One of the oldest and largest traditional markets in South Korea, Gwangjang market is highly popular with tourists as well as locals staying around the area to grab affordable meals. With more than 5000 shops, Gwangjang market sells almost everything you can think of and even more. Most tourists visit the market for the food section which is made famous by local variety shows, guidebooks, travel influencers as well as the food documentary from Netflix
Those who have visited Gwangjang market will know that there are a few must-try food items, mainly the mung bean pancake or potato pancake, hand-pulled dough noodles and dumplings and ready-made gimbab. I have been to Gwangjang market at least 5 times and most of the time, I get my fix of pancakes and gimbab from the stalls which are in the centre of the market where the seats are right in front of the stove and chairs are tiny benches where you squeeze with the stranger next to you. This is the first time I checked out the restaurants at the side of the market
There is no English name for this restaurant but it translates loosely to Sister Pancakes or something. There are actually many restaurants along the side of the market selling similar menu but the main items to get here is the mung bean pancake and mini gimbap which is made freshly outside the restaurant so patrons inside the restaurant does not get infused with an oily stench on their clothes
The interior of the restaurant is really clean and spacious with space within the stool to place your jackets or bags so they do not get in the way of dining. There is also air-conditioning so it was great in comparison to the open-air stalls outside. While the price of the items is slightly higher than the stalls, I would gladly pay for the service, air-conditioning and clean environment. However, for those who are visiting Gwangjang market for the first time, it might be worth the experience to sit in those open-air stalls and mingle with the locals
You can try everything here in this restaurant from raw Octopus legs, raw beef with pear shavings, noodles and more but the main items we tried were the gimbap and mungbean pancakes. Almost 80% of the customers were locals but they do have an English menu so tourist can still order their food easily. Most of the items in the menu come as a set so you will not be able to get 1 piece of pancake or 1 gimbap roll. Personally, I think the mung bean pancake I had here was much better than those at the open-air stalls as it was much more crispy yet non-greasy. The gimbap is in perfect bite sizes and you can taste the freshness of the ingredients in each bite
Overall, for those who are looking to try special Korean dishes in Gwangjang market but do not do well squeezing on stools, do check out this restaurant for a comfortable eating environment and very delicious food
Address: 403-24 Dongho-ro, 종로5.6가동 Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Operating hours: 10 am to 10 pm
Google Link
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