Mangwon Market

Mangwon Market is a neighborhood market that still serves the people who live around it, which is exactly why visitors love it. The main lane is lined with produce, meat, side-dish and fish stalls, and in between sit the snack counters that made it famous on Korean TV. Classic finds include crispy deep-fried green chili peppers, hot sweet hotteok pancakes, and croquettes stuffed with everything from japchae noodles and vegetables to cheese and pizza-style fillings. For something more filling, look for dakgangjeong (crispy fried chicken glazed in soy or sweeter sauces), a warm bowl of kalguksu noodle soup, or the usual gimbap and tteokbokki. Prices are reasonable, so grazing your way down the lane is the best approach. The surrounding streets of Mangwon-dong are full of small cafes, bakeries and independent shops, and Mangwon Hangang Park is close enough for a riverside picnic with whatever you picked up. Compared with the big downtown markets, the pace is slower and the crowd is mostly locals doing their shopping.