Myeongdong restaurants are concentrated around Jung-gu streets such as Myeongdong 3-gil, Toegye-ro, and nearby Eulji-ro, with Korean restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and late-opening dining rooms listed in Korea Tourism Organization restaurant data.
This guide focuses on practical food stops in and around Myeongdong: where to eat jokbal, spicy jjukkumi, salt buns, coffee, and Korean soup without leaving central Jung-gu.
Myeongdong Restaurants: How to Read This Area
Myeongdong is not a single restaurant street. The food map spreads across shopping lanes, side streets around Toegye-ro, and the office-and-hotel streets of Jung-gu.
For travelers, that means the area works for several meal types in one day: pork dishes for lunch or dinner, spicy seafood stir-fry, bakery stops near Hoehyeon Station, coffee on Toegye-ro, and Korean soup restaurants in nearby central Seoul.
The entries below are grouped by how travelers might actually use the area: a full pork dinner, a spicy seafood meal, a bakery stop, coffee, and a nearby Korean soup option.
Myth Jokbal Myeongdong: Jokbal and Bossam on Myeongdong 3-gil
Myth Jokbal Myeongdong (미쓰족발명동) is located at 21, Myeongdong 3-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. The restaurant specializes in jokbal, or braised pigs' feet, and bossam, napa wraps with pork.
Jokbal is braised in spiced stock, a method used to remove excess fat and give the meat a chewy texture. Orders are served with vegetable wraps and salad, and the restaurant also lists bossam among its treated menu items.
The listed first menu is maneuljokbal, or real garlic jokbal. Other menu items include original jokbal, cheese hot jokbal, and bossam. Operating hours are listed as 11:00-03:00 the next day, and the restaurant is marked as open all year round.
Myeongdong Jjukkumi: Spicy Octopus and Pork Sets
Myeongdong Jjukkumi (명동쭈꾸미) is located at 3-28 Toegye-ro 6-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. It is listed as a jjukkumi restaurant, referring to stir-fried webfoot octopus.
The main menu includes stir-fried jjukkumi and samgyeopsal, with additional items such as pork galbi and bossam. Dishes are cooked in the kitchen and that the restaurant has a hall and outdoor tables.
This is the clearest spicy-food entry in the guide. The official description refers to a spicy kick, so travelers who avoid chili should check directly with the restaurant before ordering.
Operating hours are listed as 11:00-22:00, with weekends listed as rest days. Parking is marked as not available.
Myeong-dong Ttungttungi Jokbal: Braised Pigs' Feet Near Toegye-ro
Myeong-dong Ttungttungi Jokbal (명동뚱뚱이족발) is located at 9, Toegye-ro 20-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul.
The most famous menu as braised pigs' feet.
The treated menu includes braised pigs' feet and napa wraps with pork. The listing also notes that reservations are available and that the restaurant is non-smoking.
Operating hours are listed as 14:00-22:00. The regular closing days are listed as official holidays, Saturday, and Sunday, so weekday visits fit the published schedule better than weekend visits.
Bokidang: Salt Buns Near Hoehyeon Station
Bokidang (복이당) is a handmade salt-bun specialty bakery cafe at 3-28 Toegye-ro 6-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. Places it about 30 seconds on foot from Exit 2 of Hoehyeon Station.
The first listed menu is soggeumppang, or salt bun. Other menu items include Americano, Bok coffee, and Bok matcha. The official restaurant description says the bakery uses fresh ingredients and offers both indoor seating and outdoor seating.
Bokidang is useful in a Myeongdong restaurants guide because the area is not only for full meals. A bakery cafe near Hoehyeon Station can serve as a breakfast, snack, or coffee stop before moving toward the main shopping streets.
Operating hours are listed as 08:30-17:30, with weekends listed as rest days. Parking is marked as not available.
Starbucks Byuldabang: Reserve Coffee on Toegye-ro
Starbucks Byuldabang (스타벅스 별다방) is located at 100 Toegye-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul. It is listed as a Starbucks Reserve store and a cafe rather than a Korean restaurant.
The name combines byul, meaning star, and dabang, a Korean word historically used for a place where people gather over tea or drinks. This store opened for Starbucks Korea's 22nd anniversary and includes digital art wall decorations.
The first listed menu includes latte, Americano, vanilla bean latte, shakerato-bianco, and Reserve cold brew. Operating hours are listed as 07:00-22:00.
Nearby Jung-gu Option: Bugeogukjip for Dried Pollack Soup
Bugeogukjip (북어국집) is located at 38, Eulji-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, behind City Hall in central Seoul. It is not inside the main Myeongdong shopping lanes, but it is a nearby Jung-gu Korean soup option.
The restaurant serves bugeohaejangguk, dried pollack soup. Bugeogukjip, formerly Teojutgol, has served dried pollack soup since 1968 and now focuses on one main dish.
Operating hours are listed as 07:00-20:00 on weekdays and 07:00-15:00 on weekends. The listing marks the restaurant as open all year round and non-smoking.
Planning a Food-Focused Stay in Myeongdong
Myeongdong works well for travelers who want food, shopping, and transport in the same central Seoul area. Restaurant listings in this guide sit within Jung-gu, with several addresses on Myeongdong 3-gil, Toegye-ro, and Toegye-ro 6-gil.
For a food-focused base, TripKorea's Myeongdong hotel page can help compare stays in the same district.
For daytime routes around Seoul, use TripKorea's Seoul activities page together with this restaurant guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is Myeongdong known for in this guide?
This guide focuses on restaurants and cafes around Myeongdong and nearby Jung-gu. The covered foods include jokbal, bossam, jjukkumi, salt buns, coffee, and dried pollack soup.
Are all restaurants in this guide inside Myeongdong?
No. Several entries are in Myeongdong or around Toegye-ro, while Bugeogukjip is a nearby Jung-gu option behind City Hall. The article labels nearby Jung-gu entries clearly rather than presenting them as inside the main Myeongdong lanes.
Which Myeongdong restaurant in this guide is open late?
Myth Jokbal Myeongdong lists operating hours from 11:00 to 03:00 the next day.
Restaurant schedules can change, so travelers should confirm directly before visiting.
Is there a spicy restaurant option in this guide?
Yes. Myeongdong Jjukkumi is having a spicy kick.
Travelers who avoid chili should ask the restaurant directly before ordering.
Does this guide include parking information?
Myeongdong Jjukkumi and Bokidang are marked as not having parking available, while Starbucks Byuldabang lists State Tower parking with one hour free.
Complete Your Korea Trip with TripKorea
Best Places to Stay
Stay close to Myeongdong restaurants, shopping streets, subway access, and central Seoul dining routes.
TripKorea Hotels in Myeongdong
Seoul Food Routes and Activities
Use Seoul activities together with this food guide to plan meals around sightseeing, shopping, and evening routes.
TripKorea Things to Do in Seoul
Easy Travel in Seoul
Check transport options for moving between Myeongdong, City Hall, Eulji-ro, and other Seoul districts.
TripKorea Transport Options in Seoul
Sources & References
Restaurant Info: Korea Tourism Organization (TourAPI), contentTypeId 82 restaurant listings
Photos: Korea Tourism Organization / PhotoKorea / TourAPI restaurant images, uploaded to TripKorea CDN
Official Sites: Visit Korea — Korean Food
Last verified: 2026-06-06
Restaurant hours and menus subject to change. Please confirm directly before visiting.
