Exploring Seoul: Myeongdong (명동)

As stated above, Myeongdong offers a lot of street food. It isn’t necessarily all Korean street food, but there’s plenty of variety. So if you walk around here for a while, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something you want to try.

You can find everything from Grilled Cheese and Sausages to Kebabs and even Lobster. There are also plenty of desserts, such as Fruit Bowls, Churros, and Ice Cream, as well as a few stalls selling freshly squeezed Juice. And all of this is right in the middle of a shopping area. Imagine browsing Zara or Uniqlo for an hour, walking out feeling a bit hungry, only to find a stall selling Tteokbokki (떡볶이) and Fish Cakes right outside. It makes for a pretty compelling shopping experience.

Between all the food stalls, you can also find a few selling souvenirs or clothes. One thing I want to emphasize is that the high-end branded items you see at some of these stalls are fake. You’ll come across things like Supreme or Gucci T-shirts and Hermès or Louis Vuitton bags. These are not authentic products. If you still like them, that’s up to you. Just be aware of what you’re buying.

One important thing to note is that many of the street food stalls don’t accept cards. You can usually pay by bank transfer or cash, so if you’re planning a Myeongdong street food tour, it’s a good idea to bring some cash with you. Individual portions usually cost somewhere between ₩3,000 and ₩10,000.

Myeongdong offers a huge selection of shops, and you can get basically everything you need there.

First of all, you’ve got Daiso (다이소) and ARTBOX (아트박스) for basic everyday needs. This Daiso is where I usually get my deodorant, which can actually be kind of difficult to find in Korea. But since this area caters heavily to tourists, things like that tend to be a little easier to come across. ARTBOX is usually my choice if I need something like cables or chargers. Many ARTBOX stores have a decently sized tech section.

Next, we have pharmacies. There are quite a few around Myeongdong, and in my experience, the people working in stores here generally speak a good amount of English. So if you need some medicine or have a question, stopping by one of the local pharmacies might help.

Next are beauty products! There’s a big Olive Young and several other beauty and makeup stores all around Myeongdong. As you may know, Korean beauty products are extremely popular, and if you just take a peek inside Olive Young, you’ll quickly see that for yourself. That peek might even deter you from entering once you see just how crowded the place can get.

Then there are all the stores related to K-Pop. Myeongdong has plenty of shops selling K-Pop merchandise, and they’re usually full of foreign K-Pop fans as well. Whether you’re looking for an older album or hunting for a certain photocard, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find it here. I occasionally browse these stores myself, and I always enjoy the memories that come flooding back.

The final category, and my favorite, is of course clothing! Apart from stores like Lee, SPAO, and Uniqlo, you can find shoe stores such as Foot Locker and Skechers, as well as eyewear stores like OLENS and Blue Elephant. There are also a few vintage stores around where you can grab a really good deal or two if you get lucky. Going through all the racks can be a bit of a pain, and it definitely doesn’t feel great when you finally find a piece you like only to realize it’s two sizes too big. But on the other hand, when you find something you really like for a great price, it makes all that searching worth it.

I’ve personally shopped at the OLENS here quite a lot. Basically all of my frames are from that store. The new, huge Uniqlo is also amazing. I always check the vintage stores for a good deal as well, so I definitely recommend taking a look. I also like stopping by Satur, Dr. Martens, and Ebisu whenever I’m in the area.

Of course, these are only a small selection of all the stores available in the area. So if you enjoy browsing places like these, you’ll have a great time and definitely won’t have any trouble spending an entire evening here. As mentioned before, many of the employees working in Myeongdong speak a decent amount of English, so asking for help when you need it usually isn’t a problem.

As with basically every corner of Seoul, Myeongdong also offers plenty of good cafés and restaurants. If the street food isn’t really to your liking, or feels a bit too expensive, this is where you can properly fill your stomach or simply sit down and relax with some friends.

As an area that caters heavily to tourists, you’ll find plenty of popular Korean dishes like Tteokbokki (떡볶이), Dakgalbi (닭갈비), Samgyeopsal (삼겹살), and Ramyeon (라면). Of course, there are also plenty of Korean BBQ places around. Aside from Korean food, Myeongdong also has a number of Chinese restaurants where you can get things like Malatang (마라탕).

One place I always like to eat at is Eulji Donkas (을지돈가스). As you can probably guess from the name, it’s a restaurant known for Donkatsu (돈가스). The dish originally comes from Japan, but it’s also very popular in South Korea, and it has become one of my favorite things to eat while I’m there. A small tip from me if you go there is to order the spicy sauce separately and mix it into the regular donkatsu sauce yourself. That way, you can get the level of spiciness just right.

As for cafés, you have the usual chains, of course. Ediya, Starbucks, A Twosome Place, and Coffee Bean are all around. Ediya is my usual go-to if I just want a quick drink by myself. If I’m with a friend, I usually go to a dessert café called Poem (포엠). The waffles there are awesome, and besides coffee drinks, you can also order cocktails, which makes it a nice option for people who don’t want caffeine. The final café I like to visit is called Metcha (맷차). The name probably gives it away, but it’s a café mostly focused on matcha. I really like the Handmade Cream Latte and the Matcha Crepe Cake there.

Myeongdong Cathedral is one of the most important Roman Catholic churches in South Korea. It was completed in 1898 and was one of the first Gothic-style buildings constructed in Korea. Because of that, it’s easy to notice and offers a stark contrast to much of the surrounding architecture. It’s also the seat of the Archbishop of Seoul.

The cathedral attracts plenty of visitors from around the world. You can freely enter during normal opening hours, and inside you’ll find a few pamphlets with more information about the cathedral and its history.

There’s also a small shop where you can buy souvenirs and religious items if that’s something you’re interested in.