I've been to Seoul 8-10 times and my best memories almost always include food! I'll never forget sitting on the rocks over the rapids and eating Korean pancake, for example. Here are the best Seoul Food Tours to help you make the most of your trip.
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You might think that it's impossible to get bad food in Seoul, South Korea, but that's not true. I had some really dodgy kimbap (Korean sushi) near Lotte City Myeongdong, and I'm not a big fan of the street food stalls in Myeongdong too! (So much better and cheaper ones in other parts of Seoul.)
To make sure you don't make the same food mistakes that I do, I've compiled this list of the best food tours in Seoul for all the lovers of Korean cuisine out there! (For a list of popular Korean street food, and recipes, click here.)
Market Tour + Cooking Class
At this 3-hour OME Cooking Class, you visit traditional markets, Gyeongdong Market and/ or Yangnyeong Market, to buy ingredients for your cooking session. (You'll spend about an hour there.)
After that, you have a 1.5 hours cooking class, making either:
- Mon & Tues: bulgogi bibimbap, Kimchi pancake, and soup (Once you learn how to make the spicy sauce, you can use it for vegetarian Bibimbap, chicken bibimbap etc!)
- Wed & Thurs: bulgogi japchae, kimchi pancake, and soup
- Friday: you make one of Korea's most loved foods, kimchi and kimchi pancake, boiled pork/ tofu, and soup (For a kimchi-only class, you can head to Bukchon Hanok Village. Click through for my review of the Kimchi Experience- I highly recommend combining it with some Maesil-Cha at a traditional tea house in Bukchon.)
For the last 30 minutes of the OME session, you get to enjoy the amazing food that you're made.
Netflix: Gwangjang Market Tour
Fans of Netflix's Street Food documentary will be thrilled to tour Gwangjang Market- Seoul's oldest market- which was featured in it.
Most tourists stick to the famous mung bean pancakes and knife-cut noodle soups (kalguksu) but the market has so much more delicious food to offer.
These are 2 of my favourite tours:
- For those short of time: This Seoul night tour combines the over-100-year old Gwangjang Market with some of Seoul's other major attractions: Cheonggyecheon Stream, Changgyeong Royal Palace, and Naksan Park. (It runs from 430 to 10 pm.) It's pretty inexpensive but note that the your dinner is NOT included. (i.e. you pay for your own dinner at Gwangjang Market.)
- For those who want to try lots of different Korean foods: this gamified market to is the one for you as it involves 10-12 different dishes! You get a stamp when you try a different Korean food (on the list) and, if you complete the stamp card by the end of the tour, you'll get a small souvenir! How fun! Just note that some of the foods involved are, shall we say, not too mainstream? (Think chicken feet and live octopus.)
Namdaemun Market
This large market near Myeongdong sells almost everything. You don't need to join a tour to visit it- I used to go all by myself (and unable to speak Korean!) to buy jewelry wholesale when I was selling Korean products online- but a tour guide would certainly help, as it's a HUGE place with lots of hidden alleyways that can be confusing to navigate.
This Namdaemun Market food tour involves 4 different types of food. (As it's a new tour, so I didn't try it on my last trip to Seoul, and can't say whether it's good or not!)
Euljiro
Euljiro is the food tour for K-pop fans as it combines eating grilled pork belly with visiting a street that was featured in a BTS photoshoot.
Soju
If you love your alcohol, don't miss this Soju distillery tour. You'll learn more about this Korean alcohol at this family run business, as well as get to try several different types of soju.
Makgeolli Tour
Alternatively, try this makgeolli tour, conducted by a professional Korean sommelier.
Makgeolli is an interesting beverage- this sparkling rice wine fell out of fashion because it was associated with farmers but, in recent times, has become more popular. You get to try around 4 different types of makgeolli at Spring Breeze Brewery, a place which rejuvenates the art of crafting this rice wine using modern brewing techniques.
P.S. Those who want to try making their own can even get a makgeolli kit online. (It's very easy!)
Noryangjin Fish Market
Not as famous as Jagalchi Market in Busan, Noryangjin Fish Market is still interesting to visit.
One VERY common complaint of tourists visiting the local restaurants at fish markets is feeling cheated. Whether it's due to miscommunication with the stall holders, misreading the prices (sometimes Korean leave out the "000" when writing prices e.g. 9 Won could be 9000 Won), or genuine scalping, I often hear travelers to Korea telling me they were horrified by their bill at the seafood market.
By visiting Noryangjin Fish Market with a guide, there is much less chance of this happening as he'll bring you to try the best seafood and side dishes.
Tips
- Wear comfortable shoes to the food market as there'll be quite a bit of walking.
- Don't be afraid to say no if you feel unsure about a food. (One of my friends got an upset tummy trying the raw beef as she normally doesn't take raw food.)
- Fall is the best time to visit Korea. if you want to see the autumn foliage, October is the time to be in Seoul!
Any questions about Korean culture or a street food tour? Let me know in the comments or ask in my Korea travel Facebook group where I give out free stickers to the most active participants 🙂
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