Seoul's Best Budget Eats and Street Food
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@Angelica & Aileen Wanders
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Explore the map in the DocentPro app19 places in Seoul: Ssada Gimbap - Sinsa Station(Gangnam Area) (싸다김밥 신사역점), Cafe Pokpo, and 17 more. Every place is verified on Google Maps, featured in a YouTube post by Angelica & Aileen Wanders.
Ssada Gimbap - Sinsa Station(Gangnam Area) (싸다김밥 신사역점)
Restaurant
4.9
Ssada Gimbap is a well-loved Gimbap restaurant chain known for its delicious and budget-friendly meals. They offer a quick and casual setting, serving more than just Gimbap. Must-try dishes include their Pork Cutlet Omelet, which features a crispy fried pork cutlet with a fluffy omelet drizzled in a tangy-sweet brown sauce, and their Shrimp in Curry Rice which beautifully blends Korean and Japanese flavors with juicy deep-fried shrimp smothered in a mild, sweet curry sauce. There are 70 branches around Korea.
Cafe Pokpo
Coffee shop
4.4
Cafe Pokpo is a hidden gem in Seoul that perfectly blends nature with coffee, offering a peaceful escape from the city bustle with stunning waterfall views. Its unique fruit sandwich (4,500 KRW) features soft white bread filled with colorful fruit salad and whipped cream, making it a light dessert option. The iced caramel macchiato (5,500 KRW) is a balanced mix of smooth espresso, creamy milk, and sweet caramel. It's an ideal spot for those seeking serenity and a snack with a view.
Hotteok Namdaemun Vegetable
Dessert shop
4.2
Namdaemun Vegetable Hotteok is a popular street food stall in Namdaemun Market known for its unique take on classic Korean hotteok. For just 2,000 KRW each, you can choose from three exciting flavors. The Vegetable Japchae Hotteok is a savory option with glass noodles and veggies in a crispy pancake, while the Sweet Seed Hotteok offers a delightful syrupy sweetness with nuts, and the Red Bean Hotteok provides a mildly sweet, nostalgic dessert. Be prepared to wait in line, but the delicious and affordable hotteok are definitely worth it.
Pizza School
Pizza restaurant
4.3
Pizza School is a popular budget-friendly pizza chain in South Korea known for its creative and affordable Korean-inspired toppings. Their best-selling Sweet Potato Pizza (10,900 KRW) features sweet potato chunks, mozzarella cheese, and a honey mustard-like sauce on a thick, chewy crust, creating a unique sweet and savory combination. This pizza offers an unforgettable experience for fans of innovative flavor pairings.
Gwangjang Market
Market
4.2
Gwangjang Market is a bustling food haven in Seoul, famous for its diverse street food and the legendary 'Netflix pink lady,' Yoon-Sun. Her stall, Netflix Lady Booth, is a popular spot for visitors to enjoy her specialty, Kalbuksu (7,000-8,000 KRW), a hearty Korean noodle soup with handmade noodles and savory broth. Beyond Yoon-Sun's stall, the market offers other must-try delights like the mungbean pancake (5,000 KRW) with its soft and creamy interior, the viral twisted donuts (1,000 KRW) that are crispy outside and chewy inside, and the inventive s'mores ice cream (6,000 KRW) blow-torched with an Iron Man glove.
Yoogane Chicken Galbi(Myeongdong 2nd Branch)
Korean restaurant
4.0
Yoogane is a highly recommended dining spot in Seoul for a fun, flavorful, and cheesy meal, ideal for families and friends. As Korea's leading affordable chicken galbi brand, it has been serving delicious stir-fried chicken (dak galbi) in its signature gochujang sauce for over 40 years, with more than 200 branches nationwide. The Dak Galbi + Cheese Platter (26,000 KRW) is a massive and filling dish, featuring tender marinated chicken, chewy rice cakes, sweet potatoes, and fresh veggies, all stir-fried at your table and balanced by a gooey cheese ring. It also offers a free unlimited side dish bar with kimchi, pickled radish, and more, making for an interactive and enjoyable dining experience.
Myeongdong Kyoja Main Restaurant
Restaurant
4.2
Myeongdong Kyoja is a legendary Michelin Bib Gourmand-recommended restaurant that has been family-owned since 1966. Specializing in just three menu items, this establishment offers a taste of authentic Korean homemade comfort food. Their signature Kalbuksu (11,000 KRW) features thick, chewy handmade noodles in a light chicken broth with minced pork, and their Mandu (12,000 KRW) are generously stuffed with seasoned pork and veggies. For those seeking a refreshing kick, the cold spicy noodles (11,000 KRW) with chewy green chlorella noodles and a vibrant red chili paste are a must-try.
Cafe Onion Anguk
Cafe
4.2
Cafe Onion, located in a 100-year-old traditional Korean house, offers a unique blend of historical charm and minimalist contemporary design, making it a popular spot for a coffee break. They boast a wide variety of freshly baked pastries, attracting long lines of visitors daily. The Pandoro (6,000 KRW), a fluffy Italian sweet bread resembling snowy alps, offers a buttery sweetness with a pillow-y texture that melts in your mouth, perfect with any coffee. The Green Tea Matcha Scone (5,500 KRW) features an earthy matcha flavor with a sweet glaze, providing a moist and crumbly cake-like texture.
Cochon Tonkatsu
Tonkatsu restaurant
4.4
Cochon Tonkatsu is a cozy, budget-friendly restaurant known for its Japanese-style Tonkatsu. For an unbelievable 4,000 KRW, you can enjoy a full meal featuring thick, juicy pork cuts with a crispy golden breadcrumb crust. The pork is surprisingly tender and juicy, perfectly seasoned, and complemented by a tangy tonkatsu sauce. Each meal comes with traditional sides like shredded cabbage, rice, and miso soup, offering a well-rounded and balanced dining experience that is both affordable and delicious.
Mom's Touch
Fast food restaurant
4.0
Mom's Touch is a popular fast-food chain in Korea with over 1,400 branches, known for its fried chicken and chicken burgers with a Korean twist, embodying food made with love and care. The crispy chicken thigh burger meal (6,900 KRW) is a true winner, featuring a juicy chicken thigh with a perfectly crispy coating, fresh lettuce, sliced onions, zesty pickles, and a secret burger sauce, all served with crispy seasoned fries and a coke. The Soy Garlic Dak Ganjeong (4,400 KRW) offers double-fried chicken with an extra crispy crust, drenched in a sweet and savory soy garlic glaze, and comes with deep-fried rice cakes for a fun contrast.
Tongin Traditional Market
Market
3.8
Twignim Food Stalls offer a delightful array of deep-fried goodies perfect for a quick snack. You can choose a trio of three different treats for 4,000 KRW, ranging from crispy shrimp and fried seaweed rolls to battered sweet potatoes, all freshly fried to golden perfection. These are best paired with Tteokbokki (2,000 KRW), spicy rice cakes drenched in a rich gochujang-based sauce. They're a favorite for a reason, providing a satisfying crunch and a burst of flavor, and often come with free fishcake soup to warm you up.
Saemaul Restaurant Hongdae Seogyo Branch
Korean restaurant
4.7
Saemaul Restaurant Hongdae is a lively spot that offers a classic Korean barbecue experience with high-quality meats at reasonable prices. The Pork Bulgogi (10,900 KRW) is a best-seller, featuring thinly sliced pork marinated in a smoky-sweet blend of soy, garlic, ginger, and gochujang, caramelized beautifully when grilled. The Samgyeopsal (pork belly, 15,000 KRW) comes in thick slices with a perfect balance of meat and fat, sizzling to crispy-edged perfection. The 7-Minute Kimchi Jjigae (8,000 KRW) is a comforting stew slow-cooked for exactly seven minutes to extract tangy, savory flavors from well-fermented kimchi, pork, tofu, and veggies. All meals come with an unlimited self-serve side dish bar with Korean classics like kimchi, pickled radish, and various mushrooms, making it an interactive and perfect dining experience for groups.
Wangga Tanghulu
Bakery
4.7
Wangga Tanghulu is a popular spot in Seoul to enjoy tanghulu, a traditional Chinese treat of fresh fruit coated in a thin, crunchy caramelized sugar shell. Priced at 3,500 KRW per skewer, these glossy, Instagram-worthy fruit skewers are a light and portable dessert that satisfies both your sweet tooth and love for fresh fruit. While their strawberry tanghulu is popular, the grape tanghulu is a surprising winner, offering a burst of juicy fruit with a satisfying sugary crunch.
Myeongdong Night Market
Market
4.4
Myeongdong is renowned for its vibrant street food scene, especially in the evenings, with bustling crowds and the mouth-watering aroma of food cooking. Must-try street foods include the classic fishcake (2,000 KRW), made from ground white fish simmered in a light savory broth, and the crispy cheese hotdog (5,000 KRW), a hotdog on a stick coated in thick batter, diced potatoes, and deep-fried to a golden brown. For a luxurious street food experience, the cheesy lobster tail (20,000 KRW) is a juicy lobster tail topped with melted cheese and blow-torched to perfection. Other delights include the grilled cheese skewer (5,000 KRW) with chewy rice cakes and grilled cheese, the carp bread (5,000 KRW for 3 pieces) with sweet fillings, tower ice cream (4,000 KRW) in various flavors, meat skewers (5,000-8,000 KRW) of chicken, beef, or lamb, and the classic egg bread (2,000 KRW).
Mega Coffee Jongno Gongpyeong
Coffee shop
3.8
Mega Coffee is a ubiquitous and popular coffee chain across Korea, with over 3,000 branches known for its cheap prices and convenient self-service machines, catering to the fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle. Their Iced Vanilla Latte (3,400 KRW) is a creamy, ice-cold blend of smooth, bold espresso, vanilla syrup, and milk. It strikes a perfect balance between strength and sweetness, making it approachable even for non-coffee drinkers. Mega Coffee's affordable and tasty coffee drinks are a great choice for a quick caffeine fix or a refreshing pick-me-up.
Dongmyo Flea Market
Flea market
4.0
Dongmyo Whole Chicken is a cozy restaurant in the Dongmyo area that prioritizes quality food over flashy decor, creating a warm and homely vibe. Their signature whole tender chicken soup (11,000 KRW for half) features a whole chicken simmered in a clear, light broth until it's fall-off-the-bone tender. The soup is seasoned with garlic, green onions, and simple ingredients that enhance the chicken's natural flavor, with an option to add chili for an extra kick. You can choose to have it with rice noodles or ginseng, with the white rice on the side perfect for mixing in the soup, making it a complete and comforting meal.
Subway
Sandwich shop
4.0
Subway Manju is a hidden gem found in various subway stations across Seoul, offering freshly baked, bite-sized Korean manju pastries. These golden treats are typically filled with creamy custard, delivering a delicious buttery aroma. They come in convenient packs of 10 for just 3,000 KRW, making them the perfect pick-me-up between subway transfers. With their fluffy and subtly sweet outer shell and rich, smooth custard filling, they are an ultimate and satisfying on-the-go treat.
LOTTERIA Hongdae
Fast food restaurant
4.3
Lotteria, often dubbed the 'McDonald's of Korea,' is a popular fast-food chain with over 1,300 branches nationwide, known for adding a distinct Korean twist to classic fast-food items. The Bulgogi Burger Meal (7,400 KRW) features a juicy burger patty marinated in a sweet and savory Bulgogi sauce, topped with fresh lettuce and creamy mayonnaise, all served in a soft burger bun. While the Bulgogi Burger offers a uniquely Korean flavor, some might find it a bit too sweet. The Chicken Burger Meal (6,800 KRW) boasts a golden-fried, ground chicken patty with a thin, crispy batter, making it a simple yet satisfying alternative to beef. Both meals come with perfectly crispy fries and a light citrus peach iced tea, offering an affordable and tasty fast-food experience.
LOTTE MART ZETTAPLEX Seoul Station
Supermarket
4.2
The Supermarket Food Court at Lotte World Mall offers a convenient and affordable option for sushi lovers. For just 4,990 KRW, you can grab a ready-made sushi pack that includes various fresh and juicy nigiri pieces, along with soy sauce and wasabi packets. The quality of the sushi is surprisingly good for the price, making it an ideal choice for a quick, on-the-go meal. It's a fantastic solution for satisfying your sushi cravings without breaking the bank.
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