Mangwon Market

A short walk from Exit 2 of Mangwon Station on Seoul Subway Line 6, a 250 m market lane runs dead straight between low-rise apartment blocks. Mangwon Market is where the residents of Mangwon-dong in Mapo-gu do their daily shopping, but cheap, fresh produce and freshly made snacks now bring in people from all over Seoul and from abroad too. Its appeal is that it was never dressed up for tourists – this is real neighbourhood shopping.

A neighbourhood market that grew from street stalls

Mangwon Market grew up naturally in the 1970s, as stalls began to appear in the residential alleys. It gradually expanded and took on its present form in the 2000s, and across the road it joins Mangwon World Cup Market to form one shopping area. In the early 2010s, when a hypermarket opened nearby, the traders campaigned together and won an agreement that the store would not sell certain items. Shops selling the same goods agreed shared prices and held sales on the Sundays when big supermarkets close – a lesson in how a local market can survive.

What to see and eat

• Vegetables and fruit: from the entrance onwards, seasonal produce is piled up by the basket. This is the heart of the market and its busiest stretch.
• Snacks: stalls selling dakgangjeong (sweet crispy chicken), croquettes, skewers, rice cakes and side dishes are dotted throughout, so you can graze your way round. A cheap kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) restaurant has been a draw for years.
• Newer shops: small-portion side dishes, desserts and cafés aimed at the newly-weds and single households of Mangwon-dong sit among the traditional stalls.
• Mangwon World Cup Market: just across the road, it doubles the length of your shopping walk.

New ideas in an old market

Mangwon Market has also been quick to adapt. There is a community space underground where residents hold cultural activities, and a delivery service brings your shopping home for you. Quirky cafés and dessert shops keep opening between the traditional side-dish and rice-cake shops, so local shoppers and food-hunting visitors now share the same lane. The surrounding streets of Mangwon-dong are full of small restaurants and cafés too, so it is worth wandering the neighbourhood after the market.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: take Line 6 to Mangwon Station, Exit 2; the market entrance is a few minutes' walk away.
• Time needed: about 1 hour if you focus on food; allow 2 hours or more if you continue to the Han River.
• Suggested route: buy snacks at the market and walk towards the river for about 15 minutes to Mangwon Hangang Park – eating by the river is the local way to spend an afternoon. The Hongdae area is about 1.5 km to the east.
• Hours: these vary by shop; most open from morning to early evening, and many are closed late at night.
• Watch out for: the lane is narrow and very crowded on weekend afternoons. If you plan to shop properly, weekday mornings are easier.
• Takeaway: almost all the snack stalls will pack food to go, so bring a decent bag if you plan to eat by the river – and a picnic mat if you have one.