Sungwoo Yukhoe | Gwangjang Market
Try flavorful raw beef and live baby octopus, and get 10% off with the Creatrip Solo Foodie Pass!
One of the must-sees of Seoul travels these days has to be Gwangjang Market, with its ability to instantly amaze visitors with its flocks of people and piles of eats neatly displayed at stalls as well as shops selling items erratically from muscle patches to mint candies.
Some of the most popular dishes you will find at the market are bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), mandu (dumplings), mayak kimbap (rice and ingredients rolled in seaweed as addicting as 'drugs'), ganjang gejang (soy sauce marinated crab), and last but not least, yukhoe-tangtangee (raw beef with live octopus).
Most yukhoe places have maintained their old looks for years and while it's great to still be able to peek inside the market's classic appearances, some travelers may worry about the general hygiene and food quality of such places.
Sungwoo Yukhoe is the only yukhoe place standing inside that market that's not too shabby. It rather exudes a very hygienic vibe from its tables and chairs neatly lined up and colorful modern menus with photos hung on one side of the wall, easily welcoming first-time yukhoe tangtangee adventurers.
Creatrip Solo Foodie Pass | Seoul Edition
The Creatrip Solo Foodie Pass gives you special deals to restaurants that are perfect for eating alone at! Get 10% off at Sungwoo Yukhoe with the Solo Foodie Pass, plus special benefits to over 10 more spots.
Super Early Bird (~Dec 31, 2023) | 3,000 KRW (3000) |
Early Bird (Jan 1, 2024 ~ Feb 28, 2024) | 4,000 KRW (4000) |
Information
Address: 서울 종로구 종로 200-12
200-12, Jongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Hours: 09:00-21:30, last order at 21:00; Closed on Wednesdays
Why We Recommend It
Yukhoe is the food that Koreans always get when they visit Gwangjang Market. If you're having trouble choosing among the many yukhoe restaurants, we recommend Sungwoo Yukhoe!
The restaurant is clean and modern and the service is great. There is also a menu with foreign languages with pictures of the menu items, so it is not difficult to order.
Sungwoo Yukhoe's signature dish is Yukhoe Tangtangi, which is a combination of beef tartar and live octopus. The cut octopus legs look like they are still alive because they are still wriggling on the plate. It may be difficult to swallow at first, but you will eventually fall into the freshness and unique taste of Yukhoe Tangtangi.
With the Creatrip Solo Foodie Pass, you can get 10% off your order! If you are planning to travel solo, be sure to take advantage of the Solo Foodie Pass!
Things to Keep In Mind
Creatrip members can get 10% off with the Creatrip Solo Foodie Pass.
There is no need to make a reservation beforehand.
If you have questions about the use of the coupon, contact us at help@creatrip.com.
Price
Menu | Price |
Yukhoe | 19,000 KRW |
Live Octopus | 15,000 KRW |
Yukhoe Tangtangi | 32,000 KRW |
Yukhoe Bibimbap | 9,000 KRW |
Our Visit
My first impression of the restaurant was pristine and modern. Even when we had just arrived, the owners, a mother and her two sons, were wiping the glass door and tidying up the place. The big menu outside the restaurant doesn't have English translations written under each name, but don't panic just yet, pick up the small printout version of the menu to the right and you'll find the English names and descriptions there. The sajangnim (a polite way of calling an owner of a shop) greeted us with a big smile and showed us inside.
Inside the cozy restaurant hung photos of Sungwoo Yukhoe's dishes including our most anticipated yukhoe-tangtangee. After studying the menu, we ordered one yukhoe-tangtangee and one yukhoe-bibimbap to share between the two of us. After the order went through, we had the opportunity to take a look at the fresh octopuses in the water tank as well as the display fridge with meats sprucely put in containers. When the sajangnim picked our octopus up, it started squirming aggressively in her hand. She then placed it inside a small bucket with a handle and carried it straight to the open kitchen.
She removed the organs in just two moves of her knife, then started chopping it up into small bite-sized pieces. The pieces of octopus were still wriggling and moving, now separately. The layering of this delicacy goes yukhoe (raw beef), octopus, vegetable garnish and finished off with an egg yolk.
Yukhoe-Tangtangee (30,000KRW)
One of the two sons of the restaurant explained to us the steps of eating this specialty. First, pop the egg yolk and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Then, grab a piece of the seaweed, place a couple of pear slices, raw beef and octopus and nicely wrap it. Lastly, dip it in the sesame sauce.
It was an amazing flavour party - sweet, refreshing juice of the pear paired with the fresh beef and octopus, finished off with the salty, savoury sesame oil sauce. It was nothing like I've tasted before and I could see why people, locals and travellers, love to stop by Gwangjang Market for this delicacy.
Yukhoe-Bibimbap (8,000KRW)
If you're a bibimbap enthusiast like myself, I highly recommend this bibimbap because it's different from the generic bibimbap we find at restaurants where the cooked beef is replaced by raw beef. It's a great chance to try out yukhoe with rice and refreshing vegetables, as well as the house-made gochujang sauce of slightly spicy and sweet flavours.
After our extremely satisfying meal, we were able to hear a bit of the sajangnim's story of running a quality bedding shop at the market before opening up Sungwoo Yukhoe in 2019 with her two sons. I could feel her passion and love for Gwangjang Market as someone who knows its ins and outs, as someone who has diligently operated businesses at the market for years. She mentioned she's offering the 10% discount coupon to Creatrip members because she would like to welcome all visitors to Gwangjang Market and her restaurant, and would like to introduce her specialties to more foreign visitors who are keen on experiencing Korea's vast culinary world.
How to Get There
Enter Gwangjang Market through North 1st Gate straight from exit 11 of Jongno 5-ga Station.
You'll see the North 1st Gate right outside of exit 11 of Jongno 5-ga Station. Enter the market through this gate.
Walk straight down until you get to the first intersection with the big sign indicating the hanbok market, turn left.
Walk down for about 30 seconds and you'll see the lit-up sign on your left.
Creatrip Solo Foodie Pass | Seoul Edition
We hope that you can enjoy a delicious plate of Yukhoe Tangtangi at Sungwoo Yukhoe. If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below or send us an email at help@creatrip.com! You can follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!