Tongin Traditional Market

Chanced upon this traditional market when we overheard a bicycle tour guide talking about it. No regret coming here to take a look and grab some local food. If you’re visiting the palace, this place is just 10 mins walk away, worth the trip if seeing local culture is of your interest.

Relatively smaller market compared to Mangwon/Gwangjang market, but it is more of a novelty thing whereby you can purchase "ancient coins" to exchange with food vendors for food items. You can exchange 500Won for 1 coin and it's usually in bundles of 10. You'll be given a lunch box also as well. There is a seating area on the second floor where you exchange your coins.

Not sure if we have completed the whole market but we managed to walk through one lane, which is peppered with small coffee stands, and some local street snack stands. Nothing really exciting or unique here.

This is a tourist spot in Seoul. If you want to buy something here, you need to convert currency into old tokens and use them for shopping inside the market. It is a cute way to maintain the originality of the old days. In terms of food stalls, you have lots of variety, however, if you are squeamish like me, this is a hard pass!

Tongin market is smaller than other markets but has everything you need. This place is famous for brass coin token bento box. You can exchange food with the token. You can find stores which sell fresh vegetables, seafood, grains, and variety of traditional Korean street food. Very crowded but it was fun. I had spicy oil Korean rice cake and it was way too spicy for me but was tasty.

Tongin Market is a well-known tourist attraction in Seoul, famous for its unique approach of using traditional tokens to purchase food from various vendors. The concept of these old-fashioned tokens is intriguing and adds a nostalgic charm to the experience. However, I found it to be more of a novelty than a practical feature. When I visited around 3 PM, I was disappointed to discover that many shops were already closed, which significantly limited the options available. This early closure makes it less convenient for visitors who may not arrive in the morning or early afternoon. Additionally, navigating the market and using the tokens can feel cumbersome, especially for first-time visitors who may not be familiar with the system.

To be honest. The place is just there to have a fun experience to use the special coins. The food is meh.. oil teokboki is good though.

Prices vary based on merchant, cash only and little to no toilet paper in bathrooms