Yeast-leavened pancakes pan-fried in oil and stuffed with a molten filling of brown sugar, cinnamon, and crushed peanuts. A winter street food sold from kiosks across Seoul, with Namdaemun Market the reference stall.
Hotteok arrived in Korea via Chinese immigration in the late 19th century and naturalised as a winter street food by the 1920s. Sambodang Hotteok at Namdaemun Market has fried hotteok for over 40 years; the brown-sugar-cinnamon filling crystallised as the canonical version in the 1970s. Modern variations include green tea filling, ssiat (seed-filled) hotteok, and ice cream hotteok.
5 editor picks for Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Korean Pancake) in Seoul, ranked by editorial score. All Seoul signature dishes · Hotteok (Sweet Stuffed Korean Pancake) across every city.
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.
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.
Tongin Market ★ 4.4
Jongno and Insadong · 18 Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tongin Market: buy a dosirak tray and brass yeopjeon coins, fill the tray from banchan stalls across the market, then eat in the communal hall at the back.
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.
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.