12 Best Seoul Markets Guide 2026 + Photos

You will never go hungry with so many good Seoul food markets – plus you can find fine threads and bargains galore at flea markets or fabric markets.

Featuring well known markets like Gwangjang, Namdaemun and Mangwon, we also shine a spotlight on lesser known Seoul Markets like Jungang, Bangsan and Jungbu.

From hotteoks to hanbok costumes, fish auctions to fried peppers, we bring you the best Seoul markets to explore – plus inside you’ll find cool side-streets dedicated to famous Korean street food dishes from Kalguksu Alley to anchovy alley.

Some of these are popular with tourists whilst others (like Gyeongdong Market) are packed with locals seeking out traditional medicine or nostalgic dishes – there is even a Seoul market known for its pick and mix lunchbox sets!

Here is our ultimate guide to Seoul’s best markets + photos.

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Seoul Market Tours

Incidentally, we hope this best Seoul Markets guide is sufficient to do your own DIY tours based on your own ‘tastes’ – but if you would rather try tasty Korean foods with a local guide, try these Seoul Market Food tours:

• Gwangjang Market vegan and vegetarian food tour >
• Namdaemun Market street food tour >
• Traditional Korean 6-dish cooking class + hidden alley tour in Seoul >
• Cooking Class in Mangwon Market with a trained Michelin-starred chef >
• Seoul night market food tour with guided experience >
• Mangwon Market local food experience >
• Gwangjang Market half-day street food experience >
• Seoul fun food tour: 12 different food tastings >

Plus all these Seoul food tours on Klook >

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Best markets in Seoul

1. Mangwon Market

Right now in 2026, Mangwon Market 망원시장 seems to be one of the ‘hottest’ Seoul markets, popular with locals of all ages, from ummas / emos shopping in the morning to young couples and students eating here at night.

We can see straight away why this is one of Seoul’s best markets, from the cheap as fried chicken stalls to tasty tteokgalbi.

Popular dishes here include Korean Street Toast (they even have an Isaac Toast branch), hotteoks and twisted donuts, hot pork knuckles and kalguksu plus amazing smelling Korean meatballs (like hamburgers) – and lots of samples to try before you buy!

And one of the most famous dishes at Mangwon Market is the deep fried peppers (best served with ice-cold beers).

We last visited Mangwon Market in April 2026 and made a beeline for Basak Macha 바삭마차, a famous handmade katsu cutlet shop founded by Yang Suhyun who is a former chef at a 7-star hotel and featured on Culinary Class Wars series 2!

There were lots of tasty fried items on offer including Whole Pork Loin Tonkatsu, Mozzarella Cheese Cutlets and Jalapeño Roll Katsu.

Mangwon Market is open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm but individual stall opening times may vary.

Read more in our guide to Mangwon Market >

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

2. Namdaemun Market

Located just a few hundred metres from the main Myeongdong action, Namdaemun Market 남대문시장 is a sprawling shopping area frequented by locals and tourists alike in search of bargains.

There are thousands of market stalls and shops in Namdaemun Market, spread across several blocks so navigating it can seem quite tricky when you first arrive.

Handily, Namdaemun Market is handily broken down into several sections where the same types of shops and products are grouped together – for instance, Hardware Street or Children’s Wear Street.

We were last at Namdaemun in Spring 2026 and it was so busy (especially the hat and hotteok stalls) with a brand new roof covering installed over the main market thoroughfare.

Plus the famous Hairtail Alley (fish stew) in Namdaemun was bustling with locals queuing to savour super spicy braise hairtail Stew 갈치조림.

Also located in Seoul’s Namdaemun Market, Kalguksu Alley is an alleyway hot-bed (emphasis on the ‘hot’) of inexpensive noodle stalls – read our Kalguksu Alley guide >

Namdaemun Market is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and opens at 11am on Sundays.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

3. Jungang Market / Seoul Central Market

A traditional Korean market by day and fine foodie place at night, Jungang Market (also known as Seoul Central Market 서울 중앙시장) in Sindang is a marvellous mix of old and new Seoul.

By day, it is awash with elderly stall holders and farmers selling everything from ginseng to grilled squid – you’ll find lots of fresh foods including vegetables, fruit and even a dedicated area just selling fresh fish (just follow your nose).

But come here early in the evening and you are in for a very different vibe – daytime stall-holders are closing up their stalls and joining other vendors for Makgeolli or soju (best served with gossip).

After dark, several HoF bars open up (the Korean version of izakayas) and renowned restaurants like La Calle open their shutters.

South Korea Hallyu tip – if you are spending several hours in Sindang, note this is one of the few places where there is a free / very clean toilet block (otherwise, grab a drink in a cafe and use their ‘facilities’).

Jungang Market is open daily from 8am to 8pm but some bars and restaurants stay open later.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

4. Gwangjang Market

Gwangjang Market is Seoul’s most famous food market, a myriad of market street food stalls selling some of the best food you’ll taste in Seoul (or anywhere in South Korea).

Gwangjang Market has bags of character, from the numerous (and competitive) stallholders who beckon you over (“Sit. SIT”!) to the huge array of awesome and authentic street food available.

Boiling hot in the summer and bitterly cold in the winter, Gwangjang Market is a foodie’s dream and a must visit when in Dongdaemun.

In recent years, Gwangjang has become a popular tourist stop after featuring on the Netflix series Street Food: Asia. It told the success story of Cho Yonsoon’s Kalguksu knife-cut noodle stall (but be prepared to sometimes queue to savour this delicious ‘Seoul food’…).

Everytime we talk about Gwangjang Market in our South Korea Facebook group, someone says this is for tourists only but that isn’t true – it is just quite popular with tourists but for good reason!

And yes, as this best Seoul markets guide shows, there are many other markets to try like Mangwon, Namdaemun, Tongin etc – but this is also good. A few tourists have reported slightly being overcharged too but it has never happened to us.

New for 2026, a new Olive Young Gwangjang Market branch opened up along with new stores from brands like POPMART Hirono, OFF BEAUTY and Kodak – so it isn’t just about food.

Check out our full guide to what to eat at Gwangjang Market in Seoul >

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

5. Dongmyo Flea Market

A short walk from the DDP, the Dongmyo Flea Market 동묘벼룩시장 is open daily and fascinating to see local Seoul citizens at work and at play – this small corner of Seoul is like stepping back in time.

Here you can buy everything from broom handles to hotteoks, second hand watches to winches. A vintage treasure trove of vintage goods, it is fascinating to walk around and watch locals hunt for bargains.

Bargain hunters and stall holders have been converging here since the 1980s and at its peak, there were over 500 stalls – we last visited in May 2025 and we’d guess there were around 200 bric-a-brac stalls and a few food kiosks.

Nearby, there is a small temple where you can escape the crowds and have a brief moment of solitude.

Dongmyo Flea Market is open daily from 9am to 8pm but individual stall opening hours may vary.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

You might like these Seoul neighbourhood guides:
Dongdaemun
Euljiro
Gangnam
Hannam-dong
Hongdae
Ikseon-dong 
Insadong
Itaewon
Myeong-dong
Seongsu-dong
Sindang

Or check out our best neighbourhoods in Seoul Guide >

6. Dongdaemun Market / Dongdaemun Shopping Complex

Located near to the Cheonggyecheon River, Dongdaemun Shopping Complex (Market) 동대문종합시장 c 동 칼라 is apparently the world’s largest clothing and fabric material markets, full of colourful patterns (and the odd counterfeit brand based on what we saw).

This is the go to place in Dongdaemun for cheap off-the-rack (or even made to measure) hanbok outfits to buy outright, or bedding and accessories to take back home.

Many of the retailers are wholesale so you might need to buy multiple of the same items.

Dongdaemun Market is open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 6pm.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

7. Gyeongdong Market

Definitely one of the more local and authentic Seoul markets, Gyeongdong Market 경동시장 is best known for its medical and wellness products, from ginseng stalls inside to numerous sellers on the pavement outside selling herbs and fruits from suitcases.

Seoul’s medicine market was built in the 1960s, allowing local farmers from the nearby provinces to sell their homegrown herbs, fruit and vegetables – now the most popular stalls seem to be dried herbs, dried seafoods and ginseng galore.

The old theater above the market has now been remodelled to become one of Seoul’s most beautiful Starbucks.

Incidentally, Gyeongdong Market is one of Seoul’s most photogenic markets and a lot less touristy than say Gwangjang Market.

Seoul Gyeongdong Market is open 9am to 6pm 7 days a week.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

You might like our guide to Starbucks Gyeongdong 1960 – Seoul’s most beautiful Starbucks >

Try this traditional Gyeongdong Market foodie tour >

8. Bangsan Market

Very much a local’s market selling cheap as chips goods and wholesale items, Bangsan Market 방산시장 has over 200 stalls and used to be famous as a shop to buy pretty packaging and boxes.

When we visited Dongdaemun’s Bangsan Market, we found it to be mainly hardware and home interiors plus the stench of fake perfume lingers; there were lots of labels that said things like ‘smells like Chanel”.

Other random items to buy at Bangsan market included rose ice cube trays, astroturf and lots of fabrics and gaudy decorations.

Bangsan Market is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

9. Tongin Market

Located close to Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village, Tongin Market 통인시장 is a traditional Seoul Market with around 50 or so stalls that is perhaps most famous for its Tongin lunchboxes.

Yes, you can curate your own lunchbox (dosirak) at Tongin Market which costs 10,000 Won – you use special brass-coins (x 20) which you can redeem at food stands of your choosing and then eat in the upstairs cafe – they even have a cute brass coin mascot too!

Around since the 1940s, this Seoul Market is steeped in tradition and generally pretty quiet compared to most of the others featured on this ‘best Seoul Market’ guide.

Tongin Market is open from 9am to 7pm, 7 days a week – BUT the famous Tongin lunchbox cafe is open Tuesday to Friday from 11am until 3pm, and weekends from 11am until 4pm (and also closed the 3rd Sunday of every month). Tongjin lunchbox times correct as of June 2026.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

10. Jungbu Dried Seafood Market

Sounds fishy to us! Jungbu Dried Seafood Market 중부건어물시장 is one of Seoul’s largest inner city fish markets and is where all the locals go to get dried or wet seafood for their fish suppers.

Whilst mainly selling fish to prepare at home or in restaurants, Jungbu Dried Seafood Market in Euljiro had a few takeaway food stalls that you could eat there and then selling items such as fishcakes or warm hotteoks.

This is also a great place to buy the dried fish products you see in most of Seoul’s craft beer bars and pubs or even grab some ginseng. Jungbu market has a dedicated Anchovy Alley!

The fish are all kept under bright lights so the smells can be pretty strong at times.

Jungbu Dried Seafoods Market is open Monday to Saturday from 4am to 7pm.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

11. Catch a fish auction at Noryangjin Fish Market

One of the more unusual (fishy even) Seoul things to do, Noryangjin Fish Market 노량진수산시장 is open 24 hours a day to buy fresh fish – you can also have your fresh catch of the day cooked upstairs in one of the numerous restaurants on level 2.

As featured in the Seoul episode of Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, Noryangjin Fish Market is an interesting place to visit although not for the squeamish. Many of the fish and sea creatures here like octopuses (octopi?) are still alive – they seem very keen to escape!

Noryangjin Fish Market often has early morning fish auctions at around 3am. Note that whilst the site is open 24 hours (7 days a week), most of the stalls and restaurants close for large chunks of the day so check in advance before visiting.

Google Maps link | Naver Maps link

You might like this evening food tour at Noryangjin Fish Market >

Our final ‘best’ Seoul market

12. Myeongdong Night Market

Some of you may be surprised that either a) we’ve included Myeongdong Night Market 명동야시장 at the very end or b) why have we included it all?!

Well, whether you love it or loathe it, it is still one of Seoul’s most popular night markets – Myeongdong Night Market is a tasty, treasure trove of street food and evening eats – although the prices are a bit higher than traditional local markets.

And it isn’t just about street food; you can also find fashion items and Korean souvenirs in and around Myeongdong Night Market.

From Squid Game to grilled squid, K-Pop to pork belly and baked cheese to Busan fishcakes, there is plenty to suit all tastes (and budgets). Check out our guide to Myeongdong Night Market >

Myeongdong Night Market is open 7 nights a week from 5pm to midnight.

Google Maps link (we cannot find a Naver map link).

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