strolled along every aisle in search of more to eat or buy home. The dry and preserved food product stalls were aplenty. We were in foodies’ paradise! I highly recommend Gwangjang Market, whether for a look-around, a meal, some snacking or just shopping. I guarantee everyone will find something they like here.

GWANGJANG MARKET @88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea Phone: +82 2-2267-0291

Disclaimer – This is not a sponsored post!