Cheap eats in Jongno, Seoul: 25 places (October 2026)
25 restaurants in the Korea on a Plate guide for cheap eats in Jongno, ranked Monthly 30 first and then by Google rating. Each has hours, a price per person and what to order.
In this guide: Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House), Sunhee's Bindaetteok, Imun Seolnongtang, Songam Onban, Hyehwa Dodam.
At a glance: Price per person ₩5,000–₩15,000 (middle ₩12,000). Average Google rating ★4.2. 0 of 25 are open late or 24 hours.
Updated 2026-10-05
Tips before you go
Jongno is old downtown Seoul: Gwangjang Market, Insadong and the palaces are all within walking distance.
Menu prices already include VAT, and tipping is not expected.
Ttukbaegijip is a small stew restaurant near Jongno 3-ga serving four stews in earthenware pots: snail doenjang, plain doenjang, soft tofu and kimchi stew, all priced ₩8,000–₩9,000. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as unpretentious, good value and popular with locals.
START WITHUreong Doenjang · soybean paste stew with freshwater snails
One of the best-known pancake stalls inside Gwangjang Market, a covered market that has fed Seoul since 1905. Sit at the counter, watch the pancakes fry a few feet away, and eat on a stool the way market regulars do.
A Korean restaurant in Ikseon-dong centred on onban, rice served in a warm broth, alongside soy-sauce suyuk (sliced boiled pork), dumplings, perilla-oil buckwheat noodles and samgyetang. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as upscale, with a good view, clean and quiet.
START WITHOnban · warm rice in clear broth with toppings
Hyehwa Dodam is about 180 m from Hyehwa Station and is listed on DiningCode for kimchi-jjim and makgeolli. The menu centres on kimchi-jjim and braised pork ribs in shareable sizes, plus a green onion pancake, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, casual, lively and popular with locals.
START WITHKimchi-jjim · braised aged kimchi with pork
Sujeong Sikdang, near Jongno 3-ga, is listed on DiningCode for jeyuk ssambap, rice and pork eaten wrapped in leafy greens. The menu also offers 150 g portions of pork belly, pork jowl and pork neck, plus soy-marinated crab and abalone. Reviewers most often describe it as unpretentious, good value and lively.
START WITHJeyuk Ssambap · spicy stir-fried pork with rice and leafy wraps
Milgwabori in Gye-dong, near Anguk Station, is listed on DiningCode for minari-jeon and gondeure-bap. Minari, potato and kimchi pancakes are ₩12,000 each, gondeure rice is ₩11,000 per person (minimum two), and there is also clam kalguksu and spicy braised chicken; DiningCode reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, casual and popular with locals.
This Gwangjang Market stall, about 220 m from Jongno 5-ga Station, is listed on DiningCode for gimbap and japchae. The short menu covers japchae gimbap, cheese-tuna gimbap, a set of rolls, fish cake and japchae, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, good value, lively and casual.
START WITHJapchae gimbap · rice roll filled with glass-noodle japchae
Oiji, next to Hyehwa Station in Daehangno, is listed on DiningCode as a fusion Korean restaurant. The menu runs from perilla oil noodles with brisket and pollock roe cheese soft tofu to black sesame cream sujebi, sukiyaki and chashu kimchi rice bowls, and a crispy cheese potato pancake. Reviewers most often call it casual, clean, pretty and lively.
This annex sits by Gwangjang Market and is listed on DiningCode for yukhoe, Korean seasoned raw beef, and yukhoe bibimbap. The menu also offers live octopus tartare, raw beef sashimi, and liver and tripe. Reviewers most often describe it as down-to-earth, lively, casual and good value.
START WITHYukhoe bibimbap · rice bowl topped with seasoned raw beef
A small home-style restaurant in Seochon serving rice bowls and simple single plates: beef rice bowl, cockle bibimbap, gondre (thistle) rice, curry and pork-cutlet rice bowls, and udon. Prices sit between ₩9,000 and ₩13,000, which suits a quick meal while walking the area.
Aehorak is in Gye-dong, about 80 m from Anguk Station, and is listed on DiningCode for bossam set meals and aehobak (Korean zucchini) stew. Lunch specials include a bossam set and zucchini stew, while dinner centres on a five-item bossam platter, and reviewers most often call it clean, down-to-earth and casual.
START WITHBossam · boiled pork slices with wraps and side dishes
First time in KoreaEarly breakfastGroups & sharing
₩6,000 per person
Hours 09:00–22:20
This Gwangjang Market spot, about 100 m from Jongno 5-ga Station, is listed on DiningCode for bindaetteok and yukhoe. The menu pairs mung bean pancakes with beef tartare dishes, mini gimbap and makgeolli, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, lively, casual and good value.
START WITHNokdu bindaetteok · mung bean pancake, millstone-ground per the menu
Hwangso Gojip in the Jonggak area is listed on DiningCode for gochujang bulgogi and baekban, a rice-and-side-dish set meal. The short menu also has spicy stir-fried pork duruchigi, extra meat and fried rice to finish. Reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, good value, lively and a lesser-known local pick.
START WITHGochujang bulgogi · pork bulgogi in red chili paste sauce
A small home-style restaurant near Hyehwa serving dosirak (Korean lunch-box meals) such as flame-grilled beef bulgogi, apple-gochujang stir-fried pork, tomato braised chicken and a chickpea-tofu curry. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as an under-the-radar spot that is clean, casual and popular with locals.
A Jongno 3-ga institution for garlicky, chili-red braised chicken, sized by the pot so groups can order without fuss. The alley has several similarly named competitors, but this original branch is the one longtime locals point to.
START WITHDakdoritang · spicy braised chicken with potatoes
Ilmi Sikdang is near Nagwon Arcade, about 240 m from Jongno 3-ga Station, and is listed on DiningCode for baekban set meals and cheonggukjang. The cheonggukjang set is served for one, while the stir-fry sets are for two, and reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, local and good value.
START WITHCheonggukjang baekban · fermented soybean stew with rice and side dishes
Bukchon Kimchijae, about 120 m from Anguk Station, builds its menu around mugeunji (long-aged kimchi): braised ribs, kimchi stew, braised mackerel, pork belly and duruchigi stir-fry, plus braised cutlassfish. Mains run ₩11,000–₩17,000. DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as unpretentious, casual, lively and generous.
START WITHMugeunji Galbijjim · braised ribs with long-aged kimchi
Oyang Sikgwan is a Gwanghwamun restaurant listed on DiningCode for kimchi-jjigae and rolled omelette. The whole-pork kimchi duru-jjigae is ₩10,000, and the Oyang set (₩13,000) combines the stew with flame-grilled spicy pork and rolled omelette; DiningCode reviewers most often describe it as down-to-earth, lively and casual.
START WITHKimchi duru-jjigae · pork and kimchi stew
A no-frills diner steps from Jongno 3-ga Station, between Tapgol Park and the Gwangjang Market area. It's a cheap, unfussy way to try mild Pyongyang-style naengmyeon without the wait or price tag of the city's famous noodle houses.
Running since 1982 at the top of the Samcheong-dong hanok slope, this homestyle diner serves a gentle, comforting bowl that has fed generations of visitors to Bukchon and the nearby palace walls. Its nostalgic, low-key dining room feels a world away from the boutiques and cafes that now line the street outside.
START WITHSujebi · hand-torn dough soup in clam broth
A Korean restaurant in the Samcheong-dong area centred on cheonggukjang, a strong-smelling fermented soybean stew served with rice, plus set meals pairing it with braised kodari (half-dried pollack) or pork bulgogi. DiningCode reviewers most often call it down-to-earth, casual, popular with locals and clean.
START WITHCheonggukjang · rich fermented soybean stew with rice
Which restaurants in Korea are good for cheap eats in Jongno?
In this guide: Ttukbaegijip (Earthen Pot House), Sunhee's Bindaetteok, Imun Seolnongtang, Songam Onban, Hyehwa Dodam.
Which is the cheapest here?
Wonjo Nudeu Chijeu Gimbap (Original Nude Cheese Gimbap), about ₩5,000 per person.
Which has the highest Google rating?
Songam Onban: ★4.8 from 311 reviews.
How were these chosen?
Every place is in the Korea on a Plate guide, written by an editor who runs four restaurants in Seoul. The list is filtered from published hours, prices and tags; nobody pays to be listed.