Myeongdong Shopping Street and Korean Street Foods
Come with me to visit Myeongdong, one of the must-visit tourist spots in Seoul. It’s my first time in Seoul, and we had to head over for some shopping and street foods. Known for its endless souvenir, beauty, and clothing stores, and so much street food, Myeongdong Shopping Street is one of those Korea hot spots you just had to experience. If you’re visiting Korea, don’t forget to try some of the most iconic street foods here, from egg bread to cheesy corn dogs.
Shopping and Street Food At Myeongdong
It’s our first time in Korea, and we’re doing every tourist thing from Gwangjang Market to cafe hopping all over Seoul. Today, we’re enjoying some shopping and street foods on the iconic Myeongdong street.
I’m going to keep it real – Myeongdong Street is definitely a little bit of a tourist trap. Dom and I are in our 30’s now, and it was quite overstimulating. Honestly, we still enjoyed hours of walking around shopping and tasting different treats. Would we come here again? Maybe. But if it’s your first time in Seoul, it’s 100% worth checking it out!.
How To Get To Myeongdong Street
Myeongdong Shopping Street is super close to other attractions such as N Seoul Tower and Namsan Cable Cars, so it’s often a staple stop for a 1 day itinerary in Central Seoul. To get there, take Subway Line 4 to Myeongdong Station. Use Exit 6 to walk straight into the Myeongdong street.
Street Foods
Myeongdong Shopping Street is the area for the trendiest street food. In fact, if it’s gone viral before, someone’s probably selling it here. There’s everything from cheesy Korean corn dogs to the classic Egg Bread. Again, the street food stands here are somewhat of a tourist trap. But, if you’re here for the first time, definitely try out some of the iconic Korean street foods.
Cheesy Corn Dog
You can’t walk down Myeongdong street without seeing these chunky, cheesy Korean corn dogs. Rather than the typical corn meal batter, Korean corn dogs are dipped in a chewier rice flour or wheat batter. Then, it’s covered in chunky potatoes or ramen noodles and deep fried until crispy.
We had to get the most popular one – the chunky potato cheese dog. For about 5000 won each, you get a crunchy stick of potato-covered mozzarella with the stretchiest cheese pull. Covered in ketchup and mustard, this cheesy dog is great for a shopping snack break.
Egg Bread
Another Korean street food must-try is the warm and fluffy egg bread. This little round bread is made first by pouring batter into an oval mold, then cracking in an egg. The result is a cake with a crisp, golden crust encasing a cooked egg inside.
Surprisingly, it tasted more of a dessert than a savory dish. In fact, it tastes just like a traditional Taiwanese grilled cakes 雞蛋糕, but with a bouncy egg inside. It sounds a little weird, but the egg yolk melds well into the cake and gives it that extra rich flavor.
Tanghulu
Of course, you’ll see Myeongdong’s streets lined with stalls of sweet and crunchy tanghulu. Super fresh skewers of grapes, strawberries, and tangerines are covered in a shell of sugar. They’re so glossy, they almost look like toys! Perfectly crunchy and juicy, these skewers were actually so delicious.
Shopping
Beyond all the delicious street food, Myeongdong is also known as a shopping paradise. Every store that you can think of is definitely here. There’s places to get all the clothes, skin care, and souvenirs on one street. Personally, I enjoy shopping way more in Gangnam because it’s way less busy. But, you can literally find anything and everything here in Myeongdong.
HBAF Almond Store
If you’re getting souvenirs in Korea, you can’t miss HBAF Almond Store in Myeongdong. HBAF stands for Honey Butter Almond & Friends, Korea’s most famous brand of honey butter almonds. The entire store is lined with different colorful boxes and combinations of nuts and snacks. Here in the store, you can find all of their fun flavors from Tiramisu to Tteokbokki – and you can try them all.
There’s actually multiple branches of HBAF Almonds at Myeongdong. So, if one is too busy, you can probably head over to a different one down the street! They’re the perfect gifts for friends and family back home.
Customize Your Nike
Our favorite store to shop at on this trip is for sure the Nike store, because of their customization services for hoodies, t-shirts, bags and more. We decided to grab our own custom designed t-shirts. First, you choose your product color and style, then layer on the graphics you’d like. Your design is printed out in less than 20 minutes, so you can shop around in the store until it’s done.
Nike is open from 10:30 AM to 9:30 PM daily. If you’d like to get your customized products, come early to grab tickets for the event.
NyuNyu Myeongdong
If you love accessories, NYUNYU has everything you need. This shop has 4 floors of the cutest accessories, from keychains to socks. There’s walls and walls of key rings you can choose from, with unique designs like plushies or realistic foods. There’s so many items here that there has to be something for everyone. Plus, it’s all wholesale prices. You can get a ton of gifts for friends without breaking the bank.
Nyunyu is open everyday from 10 AM to 11 PM. They also have on-side tax refund – perfect for spending all day picking souvenirs and keepsakes to take home.
Wappen House
If you love making your own designs, Wappen House is another must visit for Myeongdong. This store is packed with everything from keychains to totes for you to customize. In fact, there’s shelves and shelves of different patches of everything from Sanrio to Disney. You can even get text embroidered onto your chosen designs!
If you love customizing your own unique souvenirs to make your trip more special, this is the place! Come early so you can take your time choosing your designs.
Popmart Store
If you know me you know that I LOVE blind boxes, so we had to visit the Popmart store. The Myeongdong location sells all the most popular blind boxes, especially Labubu. The whole building is decorated with Labubu, Skullpanda, Molly, and all their most popular series. It’s a great place to find that one last blind box item you haven’t unboxed yet, or some merch for your favorite series.
Depending on what’s being released at Popmart, there may be a long line sometimes. But, they’re open everyday from 10 AM to 11 PM, so if the line is too long, definitely come back a different day to try your luck.
Travel Korea With My 1 Day Itinerary and Must Try Lists!
