Eat in Dongjak-gu, Seoul

Noryangjin Fish Market Pre-Dawn Stalls ★ 4.6

Noryangjin Fish Market operates 24 hours but the pre-dawn hours -- from 01:00 when the auction floor runs -- are when the market is most viscerally alive.

Try: Live seafood: raw abalone, sea cucumber, crab; sashimi sets

Noryangjin Fish Market ★ 4.7

Noryangjin is Seoul's wholesale fish market and its most dramatic food experience: buy live seafood at the auction, take it upstairs to be cooked on the spot.

Noryangjin Pre-Dawn Fish Auction ★ 4.6

Why locals love it: Noryangjin Fish Market is well-known in travel articles but almost no visitors actually go at 02:00 -- which is the only time when the wholesale auction floor is running and the market is at its most extraordinary.

Tip: Take the subway to Noryangjin at 01:30 (night buses run until 03:00). Watch the auction from the gallery, then pick live seafood directly from stalls at 03:00-04:00 and take it to the upstairs restaurants for preparation as sashimi. Budget ₩30,000-50,000 for a full meal including fish cost.

Noryangjin Fish Market (Pre-Dawn) ★ 4.6

Noryangjin Fish Market operates 24 hours, but the pre-dawn auction floor from 01:00 is when Seoul's most dramatic food experience comes to life.

Try: Live seafood sashimi, hairtail, abalone, grilled crab