Where to eat in Namdaemun & Seoul Station
Seoul's oldest market and the streets around Seoul Station. Come for savory hotteok and giant dumplings in the market lanes, braised hairtail and oxtail soup in its old restaurants, and seolleongtang and charcoal-grilled pork just behind the station.
11 places our guide covers in Namdaemun & Seoul Station, with what to order, how long the wait is and how to eat each dish.
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Dakjinmi Gangwon-jip 닭진미 강원집
Soups & stews · Namdaemun & Seoul Station · Since 1962
A chicken soup shop from 1962 in Namdaemun Market's braised-fish alley. Dak-gomtang here is a plain, restorative bowl of clear broth, chicken and rice, and a meat set meal is the other favorite. It suits a quick solo market lunch.
Try: Dak-gomtang (chicken soup with rice)
Short wait - 🍲
Eunho Sikdang 은호식당 본점
Soups & stews · Namdaemun & Seoul Station · Since 1932
Open since 1932, one of Seoul's oldest restaurants for kkori-gomtang (oxtail soup), tucked into the lanes of Namdaemun Market. Beyond the oxtail soup there's seolleongtang and a beef-head soup, making it an easy stop between market stalls.
Try: Kkori-gomtang (oxtail soup)
Short wait - 🥩
Jodaepo (Namyeong) 조대포 남영본점
Korean BBQ · Namdaemun & Seoul Station · Since 2004
A budget late-night grill house in Namyeong-dong, going since 2004. It's known for dwitgogi, flavorful pork trimmings that are cheap and full of character, and it stays open until 5 a.m.
Try: Dwitgogi (pork trimmings)
Locals' pickShort wait - 🍲
Jungnimjang 중림장
Soups & stews · Namdaemun & Seoul Station · Since 1972
A 1972 seolleongtang house in the back lanes behind Seoul Station. Locals order the milky beef soup in the larger 'teuk' size, or the doganitang (ox knee soup), with kimchi and radish kimchi on the side.
Try: Seolleongtang (ox bone soup)
Locals' pickShort wait - 🥟
Gamegol Son Wang Mandu 가메골손왕만두 본점
Street snacks · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
A Namdaemun Market favorite for wang-mandu: giant hand-made dumplings filled with pork or kimchi. Most people queue for takeout, but you can also sit down with a bowl of hand-cut kalguksu.
Try: Gogi wang-mandu (giant pork dumplings)
Short wait - 🥟
Gubok Mandu 구복만두
Street snacks · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
A dumpling shop near Sookmyung Women's University that has been in the Michelin Guide every year since 2017. Try the house Gubok dumplings and the shrimp dumplings, and order a few kinds to share.
Try: Gubok traditional dumplings
Short wait - 🍗
Hosujip 호수집
Soups & stews · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
A long-running chicken house in Jungnim-dong, behind Seoul Station. Chicken skewers grilled over yeontan (coal briquettes) and a bubbling pot of dak-bokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken), finished with fried rice, are why people queue.
Try: Dak-kkochi (coal-grilled chicken skewers)
Locals' pick30-60 min wait - 🐟
Huirak Galchi 희락갈치
Market food · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
The best-known restaurant in Namdaemun Market's galchi (cutlassfish) alley, open about 50 years. Thick pieces of cutlassfish are braised with radish in a spicy red sauce and brought to the table in a little pot, along with fluffy steamed egg and fried fish on the side.
Try: Braised cutlassfish (galchi jorim)
Short wait - 🥞
Namdaemun Yachae Hotteok 남대문야채호떡
Street snacks · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
Namdaemun Market's famous savory hotteok stand. Instead of the usual sweet syrup, a golden fried pancake is stuffed with glass noodles and vegetables and dipped in soy sauce; there's a sweet seed version too. The line is part of the experience.
Try: Yachae hotteok (savory pancake with glass noodles and vegetables)
30-60 min wait - 🥩
Namyeongdon 남영돈
Korean BBQ · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
One of Seoul's most talked-about pork barbecue houses, in Namyeong-dong near Sookmyung Women's University. Special cuts like hangjeong-sal (pork jowl) and gabeuri-sal (a marbled shoulder cut) go over real charcoal. Expect to queue.
Try: Hangjeong-sal (pork jowl)
30-60 min wait - 🍜
Seoryung 서령
Noodles · Namdaemun & Seoul Station
The newer star of Seoul's Pyongyang naengmyeon scene, next to Namdaemun Market. Its noodles are 100% buckwheat, served in a clear beef broth, and the menu card on each table explains how to enjoy each dish. A Michelin Bib Gourmand pick with long lines.
Try: Seoryung sunmyeon
1 hr+ wait