Seoul 2014: Day 5 (Gwangjang Market 광장시장)

Hey guys! Sorry it has been a while since the last post. I've just been so tired after work that I sleep at almost 10pm everyday and I have had some catch-ups with friends and the bf on the weekends.

Click here to check out my previous post where I roamed the vast grounds of the Seoul Olympic Park that the twins from the Return of Superman visited with their daddy on Day 4 of my trip:
http://vanvanscully.blogspot.sg/2015/01/seoul-2014-day-4-olympic-park.html
Click here to check out my night roaming adventures in Myeongdong on Day 6 of my trip:
http://vanvanscully.blogspot.sg/2015/03/seoul-2014-day-6-night-roaming-in.html

This will be a short post, because all I did on Day 5 was to head over to Gwangjang Market 광장시장.

Gwangjang Market is the nation’s first market and continues to thrive as a popular tourist destination today. The second floor of the market provides all of your silk, satin, and linen bed-sheet stores, which are the largest and most famous in Seoul. Many of the stores in the area even have their own factories supplying fabrics to the Namdaemun Market, Pyoung Hwa Market, and even to some department stores. Even though the goods are not brand-name products, the wide selection of high quality goods at inexpensive prices makes it an enjoyable shopping experience. There are even stalls where you can make hanboks!

On the first floor, it is filled with small food stalls selling famous food items such as: Drug Kimbap 마약김밥, Sundae (pronounced Soondae) 순대, Bindaetteok (which is essentially a mung bean pancake) 빈대떡 and Tteokbokki (spicy rice cake - a famous street food in Korea) 떡볶이.

Honestly speaking, all the stalls sell almost the exact same thing. So it is your choice which stall you would like to patronise. Would you rather sit comfortably and not too close to someone, or try out the food at a stall that is packed full of people and squeeze comfortably on long wooden stools?

These were one of the largest sundaes I have ever seen. Incredibly ginormous. I would say they were as thick as a snake's body, and I ain't talking bout no skinny snake.

Look at how huge that Sundae is! All the food is displayed as such, and you sit right at the stall and feast on these goodies. Think of it like eating at a street food bar? Although it is a little "cosy"!

The Ahjumma 아줌마 whose stall these delicious morsels are from.

Drug Kimbap 마약김밥 doesn't literally have drugs in it. They have the basic spinach, carrot slices and yellow pickle. They are just so addictive that they are likened to drugs. Its true though. After eating this kimbap, I've had cravings for Kimbao on a daily basis ever since, even up till this day.

Walking around. This is what a stall around here generally looks like. Most tourists steer away from stalls that are completely empty because it probably signifies that there is better food elsewhere. But... if you are feeling adventurous, why not?

Bindaetteok 빈대떡 which is one of the representative dishes in Gwangjang Market.

My verdict? Worth a try especially if you are in the vicinity and looking for some street food. I highly recommend the Drug Kimbap even if it is from an ahjumma rolling it from a chair with the lack of a stall. It is SO GOOD. The Sundaes were a little too much (even for me) because of their size. Try asking for some tteokbokki sauce to cover the taste if it is too much for you. The stall you patronise will usually provide some "service" like some free soup in the cold winter!

Gwangjang Market 광장시장
88, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울특별시 종로구 창경궁로 88 (예지동)
Operating Hours: 0830 - 1800 (General Stores)
                                0830 - 2300 (Restaurants)
                                2100 - 1000 (Clothing Stores - overnight till morning)
How to Get Here: Alight at Jongno 5-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 1) and takeExit 8.
                                OR Alight at Euljiro 4-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 2 & 5) and take Exit 4.

Till the next post,

Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V