40 cheap eats places in Seoul, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Seoul: the places editors actually return to. All Seoul food.
Tartine Bakery Seoul (Hannam) ★ 4.7
Itaewon and Hannam · 22 Hannam-daero 18-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
The Seoul outpost of Chad Robertson's San Francisco bakery, in Hannam-dong since 2018, quickly setting the standard for open-crumb sourdough in Korea.
Fritz Coffee Company (Dohwa) ★ 4.7
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 17 Saechang-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Fritz Coffee Company in Dohwa is the roaster that reshaped Seoul's specialty coffee culture, serving own-roasted single-origins in a converted factory.
Gwangjang Market Bindaetteok Stalls ★ 4.7
Jongno and Insadong · 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
The bindaetteok stalls in Gwangjang Market are Seoul's most legitimate street food: mung-bean pancakes fried on cast-iron griddles alongside mayak gimbap.
Gwangjang Market Stalls ★ 4.7
Jongno and Insadong · 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Gwangjang Market is the best place in Seoul to eat for very little: bindaetteok for 4,000 won, mayak gimbap for 3,000 and soondae blood sausage for 5,000.
Fritz Bakery (Dohwa) ★ 4.6
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 17 Saechang-ro 2-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Fritz operates its bakery counter from the same Dohwa building as the roastery, and the baked goods match the coffee programme in seriousness.
Anthracite Coffee Hapjeong ★ 4.6
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 10 Tojeong-ro 5-gil, Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Anthracite converted a 1970s shoe factory on the Hapjeong waterway into Seoul's most atmospheric specialty cafe with single-origin pour-overs.
gml Coffee Hannam ★ 4.6
Itaewon and Hannam · 22 Hannam-daero 27ga-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
gml Hannam runs an espresso-free filter-only program with more than 20 single-origin pour-overs from roasters like Prodigal, Dak Amsterdam and Hatch Ontario.
Center Coffee Seoul Forest ★ 4.6
Seongsu and Dongdaemun · 28-11 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Center Coffee sits at the Seoul Forest edge of Seongsu, a three-floor specialty cafe from past UK Barista Champion Sang Ho Park, pouring single-origin Geisha.
Noryangjin Fish Market Pre-Dawn Stalls ★ 4.6
Dongjak-gu · 674 Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul
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.
Artist Bakery Anguk ★ 4.5
Bukchon and Samcheong · 45 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Artist Bakery is the salt-bread sister project to London Bagel Museum, set in a restored hanok off Yulgok-ro with more than 20 versions of the viral salt.
Weirdough ★ 4.5
Seongsu and Dongdaemun · 32-7 Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Weirdough in Seongsu is a small-batch vegan bakery renowned for seaweed sourdough and plant-based pastries, rated 5.0 on HappyCow across 28 reviews.
Ma Pause ★ 4.5
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 33-1 Hongik-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Ma Pause in Hongdae is a French-trained baker's response to Seoul's generic patisserie scene, producing black sesame canele and laminated pastries.
Cha Masineun Tteul ★ 4.5
Bukchon and Samcheong · 26 Bukchon-ro 11na-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Cha Masineun Tteul (the tea-drinking garden) is a traditional hanok teahouse in Bukchon with a courtyard view of the Samcheong rooftops, serving a long.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.5
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Imun Seolnongtang has served the same bowl since 1904 -- seolnongtang, a milky ox bone and brisket broth, for ₩10,000. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, still serving a single dish: 17-hour ox bone seolleongtang with sliced brisket.
Tip: Season the broth yourself with the salt provided; adding too much at once is the only mistake you can make.
Imun Seolnongtang ★ 4.4
Jongno and Insadong · 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, serving one dish unchanged: 17-hour seolleongtang. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Tip: The breakfast crowd is small; a morning bowl before the palace opens is one of the best starts to a day in old Seoul.
Passion5 ★ 4.4
Itaewon and Hannam · 272 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Passion5 is the patisserie arm of Paris Baguette's parent company SPC, but it operates on an entirely different level from the parent chain.
For Four Bread ★ 4.4
Hongdae and Yeonnam · 12 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
For Four Bread in Hongdae specialises in dairy-free and egg-free Korean bakery classics, with vegan tangzhong milk bread that rivals any conventional version.
Cafe Layered Anguk ★ 4.4
Bukchon and Samcheong · 2-3 Bukchon-ro 2-gil, Jae-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Cafe Layered's Anguk branch sits a minute from Bukchon Hanok Village with an English country-kitchen counter heaped with scones, tea cakes and a properly.
Cafe Onion Seongsu ★ 4.4
Seongsu and Dongdaemun · 8 Achasan-ro 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Cafe Onion turned a crumbling concrete warehouse in Seongsu into one of Seoul's most-photographed spaces, with a thick-cut honey butter toast counter.
Namdaemun Market Hotteok Stalls ★ 4.4
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Namdaemun Market hotteok stalls fry thick dough discs filled with brown sugar, cinnamon and crushed peanuts on flat irons in the market's main food lane.
Sindang Tteokbokki Town ★ 4.4
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 7 Dasan-ro 33-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town is the origin neighbourhood of the modern spicy tteokbokki -- Ma Bok-rim developed gochujang-seasoned rice cakes here in 1953.
Sambodang Hotteok ★ 4.4
Jongno and Insadong · 48-1 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Sambodang sells only one item from a maroon-awning stall halfway down Insadong-gil: a fist-sized hotteok stuffed with brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.4
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Hadongkwan has served seolleongtang (milky ox bone and brisket soup) from its Myeongdong address since 1939, at a price that remains practically unchanged.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.3
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Hadongkwan has been open since 1939 in Myeongdong and is in the Michelin Guide for a bowl of seolleongtang that has not changed: slow-cooked ox bone.
Tip: The kitchen closes at 15:30 sharp; arrive for an early lunch to guarantee a bowl.
Hadongkwan ★ 4.3
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
One of Seoul's oldest restaurants, Hadongkwan serves only seolleongtang (milky-white ox bone soup) from morning until it sells out around 15:30.
Tip: The kitchen closes when the pot is empty, typically mid-afternoon. No dinner service.
Cafe Onion Bakery (Seongsu) ★ 4.3
Seongsu and Dongdaemun · 8 Achasan-ro 11-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
Cafe Onion's Seongsu warehouse space runs a bakery counter with honey butter thick-cut toast that draws a pre-opening queue on weekend mornings.
Tea Therapy ★ 4.3
Jongno and Insadong · 35 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tea Therapy is the most design-conscious teahouse on the Insadong strip, selling hand-blended teas named after Korean folklore characters in ceramic.
Tongin Market Coin Lunchbox ★ 4.3
Jongno and Insadong · 18 Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tongin Market coin lunchbox: buy a tray and brass yeopjeon coins, fill the tray from banchan stalls, then eat in the communal hall at the market back.
Tongin Market Coin Lunchbox ★ 4.3
Jongno and Insadong · 18 Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tongin Market's coin lunchbox is one of Seoul's best budget eating experiences: trade traditional brass coins for banchan at stalls across the covered market.
Namdaemun Market Kalguksu Alley ★ 4.3
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
The kalguksu stalls inside Namdaemun Market serve knife-cut wheat noodles in a clean anchovy-and-kelp broth with zucchini and green onion for ₩7,000-8,000.
Bukchon Son Mandu ★ 4.2
Bukchon and Samcheong · 84-1 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
A hanok courtyard dumpling kitchen in Bukchon, selling hand-formed mandu (dumplings) by the basket to a patient queue of Seoulites who find the 20-minute.
Tip: The mandu guk (dumpling soup) is only slightly more expensive and adds a clear anchovy broth that makes it a meal.
Jongno 3-ga Pojangmacha Street ★ 4.2
Jongno-gu · Jongno 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul
The 200-metre stretch in front of Ikseon-dong from Exit 5 to Exit 6 at Jongno 3-ga Station is Seoul's most concentrated pojangmacha (street food tent).
Tip: Arrive by 19:00 or earlier to find a free stool; cash only at most tents.
Maru Jayeonsik Kimbap ★ 4.2
Jongno and Insadong · 3-20 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
A traditional Korean lunch counter in Insadong serving plant-based kimbap and banchan, rated 4.5 stars across 400+ HappyCow reviews for consistent quality.
Tip: Arrive early; the seating is limited and the queue forms quickly at lunchtime.
Myeongdong Street Food Alley ★ 4.2
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
The Myeongdong pedestrian strip turns into one of the densest street food corridors in Asia after 16:00, with stalls selling tteokbokki (spicy rice.
Dongdaemun Night Market Food Stalls ★ 4.2
Seongsu and Dongdaemun · 281 Jangchungdan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
The night stalls around Dongdaemun Design Plaza serve the garment workers who sew through the night, with soondae, eomuk and gimbap until 05:00 every day.
Dongdaemun Bonga Seolleongtang ★ 4.1
Dongdaemun · 6-1 Majang-ro 43-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Near Dongdaemun Fashion Market, Bonga cooks its seolleongtang in a traditional gamasot (iron cauldron) from ten beef cuts for 24 hours straight.
Tip: The 24-hour schedule means this is Seoul's best post-midnight beef broth bowl.
Dongdaemun Bonga Seolleongtang ★ 4.1
Dongdaemun · 6-1 Majang-ro 43-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Open 24 hours, Bonga near Dongdaemun cooks its seolleongtang in traditional cast-iron pots from ten beef cuts for 24 hours: the bowl that market traders.
Tip: This is the best late-night beef broth in the city; order extra rice to soak the last of the bowl.
Hongdae Street Food Strip ★ 4.1
Hongdae and Yeonnam · Yeonhui-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
The Hongdae strip around Hongik University generates dense street food every evening: chimaek, takoyaki, and Korean corn dogs from the university exit.
Myeongdong Tteokbokki Carts ★ 4.1
Jung-gu and Myeongdong · Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
Myeongdong pedestrian strip has dense street food carts: tteokbokki, gyeran-ppang (egg bread), and fish cake skewers from 2,000 won in central Seoul.