Where to eat in Jongno & Gwangjang Market
Jongno is old Seoul's stomach. Within one district you get the dawn-to-midnight soup institutions around Jonggak and Gwanghwamun — including a seolleongtang house serving since 1904 and the hangover-soup landmark of Cheongjinok — the frying pandemonium of Gwangjang Market with its mung-bean pancakes and mayak gimbap, the ginseng-chicken pilgrimage site of Tosokchon by Gyeongbokgung Palace, and the quieter hanok lanes of Samcheong-dong and Buam-dong hiding sujebi and shaved-ice specialists. If you have exactly one eating day in Seoul, spend it here.
What to eat here
설렁탕 · Seolleongtang Milky ox-bone broth you season yourself with salt and scallions. 
뼈다귀해장국 · Haejangguk Pork-bone 'hangover soup' — the heavy-duty morning-after fix. 
빈대떡 · Bindaetteok Mung-bean pancake with pork and sprouts — market-stall classic. 
김밥 · Gimbap Seaweed rice rolls — Korea's picnic and lunchbox default. 
삼계탕 · Samgyetang Whole young chicken stuffed with rice and ginseng — summer stamina food. 
수제비 · Sujebi Hand-torn dough flakes in broth — rainy-day comfort food. 
고기만두 · Mandu Korean dumplings — steamed, fried or floated in soup. 
팥빙수 · Patbingsu Shaved ice piled with sweet red beans and toppings. 
김치찌개 · Kimchi Jjigae Sour-aged kimchi stew, usually with pork — the national comfort food. The verified places
Local classicSince 1904 — Seoul's oldest restaurant
Korea's oldest surviving restaurant, serving milky seolleongtang since 1904 — a bowl of living history behind Jonggak.
Known for: Seolleongtang
Open as of our last check (2026-07-20) · Sources: VisitKorea (한국관광공사) · Namu Wiki — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Local classicSince 1937
The haejangguk original, simmering since 1937 — three generations of Jongno drinkers have ended (or started) their nights here.
Known for: Haejangguk
Open as of our last check (2026-07-20) · Sources: Wikipedia · 공식 사이트 — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Local classicDecades-old noh-po
A tiny decades-old kimchi-jjigae noh-po in a back alley behind Sejong Center — one menu, aged kimchi and pork, the way office workers have eaten it for 40+ years.
Known for: Kimchi Jjigae
Open as of our last check (2026-07-17) · Sources: Siksin · DiningCode — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Best known for this dishGwangjang Market classic
The bindaetteok stall that anchors Gwangjang Market — mung beans stone-ground on the spot, fried loud and crisp in front of you.
Known for: Bindaetteok
Open as of our last check (2026-07-20) · Sources: DiningCode · Siksin — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Best known for this dishGwangjang Market original
The original of Gwangjang Market's famous 'mayak' mini gimbap — one-bite rolls dipped in mustard sauce, running for 40+ years inside Seoul's oldest market.
Known for: Gimbap
Open as of our last check (2026-07-17) · Sources: VisitKorea (한국관광공사) · Visit Seoul (서울관광재단) — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Best for first-time visitorsSince 1983
Seoul's most famous samgyetang specialist, set in a sprawling hanok near Gyeongbokgung — a presidential favorite since 1983 and the default first-samgyetang stop.
Known for: Samgyetang
Open as of our last check (2026-07-17) · Sources: VisitKorea (한국관광공사) · Namu Wiki (토속촌삼계탕) — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Best known for this dishSince 1982MICHELIN Bib Gourmand
The sujebi that made Samcheong-dong a food destination — hand-torn dough in anchovy broth plus a 100% potato gamjajeon, Bib Gourmand listed.
Open as of our last check (2026-07-20) · Sources: MICHELIN Guide · VisitKorea (한국관광공사) — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Best known for this dishMICHELIN Bib Gourmand
Kaesong-style handmade mandu in Insa-dong, run by the same family for generations — big, clean-flavored dumplings on the Bib Gourmand list.
Known for: Mandu
Open as of our last check (2026-07-20) · Sources: 공식 사이트 — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.
Best known for this dishMICHELIN Bib Gourmand
A tiny Buam-dong bingsu house on the Bib Gourmand list — pure shaved ice and house-made red bean, no toppings circus.
Known for: Patbingsu
Open as of our last check (2026-07-20) · Sources: VisitKorea (한국관광공사) · Siksin — hours, prices and status can change; check the map link before visiting.