Dongmun traditional market (동문재래시장) (What to expect)

We were supposed to come here on our first night, but when we arrived, everything was closed. I think we went to the wrong side of the food carts.

This place was just within walking distance from our hotel, but on our second visit, we decided to bring our car since we were going to buy gifts for family and friends.

Dongmun traditional market – 동문재래시장

The parking building was beside Photoism and is a paid parking lot. You can pay with your international credit card or cash.

The entrance/exit near the parking was number 8, and I think you should look for this gate if you want to buy food from the carts.

These are the food carts I really wanted to try, but I didn’t end up trying any since they were closed during the day.

schedule is May to October (7 PM – 12 MN) , November to April (6 PM – 12 MN)

The market is huge! This is the map that I saw when we were heading back to the parking.

We just eyeballed where to go inside the market.

We came across stalls selling Jeju candies and snacks, so we decided to buy some right away so we wouldn’t have to keep coming back. One stall near an entrance had an auntie where she said her items was the cheapest around. I believed her, but I also checked other stalls and found that hers was really the cheapest—though maybe the other stalls just had higher prices.

The auntie working there speaks Mandarin because she’s Chinese. She gave us lots of packs to try so we could decide what to buy. Since my parents bought more than I did, she even threw in some free pieces for them. You can use your international credit card to pay!

We were feeling kind of hungry, so we looked for where the food was.

There were lots of kids at the market, so we followed them and ended up here! Those abalone rice balls were really GOOD.

the one with egg is called the soy sauce abalone

After sharing a rice ball, we walked around looking for a restaurant. When my dad came back from the restroom, he told us he had found the food court!

While looking around, I got so excited when I saw abalone porridge because I told my dad we had to try it. We were just planning to go to any restaurant that serves it for dinner.

Everyone got an abalone porridge and we got an extra grilled abalone order to share.

I’m a picky eater BUT THIS ABALONE PORRIDGE WAS SOMETHING ELSE! IT WAS VERY GOOD

After having an amazing lunch, we decided to head back to the car. My parents stopped by a store serving draft beer and ordered one to share. I couldn’t drink since I was the designated driver.