I had vaguely heard that Namdaemun Market is becoming a new hot spot in Seoul these days. A friend also needed to buy baby clothes for her niece’s 2nd birthday, so I decided to head over to the market.

The magnificent Namdaemun, National Treasure No. 1.

It had been a long time since my last visit. About twenty years ago, I used to come to Namdaemun to buy art supplies and stationery, and I was happy to find that many of the shops are still in the same places. Walking through the market, it felt as if time had stopped. I loved how the scenery of the market keeps the traces of those years.

The market was crowded and full of lively energy.

For lunch, I went looking for Galchi Alley (Hairtail Fish Alley). Namdaemun Market has countless good restaurants, but it would feel wrong to skip Galchi Alley! It’s already famous from TV and celebrity recommendations, and with its plump braised hairtail and freshly cooked white rice, it feeds the many people who come to the market.

To get to Galchi Alley, come out of Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station and keep walking straight. You’ll pass the eyeglass shops and Kalguksu Alley (a street of knife-cut noodle restaurants), and Galchi Alley comes right after. It takes about 10 minutes on foot, and since I kept stopping to look at scarves, socks, and accessories along the way, I got there before I knew it.

The restaurants that had been on TV had very long lines, so I walked down the alley and chose a place that looked good.

I kept the order simple: braised hairtail and mackerel, plus grilled fish, at Namdaemun Galchi. The braised hairtail was 14,000 KRW per person, and what stuck with me was how it arrived: simmering and bubbling in a aluminum pot. Sadly, they told me the free steamed egg side dish has ended because of rising prices. 😢 Anyway, I filled up on spicy, plump braised hairtail with no fishy smell, along with neat, tidy side dishes.

Then I continued shopping. Before heading to the baby clothes section, I looked around the Namdaemun tableware section, which is known for being pretty, and also stopped by the flower section. The shops continue down every alley, and there was so much to see that it was a treat for the eyes.

The flower market isn’t as large as the one at Express Bus Terminal, but it seems to focus on retail, with wrapping and custom orders available, so it felt like a good place for individuals to buy flowers.

Is this Southeast Asia or Seoul?!

Anyway, the tableware shops were packed with stylish, distinctive dishes. I didn’t need any tableware yet, so I just enjoyed looking, but even without buying anything, time flies as you browse around.

Honestly, I wanted to try hotteok (a sweet filled pancake), a classic market snack, but one shop had about 10 people waiting, and another on the main street had a line of about 30. 😢 In Korea, there’s even a saying, “the hotteok shop is on fire” (호떡집에 불났다), used when a place is in a lively uproar, and hotteok is so popular at markets that you can see why. I’ll save it for next time~~

I finished my baby clothes shopping at reasonable prices: a top-and-bottom set came to 63,000 KRW, with T-shirts in the 20,000 KRW range and pants around 30,000–40,000 KRW.

the last place I stopped was Gabaedo.

It’s a café in a renovated old building, so you can feel traces of old Namdaemun. Some foreign visitors were ordering the “chestnut tiramisu,” so I followed and ordered it too, haha. The chestnut tiramisu (9,000 KRW) tasted like the familiar Barbamba flavor… Drinks at Gabaedo run about 3,800–6,000 KRW.

The chestnut tiramisu tasted like the familiar Barbamba flavor (a Korean chestnut ice cream bar). The coffee was nutty and easy to drink.

I recharged with a cup of coffee and dessert and took a short break. Tableware, flowers, and coffee made up my day. It was a small but satisfying half-day spent going around Namdaemun.

The market is full of products that are inexpensive yet have great quality and design, so it’s a really good place to come shopping. By the way, I heard on Park Myung-soo’s YouTube channel, Hwalmyeongsu, that Namdaemun Market is popular with MZ shoppers (Millennials and Gen Z) shoppers buy a lot of bath bags and sauna items. Jade rings are also said to be popular among MZ shoppers. It seems trends really do come around again~~

+ One last tip: In my experience, pickpocketing isn’t very common in Korea, but markets get crowded, so it’s still wise to keep an eye on your belongings.

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Info Namdaemun Market

• Address: 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Location: Near Hoehyeon Station (Subway Line 4)
• Hours: Vary by shop
• Hours for the tableware, clothing, and flower sections may differ, so it’s best to check before visiting.

Namdaemun Market Galchi Jorim Alley (Braised Hairtail Alley)

• Address: 16-17 Namdaemunsijang-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Location: Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station, then straight ahead for about 10 minutes, past the eyeglass shops and Kalguksu Alley
• Hours: Vary by shop
• Checking hours before visiting is recommended.
• Namdaemun Galchi: braised hairtail 14,000 KRW per person
  

Gabaedo Namdaemun Market Branch

• Address: 11 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–21:00; Sat, Sun, and public holidays 11:00–21:00
• Gabaedo: drinks 3,800–6,000 KRW, chestnut tiramisu 9,000 KRW