Jongno and InsadongTue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed MondayCash only
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.
Try: DIY coin-currency lunchbox: banchan selections from market stalls
Seongsu and DongdaemunDaily 18:00-05:00 (peak midnight to 03:00)
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.
Try: Soondae (Korean blood sausage), eomuk (fish cake), gimbap
Hongdae and YeonnamDaily 11:00-01:00
The Hongdae strip around Hongik University generates dense street food every evening: chimaek, takoyaki, and Korean corn dogs from the university exit.
Try: Chimaek (Korean fried chicken and beer), takoyaki, crepes
Jongno and InsadongDaily 10:00-20:30, closed 1st and 3rd MondaysCash only
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, fried to order in front of the queue.
Try: Hotteok (brown sugar and nut filled pan-fried pancake)
Itaewon and HannamDaily 11:00-01:00
The Itaewon strip around the main road and the side streets toward the Hamilton Hotel is home to Seoul's most international street food scene: halal kebab.
Try: Halal kebabs, falafel, Thai street food, South Asian snacks
Dongjak-guDaily 01:00-06:00 (auction floor, pre-dawn); full market 24 hours
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