since this is my second trip to korea already (twice this year hehe happy as heck), i've decided to do a more generic post on seoul by its shopping districts.
will be rating them based on variety (of things to buy) and price!
dongdaemun
the mecca of late-night shoppers who love to roam the malls past midnight. there is nothing livelier than dongdaemun after nightfall, with the night market selling plenty of street foods as an added bonus. what more is the place housing 3 big shopping malls (doota, helloapm and migliore) lacking?
variety:
there usually isn't any repeats of apparel in these malls, but that's only in winter time. during spring season, i've spotted quite a couple of repeats on the 10,000won racks (yes i'm a budget shopper).
price:
helloapm and migliore are the more budget and bugis-street style kind of clothes, whereas doota is more of a high-end departmental store with more expensive clothing, something similar to isetan (?) but only with apparel.
a word of caution:
because dongdaemun has become such a commercialized tourist attraction (highly doubting the aptness of the word here haha), the prices of certain things may be a little extravagant. sometimes the price tag does not run parallel to the quality of the clothes, so remember to do a little bargaining. i read somewhere that the shop owners there are earning an almost 100% profit, so don't be swayed if they give you like a mere 3,000won discount. if you REALLY want your clothes from that ahjusshi's shop i suggest you bring along a glib tongue for bargaining (mind you there's a language barrier). definitely not going to be easy though.
myeongdong
m is for myeongdong and m is for makeup. like you've probably known already, this is the ultimate stop for beauty products. for every right turn you make you will probably run into 3 nature republic stores and the face shops. no exaggeration. street food stalls line the roads, but they usually close by 9pm.
variety:
of facial products, yes. of clothes, no. apart from the cosmetic giants like the face shop/innisfree/nature republic/aritaum etc, there are also a couple of the lesser-known brands that have cheaper products (not too sure of how good they are though). clothes-wise there isn't anything much here except for spao (an sm entertainment-owned store that's kinda like korea's uniqlo), forever21, uniqlo and a couple of random boutiques.
price:
slay all the cosmetic shops when they're having big sales!!!! don't hesitate if you see your favourite tonymoly facial cleanser at 30% discount or if your nature republic masks are having a 1+1 sale. BUY IT. no doubts. though myeongdong is slightly (only slightly) more expensive than ewha's women university (see below), the variety makes up for it anyway.
a word of caution:
the crowds are crazy, and i'm not even kidding. myeongdong just seems to be perpetually crowded, it's like as though the people don't have to work? it's crowded in the day, in the night, and much worse on weekends. worse still, you have to keep a lookout for random motorcycles that come charging into the roads while you're enjoying your piping hot stick of oden. don't even know how they manage to manoeuvre through the bustling crowd.
noteworthy places:
the biggest branch of nature republic in myeongdong (exit 9, turn left and you'll immediately see the super green leafy building) has the best service staff. they're really helpful and are as good as personal shoppers. the young lady that assisted me was really nice and clear in her explanation. she even offered to carry my shopping basket around for me (which i refused because i felt so bad?).
look out for the ppopgi stall that is nearer to the myeongdong underground shopping centre (there's this stretch selling A LOT of street food). ppopgi is a traditional korean candy made of brown sugar and baking powder. though it's plain sugar and really unhealthy, it tastes so good. it made me happy when i first tried it, and it's one of the really few ppopgi stalls i see in seoul :(
yes this is the amazing godly ppopgi :-)
ewha's women university (edae)
a typical university town that usually has cheaper products that caters to students, yay! there's also an artbox here (right outside exit 2) and plenty of fashionable clothes, shoes and bags! cheap prices and pretty things, what more can a young lady ask for? shopping heaven!!!!
variety:
the clothes here at edae are quite unique to each shop, and there aren't usually any repeats. there's also a shop that sells ALL bags at 10,000won. shoes are pretty decent too :-) you want anything, edae has it all.
price:
screams cheap!!! i think you can safely call this place the cheapest shopping district in seoul. i tend to judge a district and its atas-ness by the prices of their coffee from random coffee shops, and not commercialized ones like ediya coffee, zoo's coffee, a twosome place etc. i've been binging a lot on green tea latte on my previous trip and the cheapest one we ever got was from edae at only 3,300won. (that's SGD$4 i mean where on earth in singapore can you get green tea latte at FOUR DOLLARS) taste was definitely not compromised.
a word of caution:
this isn't really a place to visit at night 'cos the shops close pretty early and there isn't anything much going on when it comes to street food..... but honestly the cheap shopping already conquers everything. *inserts heartshape eyes emoji*
noteworthy places:
there is this really amazing fried chicken + rice cakes + cheese chicken takeaway bento thing at edae. it's quite famous and there's often a queue, it's about 4,500won if i remember correctly. it's slightly after artbox at exit 2, like 15m away? look out for the red tent!! it's run by 2 men and you'll see them frying the rice cakes on the spot :)
namdaemun
going to be a little biased in my opinion here but this is my FAVOURITE market in seoul. a hidden gem that not as many tourists frequent (compared to dongdaemun), namdaemun is one of the few places that actually sells kids clothes - alongside with many interesting underground markets that you're unlikely to be buying from but, it's worth a visit!
variety:
pretty much close to a flea market in terms of the variety of things you can find. souvenirs, dried foods, facial products, clothes, cameras, stationery, unofficial kpop merchandise etc. at namdaemun, you name it you have it. when it comes to food, there's also a whole lot for you to choose from. more common street foods at namdaemun range from pork knuckles, sugar bread, hotteoks and deep-fried fishcakes.
price:
the main reason why i love namdaemun so much! it's a really exotic place that sells A LOT of interesting things - all at a low price. because it's a market, things are relatively cheaper. i feel the people here are a lot more honest and down-to-earth (maybe because they are nice ahjummas/ahjusshis) and won't cheat you of your money. bargaining is allowed here, but you don't have to worry too much about that like in dongdaemun because things are already cheap :) my green tea latte here cost 3,500won (slightly above SGD$4) so YES cheap it is!!!!
a word of caution:
like i mentioned, the average person in namdaemun is about 50 years old? yes that's a lot of old people, so don't be alarmed if you face a random communication breakdown somewhere. also, don't expect this place to sell trendy clothes because c'mon, it's a market catered to the older folks. but that doesn't mean you can't get anything nice here. i bought a panda hoodie, super cute deco rush tapes (go google 'em plz they're the best invention ever) and all my unofficial exo merch here lol.
noteworthy places:
there is a famous kalguksu street in namdaemun (near exit 5) that is apparently quite delicious though i didn't get the chance to try it (sorry i don't have the exact directions 'cos i've never been there haha). i rly love kalguksu - it literally means knife-cut noodles and it's similar to singapore's ban mian, but a lot better :-)
hongik university (hongdae)
a district filled with all the youth and vigour you can get in seoul. it's prized as a hangout place for youngsters (juxtaposition with namdaemun eh haha) and there's a lot of clubs, bars and restaurants.
variety:
i would rate this place a little low on the scale for variety for clothes. there's only more of those random junk like accessories, toys, keychains but there's a lot to eat at hongdae though, and i'm not even kidding. for every 10 shops you walk past 8 are probably eateries. and as you know in korea, there's no such thing as unpalatable food. everything just tastes so good.
price:
i'm not exactly sure how to rate hongdae on this scale, but food prices are all almost around the same there. clothes are a little expensive since they're random boutiques uncommonly found in the area. however, extra points go to free entertainment along the streets! there are many singing/dancing/stuntmen performances on the road and it's always gathers quite a big crowd. not undermining their talent though - they're really quite good!
a word of caution:
if you aren't the type that likes hype, crowd and noise, i suggest you avoid hongdae on a weekend night. why so? when i was shopping at hongdae's artbox (directions here), my shopping experience got quite unpleasant thanks to the club that resided directly above artbox itself. for every second i was in the shop there was non-stop pounding thanks to the heavy beat music. ugh.
noteworthy places:
KYOCHON CHICKEN. yup i specially put that in caps because this is the bomb. the epitome of korean fried chicken lies in kyochon. i may be a little biased in my opinion (due to my lack of insight) but kyochon is damn good i swear. i personally really love the honey series 'cos it's sweet, not spicy, and really unique! the spicy series tastes quite similar to singapore's 4fingers chicken so i would opt to give it a pass. but the honey chicken is GREAT SO PLEASE TRY IT.
(directions to and more info about kyochon chicken here!)
if you're a running man fan i'm sure you've done substantial research on haha/gary's bbq restaurant. haha's restaurant, 401, is located in hongdae and i'm sure you won't want to miss it because who knows, he might just be in the shop ;) the menu of haha's restaurant kinda changed (they don't sell intestines anymore i think), it's more of just meat and pork belly etc. but it's still good!!! a little expensive but yeah it's no surprise for a celebrity-owned restaurant!
(directions to and more info about haha's restaurant, 401 here!)
insadong
if you're in search of something outside of the box, something creative to wow your loved ones, insadong is the place to be. home to a number of famous art galleries, souvenirs and traditional cultural things await you here. everything is really so gorgeous you can't help but want to buy 'em all.
variety:
well, every other shop you see are souvenir shops that sell almost the same items. but there are still some slight differences. some might sell cute little traditional korean pouches that the other doesn't. some offers you a particular brand of seaweed that is unique to that shop only. though it might seem a little mundane to pop by every souvenir store, sometimes the price differs by quite a bit so yeah the hard work pays off!
price:
things at insadong are generally considered expensive (not including those souvenir shops), especially if it's from ssamziegil (a design mall that you can't miss when there). handcrafted items surely don't come cheap, but rest assured that the quality is there and it makes really nice souvenirs to give!!! i customised a bracelet at ssamziegil and bought a lot of cute earrings for my friends too.
a word of caution:
hmm there isn't anything especially alarming about insadong that needs to be mentioned!
noteworthy places:
if you are a diehard fan of anything and everything matcha, o'sulloc tea house (directions here) is the place to be. originating from jeju island, they serve authentic matcha products, from tea lattes to matcha skin care items. there is a seating area if you want to dine in and have a bite of green tea cake. it's really quite all-natural with very little sugar added (for my green tea latte at least).
there is also a man selling ppopgis and other candy/snacks near anguk station exit 5. follow the street along insadong and you'll see him making all the ppopgis. he's really friendly and even recognised us and singaporeans, mentioning about mr lee kuan yew.
itaewon
also known as a foreigner land, itaewon is famous for its international cuisines, bars and pubs that both non-koreans and koreans alike love to hang out at. if you have a lot of time to kill, i would suggest doing so at a pub in itaewon.
variety:
there honestly isn't much to shop at itaewon. usually a place for expats in korea, and they often come here to get custom-tailored suits for working purposes. that's what itaewon is famous for, and otherwise, there isn't really anything much to look around, except to eat.
price:
itaewon is also another difficult one to put on the scale, but from what i observe, food is on the expensive side. haven't really tried much food here except for sigol bapsang (as advertised by ladyironchef), but looking from the menus they're not very affordable for the poor soul's pocket :(
a word of caution:
so yup, you may want to give this place a pass for shopping/eating because there's nothing much and it's expensive too. maybe just 1-2hours roaming around will suffice!
noteworthy places:
the only reason why i've been here is because of this eatery called sigol bapsang. it's a really small and cosy area with only about 5 tables. for just 8,000won/person, you can sample up to 30 traditional side dishes (aka banchan)! you can even add on extra dishes like the korean pancake (pajeon), steamed egg and some other stir-fried meat. the banchan is amazing i'm not kidding you. the two times that i went to korea this year, i came to itaewon JUST for this. it's that good, and cheap!
(directions to and more info about sigol bapsang here!)
also, if garosugil is too far for you, the line friends store just opened a branch at itaewon and it's as big as (or even bigger) than the first outlet! time to go crazy taking photos!!!! you'll pass by it on your way to sigol bapsang, so you can simply retrace your steps after a hearty lunch and stop by!
there's also my favourite milk ice cream store, softree in itaewon :-) it's noticeable on the way too, and several reviews have hailed it as the best soft serve in korea! i can't help but agree even though i haven't tried other similar ones (for i'm afraid they may disappoint). everytime i pass by a softree store, rest assured you will see me emerge with a cup of liquid honey soft serve :)
gangnam
in a nutshell, this is really the gangnam style and the things here cost..... lol. BUT THE GANGNAM UNDERGROUND SHOPPING CENTRE IS HEAVEN. THERE'S RLY A LOT OF CLOTHES TO GRAB AND JUST A FEW STOPS DOWN IS THE EXPRESS BUS TERMINAL UNDERGROUND SHOPPING CENTRE TOO WHICH IS LIKE 3X THE SIZE OF THE FORMER. SO YES SHOPPING QUEENS THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO SHOP TILL YOU DROP - IN GANGNAM TOO!
all photos are taken by me! please take them out with credit if need be :)
variety:
there usually isn't any repeats of apparel in these malls, but that's only in winter time. during spring season, i've spotted quite a couple of repeats on the 10,000won racks (yes i'm a budget shopper).
price:
helloapm and migliore are the more budget and bugis-street style kind of clothes, whereas doota is more of a high-end departmental store with more expensive clothing, something similar to isetan (?) but only with apparel.
a word of caution:
because dongdaemun has become such a commercialized tourist attraction (highly doubting the aptness of the word here haha), the prices of certain things may be a little extravagant. sometimes the price tag does not run parallel to the quality of the clothes, so remember to do a little bargaining. i read somewhere that the shop owners there are earning an almost 100% profit, so don't be swayed if they give you like a mere 3,000won discount. if you REALLY want your clothes from that ahjusshi's shop i suggest you bring along a glib tongue for bargaining (mind you there's a language barrier). definitely not going to be easy though.
myeongdong
m is for myeongdong and m is for makeup. like you've probably known already, this is the ultimate stop for beauty products. for every right turn you make you will probably run into 3 nature republic stores and the face shops. no exaggeration. street food stalls line the roads, but they usually close by 9pm.
variety:
of facial products, yes. of clothes, no. apart from the cosmetic giants like the face shop/innisfree/nature republic/aritaum etc, there are also a couple of the lesser-known brands that have cheaper products (not too sure of how good they are though). clothes-wise there isn't anything much here except for spao (an sm entertainment-owned store that's kinda like korea's uniqlo), forever21, uniqlo and a couple of random boutiques.
price:
slay all the cosmetic shops when they're having big sales!!!! don't hesitate if you see your favourite tonymoly facial cleanser at 30% discount or if your nature republic masks are having a 1+1 sale. BUY IT. no doubts. though myeongdong is slightly (only slightly) more expensive than ewha's women university (see below), the variety makes up for it anyway.
a word of caution:
the crowds are crazy, and i'm not even kidding. myeongdong just seems to be perpetually crowded, it's like as though the people don't have to work? it's crowded in the day, in the night, and much worse on weekends. worse still, you have to keep a lookout for random motorcycles that come charging into the roads while you're enjoying your piping hot stick of oden. don't even know how they manage to manoeuvre through the bustling crowd.
noteworthy places:
the biggest branch of nature republic in myeongdong (exit 9, turn left and you'll immediately see the super green leafy building) has the best service staff. they're really helpful and are as good as personal shoppers. the young lady that assisted me was really nice and clear in her explanation. she even offered to carry my shopping basket around for me (which i refused because i felt so bad?).
look out for the ppopgi stall that is nearer to the myeongdong underground shopping centre (there's this stretch selling A LOT of street food). ppopgi is a traditional korean candy made of brown sugar and baking powder. though it's plain sugar and really unhealthy, it tastes so good. it made me happy when i first tried it, and it's one of the really few ppopgi stalls i see in seoul :(
yes this is the amazing godly ppopgi :-)
ewha's women university (edae)
variety:
the clothes here at edae are quite unique to each shop, and there aren't usually any repeats. there's also a shop that sells ALL bags at 10,000won. shoes are pretty decent too :-) you want anything, edae has it all.
price:
screams cheap!!! i think you can safely call this place the cheapest shopping district in seoul. i tend to judge a district and its atas-ness by the prices of their coffee from random coffee shops, and not commercialized ones like ediya coffee, zoo's coffee, a twosome place etc. i've been binging a lot on green tea latte on my previous trip and the cheapest one we ever got was from edae at only 3,300won. (that's SGD$4 i mean where on earth in singapore can you get green tea latte at FOUR DOLLARS) taste was definitely not compromised.
a word of caution:
this isn't really a place to visit at night 'cos the shops close pretty early and there isn't anything much going on when it comes to street food..... but honestly the cheap shopping already conquers everything. *inserts heartshape eyes emoji*
noteworthy places:
there is this really amazing fried chicken + rice cakes + cheese chicken takeaway bento thing at edae. it's quite famous and there's often a queue, it's about 4,500won if i remember correctly. it's slightly after artbox at exit 2, like 15m away? look out for the red tent!! it's run by 2 men and you'll see them frying the rice cakes on the spot :)
namdaemun
variety:
pretty much close to a flea market in terms of the variety of things you can find. souvenirs, dried foods, facial products, clothes, cameras, stationery, unofficial kpop merchandise etc. at namdaemun, you name it you have it. when it comes to food, there's also a whole lot for you to choose from. more common street foods at namdaemun range from pork knuckles, sugar bread, hotteoks and deep-fried fishcakes.
price:
the main reason why i love namdaemun so much! it's a really exotic place that sells A LOT of interesting things - all at a low price. because it's a market, things are relatively cheaper. i feel the people here are a lot more honest and down-to-earth (maybe because they are nice ahjummas/ahjusshis) and won't cheat you of your money. bargaining is allowed here, but you don't have to worry too much about that like in dongdaemun because things are already cheap :) my green tea latte here cost 3,500won (slightly above SGD$4) so YES cheap it is!!!!
a word of caution:
like i mentioned, the average person in namdaemun is about 50 years old? yes that's a lot of old people, so don't be alarmed if you face a random communication breakdown somewhere. also, don't expect this place to sell trendy clothes because c'mon, it's a market catered to the older folks. but that doesn't mean you can't get anything nice here. i bought a panda hoodie, super cute deco rush tapes (go google 'em plz they're the best invention ever) and all my unofficial exo merch here lol.
noteworthy places:
there is a famous kalguksu street in namdaemun (near exit 5) that is apparently quite delicious though i didn't get the chance to try it (sorry i don't have the exact directions 'cos i've never been there haha). i rly love kalguksu - it literally means knife-cut noodles and it's similar to singapore's ban mian, but a lot better :-)
hongik university (hongdae)
a district filled with all the youth and vigour you can get in seoul. it's prized as a hangout place for youngsters (juxtaposition with namdaemun eh haha) and there's a lot of clubs, bars and restaurants.
variety:
i would rate this place a little low on the scale for variety for clothes. there's only more of those random junk like accessories, toys, keychains but there's a lot to eat at hongdae though, and i'm not even kidding. for every 10 shops you walk past 8 are probably eateries. and as you know in korea, there's no such thing as unpalatable food. everything just tastes so good.
price:
i'm not exactly sure how to rate hongdae on this scale, but food prices are all almost around the same there. clothes are a little expensive since they're random boutiques uncommonly found in the area. however, extra points go to free entertainment along the streets! there are many singing/dancing/stuntmen performances on the road and it's always gathers quite a big crowd. not undermining their talent though - they're really quite good!
a word of caution:
if you aren't the type that likes hype, crowd and noise, i suggest you avoid hongdae on a weekend night. why so? when i was shopping at hongdae's artbox (directions here), my shopping experience got quite unpleasant thanks to the club that resided directly above artbox itself. for every second i was in the shop there was non-stop pounding thanks to the heavy beat music. ugh.
noteworthy places:
KYOCHON CHICKEN. yup i specially put that in caps because this is the bomb. the epitome of korean fried chicken lies in kyochon. i may be a little biased in my opinion (due to my lack of insight) but kyochon is damn good i swear. i personally really love the honey series 'cos it's sweet, not spicy, and really unique! the spicy series tastes quite similar to singapore's 4fingers chicken so i would opt to give it a pass. but the honey chicken is GREAT SO PLEASE TRY IT.
(directions to and more info about kyochon chicken here!)
if you're a running man fan i'm sure you've done substantial research on haha/gary's bbq restaurant. haha's restaurant, 401, is located in hongdae and i'm sure you won't want to miss it because who knows, he might just be in the shop ;) the menu of haha's restaurant kinda changed (they don't sell intestines anymore i think), it's more of just meat and pork belly etc. but it's still good!!! a little expensive but yeah it's no surprise for a celebrity-owned restaurant!
(directions to and more info about haha's restaurant, 401 here!)
insadong
if you're in search of something outside of the box, something creative to wow your loved ones, insadong is the place to be. home to a number of famous art galleries, souvenirs and traditional cultural things await you here. everything is really so gorgeous you can't help but want to buy 'em all.
variety:
well, every other shop you see are souvenir shops that sell almost the same items. but there are still some slight differences. some might sell cute little traditional korean pouches that the other doesn't. some offers you a particular brand of seaweed that is unique to that shop only. though it might seem a little mundane to pop by every souvenir store, sometimes the price differs by quite a bit so yeah the hard work pays off!
price:
things at insadong are generally considered expensive (not including those souvenir shops), especially if it's from ssamziegil (a design mall that you can't miss when there). handcrafted items surely don't come cheap, but rest assured that the quality is there and it makes really nice souvenirs to give!!! i customised a bracelet at ssamziegil and bought a lot of cute earrings for my friends too.
a word of caution:
hmm there isn't anything especially alarming about insadong that needs to be mentioned!
noteworthy places:
if you are a diehard fan of anything and everything matcha, o'sulloc tea house (directions here) is the place to be. originating from jeju island, they serve authentic matcha products, from tea lattes to matcha skin care items. there is a seating area if you want to dine in and have a bite of green tea cake. it's really quite all-natural with very little sugar added (for my green tea latte at least).
there is also a man selling ppopgis and other candy/snacks near anguk station exit 5. follow the street along insadong and you'll see him making all the ppopgis. he's really friendly and even recognised us and singaporeans, mentioning about mr lee kuan yew.
itaewon
also known as a foreigner land, itaewon is famous for its international cuisines, bars and pubs that both non-koreans and koreans alike love to hang out at. if you have a lot of time to kill, i would suggest doing so at a pub in itaewon.
variety:
there honestly isn't much to shop at itaewon. usually a place for expats in korea, and they often come here to get custom-tailored suits for working purposes. that's what itaewon is famous for, and otherwise, there isn't really anything much to look around, except to eat.
price:
itaewon is also another difficult one to put on the scale, but from what i observe, food is on the expensive side. haven't really tried much food here except for sigol bapsang (as advertised by ladyironchef), but looking from the menus they're not very affordable for the poor soul's pocket :(
a word of caution:
so yup, you may want to give this place a pass for shopping/eating because there's nothing much and it's expensive too. maybe just 1-2hours roaming around will suffice!
noteworthy places:
the only reason why i've been here is because of this eatery called sigol bapsang. it's a really small and cosy area with only about 5 tables. for just 8,000won/person, you can sample up to 30 traditional side dishes (aka banchan)! you can even add on extra dishes like the korean pancake (pajeon), steamed egg and some other stir-fried meat. the banchan is amazing i'm not kidding you. the two times that i went to korea this year, i came to itaewon JUST for this. it's that good, and cheap!
(directions to and more info about sigol bapsang here!)
also, if garosugil is too far for you, the line friends store just opened a branch at itaewon and it's as big as (or even bigger) than the first outlet! time to go crazy taking photos!!!! you'll pass by it on your way to sigol bapsang, so you can simply retrace your steps after a hearty lunch and stop by!
there's also my favourite milk ice cream store, softree in itaewon :-) it's noticeable on the way too, and several reviews have hailed it as the best soft serve in korea! i can't help but agree even though i haven't tried other similar ones (for i'm afraid they may disappoint). everytime i pass by a softree store, rest assured you will see me emerge with a cup of liquid honey soft serve :)
gangnam
in a nutshell, this is really the gangnam style and the things here cost..... lol. BUT THE GANGNAM UNDERGROUND SHOPPING CENTRE IS HEAVEN. THERE'S RLY A LOT OF CLOTHES TO GRAB AND JUST A FEW STOPS DOWN IS THE EXPRESS BUS TERMINAL UNDERGROUND SHOPPING CENTRE TOO WHICH IS LIKE 3X THE SIZE OF THE FORMER. SO YES SHOPPING QUEENS THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO SHOP TILL YOU DROP - IN GANGNAM TOO!
all photos are taken by me! please take them out with credit if need be :)
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