Knife Cut noodles from Yoosun Cho’s Gohyang Kalguksu stall
Yeah, it’s the Netflix lady. Made famous for her appearance in Netflix’s ‘Street Food’ series, Yoosun Cho serves up the most amazing bowls of knife-cut noodles in broth for 7000 won. Don’t miss her dumplings either – get a serve of eight of these beauties (go half kimchi, half chive) for just 6000 won. We didn’t try the cold buckwheat noodles but these also looked fantastic.
If you’re walking from the South Gate, you can find her stall on the left, at the intersection where the main food strip meets the fabric wholesale section. You’ll be able to spot her signature pink uniform a mile away – or just look out for all the tourists eating there.
Yukhoe (raw beef) and raw octopus from Buchon Yukhoe
Yukhoe is seasoned raw beef, served with Nashi pear and egg yolk. And it’s delicious. If you’re a fan of tuna belly sashimi, you’ll love this – the egg yolk and the fresh pear cut through any moo-flavour, and you’re left with a plate of yum. You can either have it mixed with, or served alongside raw octopus (san-nakji) which is served so fresh that the nerves are still twitching. You might have seen this called ‘live octopus’ – it’s not, but I can see where the rumour started.
A plate of Yukhoe will set you back 12,000won. Add dan-nakji (octopus) and it goes up to 25,000. One plate is plenty for two people – it’s very filling, and is served with a bowl of delicious radish soup.
Many places in Gwangjang serve these two staple dishes, but the undisputed best is Buchon Yukhoe – even the Michelin 2018 guide agrees. You have to walk into a small alleyway to find it, but you can enter the restaurant name on Naver maps. It’ll feel like you’re walking somewhere where you’re not supposed to be, but keep going. You’re at the right place when you see the queue of people sitting on little plastic stools.
Twisted donuts (kkwabaegi) from the first stall at the North Gate.
There’s a reason that there’s always a line here. The lovely workers here are constantly chopping, rolling and twisting these amazing donuts, which basically go straight from the frier, into a bag, and into your hand. They’re dusted with cinnamon-sugar, and the internal texture is like a cross between fluffy bread and chewy mochi. Amazing. And only 1000 won each.
It shouldn’t be hard to find, but if you’re having trouble, look up Yeollin Pharmacy on Naver.
Mungbean pancakes (to full to try, but also a must-eat).
We were too full to try these, but competing mungbean pancake stalls dominate the central square of the Gwangjang market. Fried until they’re golden and crispy, and served with a side of pickled onions, we wish we had enough stomach space to try them. One stall, in particular, was featured in Netflix’s ‘Street food’ but they all looked pretty good!
