Seoul's Lunchbox Food Market: Tongin Market (통인시장)

Early one Saturday morning Kurt and I took a bus over to Seochon, a neighborhood we both love, to visit Tongin Market. This market is special because, while it has all the foods you’d find at other street food markets, you can buy a small tray and handful of tokens and get smaller portions so you can sample everything!

Near the center of the market you’ll find a customer service center where you can pay 5,000won for 10 tokens (which will get you 3-5 items at the market). You then check out each stall, decide what you want, and slowly fill up your tray. Most items are around 2-3 tokens with the big ticket items going for a whopping 4!

Kurt and I got a pretty good spread, and then headed back to the service center where you’ll find a staircase that leads to a nice seating area. There you can also purchase plain rice and some soup for a few tokens to round off your meal :)

Like I mentioned before, we love the Seochon area and highly encourage you to explore the neighborhood surrounding the market. While it’s definitely getting more and more touristy every day, the shops and cafes still hold a local charm. There are lots of independent shops and restaurants to choose as well as cafes like Spectre and Scoff (one of the best bakeries in Seoul in my opinion!). There are also plenty of galleries and Park No Soo’s house to explore!

Overall, this is a fantastic place to spend your afternoon no matter what time of year!