Myeongdong Guide: Attractions, Food and Cafés You Can't Miss

A street in Myeongdong at night, with shoppers and street food carts.

October 18, 2024

Myeongdong Guide: Attractions, Food and Cafés You Can’t Miss

Myeongdong is one of the main tourist areas in Seoul, and is a must visit for first time travellers. Because Myeongdong relies heavily on tourists, during the pandemic a lot of the stores shut down leaving it almost like an eerie ghost town. It was very sad to walk down the quiet streets remembering how bustling it used to be. However, in the last few years Myeongdong has been coming back to life and I could not be happier!

Here are some ideas of what to do during your time in Myeongdong!

How To Get There

Take subway line 4 (the light blue line) to Myeongdong Station. For Myeongdong Walking Street, the Cathedral and shopping, take exits number 5, 6, 7 or 8. For the Namsan Tower Cable Car, take exits 2 or 3.

Main attractions

Street Food

The main streets of Myeongdong are famous for street food; if you want to try Korean snack foods like tteokbokki, egg bread, red bean paste fish bread and more, you have to try it here! Just walk straight up Myeongdong Walking Street (the main street of Myeongdong) and you will see a variety of delicious foods on offer. Some food carts now take cards but I recommend having cash on hand if you want to try many different foods. Myeongdong street food is a cheap and fun way to fill your belly; my favourite street snack is the fried chicken and rice cakes, stir fried in sweet and spicy yangnyeom sauce – just thinking about it is making me hungry!

Shopping

Myeongdong is a well-known shopping district of Seoul, and it is here that you will find everything k-pop, k-beauty, k-fashion and k-culture. The streets of Myeongdong are lined with Korean brand name beauty and fashion stores, such as Innisfree, Etude House, Style Nanda, SPAO and 8 Seconds to name but a few. You can also find stores specialising in Korean snacks and packaged foods to take home with you after your trip.

Myeongdong tends to hire employees that speak English, Mandarin and Japanese to cater to tourists, and many of the stores have huge sales such as 20+20 on masks that you can only find in this area – so if you want to bulk-buy Korean products, Myeongdong is the place to be. Some stores also have discounts when you pay by cash, and there are plenty of pop up stores along the street selling super cheap t-shirts and socks that are great for souvenirs. For k-pop fans, take a trip down to the underground shopping mall in the subway to find shops dedicated to k-pop albums and merchandise.

Myeongdong Cathedral

Myeongdong Cathedral is the biggest and most famous cathedral in Korea. You’ll often find churches here in Korea are simply plain looking buildings or floors of a high rise highlighted by a neon cross; a very interesting sight! But Myeongdong cathedral is a traditional style cathedral built in a European style and the architecture is beautiful. I love walking through this area of Myeongdong around Christmas and hearing the carollers sing. It’s definitely worth having a look at while you take a break from shopping.

Namsan Tower Cable Car

Myeongdong is the easiest area to access Namsan Tower from in my opinion, as the cable car is a short (but slightly steep) walk away. Take exit 2 or 3 and walk up the mountain following the signs until you find the cable car. It costs 14,000W per person for a round trip, and if you’re anything like me and hate walking up hills, the cable car is highly recommended (although the walkways up to Namsan Tower are all beautiful and worth the walk if you have time and energy for that!)

Winter Holiday Decorations

If you are travelling to Korea around the holidays, Myeongdong is a spot I highly recommend paying a visit to. It can be difficult to find festive areas in Seoul but walking down Myeongdong with the decorative lights strung across the streets reminds me of home and makes me feel just a little in the holiday spirit (which can be difficult when you’re away from home!) As mentioned earlier, the carollers from the cathedral sing around this time, and if you celebrate a Christian Christmas, the cathedral usually has a nativity display. There also tends to be a large decorated Christmas tree too.

Myeongdong is also within walking distance of the Shinsegae Holiday display, which consists of LED screens displaying holiday graphics and festive decorations along the walls of the mall, a must-see in Seoul during the holiday season.

Cafés

Myeongdong is a highly commercial area and therefore is not well known for its independent cafes (although there are chain coffee shops everywhere, as this is Korea after all); but here are a few I’d highly recommend for a coffee break in between shopping.

Café Swith

From the outside I didn’t realise this place was a café at first; with the large character figurines and bright colours, I thought it was maybe a toy store, or a new stationary store with their own cute characters. And I was a little right as you can buy merchandise within the store, but it is primarily a café. What I love about this café is that it’s enjoyable for everyone; children and those young at heart will enjoy the character figures and designs found all over the café, while people simply looking for a café with decent drinks and nice cakes will be very happy here.

Due to the employment of many deaf or hard of hearing staff, you should order at the digital kiosk, which also makes this a great place to go if you prefer to avoid speaking and ordering in Korean (the menu has an English option so ordering at the kiosk is no problem for non-Korean speakers). I was also touched to see videos displayed teaching sign language, so you could greet and thank your server. The café advocates for people who are deaf and hard of hearing so I feel very happy to support such a wonderful business. If you’re only going to visit one café in Myeongdong, this would be my top pick.

Urban Plant

Urban Plant already has a branch in Hapjeong and Apgujeong but I recently discovered they have branched out into Myeongdong too. This photogenic café is known for their filled pretzels, as well as delicious brunch options. The atmosphere is very chill and although I went on a weekend, it was not too busy, perhaps because it is tucked away on the first floor of a multi-business building. But what makes this café unique is its photo rooms, designed for you to take Instagram worthy pictures that look like they came straight out of a K-pop music video. Sit in a field of flowers or an aesthetic desert and don’t be scared to bring props (I definitely saw Korean high school girls doing just this to get the best insta-ready photos.) Oh, and the cream cheese pretzel was simple but so delicious, and I’d definitely go back for more.

Café The Fabulous

Café The Fabulous is a popular café opposite the Chinese embassy, and is known for its beautiful views and tiramisu made in house. It’s a simple café with high ceilings and it’s cosily decorated, making it an enjoyable space to sit, but it’s best known for the delicious desserts it serves including their tasty tiramisu (the cheesecake is nothing to sniff at either!) It’s difficult to find simple, aesthetically pleasing independent cafes in the Myeongdong area but Café The Fabulous is just that.

Innisfree Café

If you are a fan of the Innisfree skincare and make-up brand, or just enjoy fresh and natural ingredients and an airy atmosphere, I highly recommend paying a visit to the Innisfree café, located above the Innisfree store in the main Myeongdong street. Innisfree sources it’s green tea, tangerines and hallabong from Jeju Island, so everything tastes fresh and delicious; I highly recommend trying one of their products with these flavours. The last time I visited I got a tangerine-ade and thoroughly enjoyed the flavour – not too sweet but not too tart either. This is a nice and simple café that’s easily accessible from the main street of Myeongdong (although it is pretty popular so may be busy during peak times).

Cafe Goyangi Noriteo (Cat Cafe)

If you have walked down Myeongdong Main Street before you will likely have seen the people dressed in cat costumes handing out fliers for the nearby cat café. And that café is Goyangi Noriteo! I love this café because it is clean, most of the cats are very friendly and like to be fussed, and they seem to be very well cared for (which sadly is not always the case in all animal cafes in Korea). There is also great wifi here so it is a good place to take a break during your shopping trip to check your phone and upload some instas. There are plenty of other great cat cafes in Myeongdong (Skycat Cafe and Cat’s Playground come to mind) but this one is the easiest to locate and was my favourite one of the bunch because of how friendly the cats were. It costs 9,000W to enter but you get a free drink and you can also buy treats to feed to the cats there which is fun.

Restaurants

Myeongdong is not necessarily known for great independent restaurants and high quality food, and a lot of food in this area tends to be a little overpriced since it is a tourist spot. However, there are a few restaurants I’ve been to in this area that are decently priced and the food is pretty great so these are my few recommendations (hopefully I can add to this list as I find more hidden gems). Just, whatever you do, (unless you have thoroughly researched beforehand) do not eat Korean BBQ in central Myeongdong! If you don’t know where you’re going it will likely be overpriced and not the best quality meat for the money, and Korean BBQ deserves to be an amazing first time experience.

Myeongdong Kyoja

This one had to be at the top of the list as the most famous restaurant in Myeongdong, and an absolute must visit. Myeongdong Kyoja is a family-run mandu (dumpling) and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) restaurant which has been running since 1966 and is a michelin-awarded restaurant. The interior is simple and the portions hearty, and it may look like any average kalguksu restaurant, but this will be some of the greatest kalguksu of your life. I would say it is worth making the trip to Myeongdong for this restaurant alone. The restaurant offers four menu items (kalguksu, mandu, bibimguksu (spicy noodles) and kongguksu (a cold noodle soup made with black beans). They also make their 3 year aged kimchi in house, prepared with garlic and sea salt to give it a unique and delicious flavour. Since this restaurant is very famous in Seoul, you may need to make a reservation on their website if you want to eat here (although as a solo traveller I’ve managed to walk in every time so far!)

Myeongdong Pizza

Next on the list is Myeongdong Pizza, an affordable pizza and pasta restaurant. I ordered the mushroom and truffle cream pasta which was incredible, but the pizzas were also great quality and my friends and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Although you may rather experience Korean food while in Korea, this can be a great option if you are craving western food or have vegetarians in your party. If you want something a little more Korean style, try the bulgogi pizza, but be warned that it is slightly spicy!

BISTRO 74

BISTRO 74 is another pizza and pasta restaurant, although it does also serve salads and eggs benedict if you are looking for somewhere to eat brunch. There’s not much to say apart from the fact that it is clean, comfortable and the food is delicious. On a Christmas weekend my friends and I ordered a brunch of pasta and wine, and although a little on the pricey side at 20,000W a dish and 11,000W for a glass of wine, this is a good price for quality western food in such a touristy area. So, if you fancy a proper sit down meal while in Myeongdong (without a reservation) instead of street food, this place is a good option. It’s located by the cathedral so it is in a convenient location along Myeongdong Walking Street (it’s tucked away inside one of the buildings surrounding the cathedral but as long as you know this it is easy enough to spot when you go inside).

I hope you found this guide to Myeongdong helpful. As always, this is a page which will be updated in the future if I find more cafés and restaurants and other attractions to recommend but this is it for now! Do you have any suggestions that may help others to plan their trip? Feel free to leave some recommendations down below, they will be very appreciated!