What $10 buys at a Seoul street market

Start with a shared portion of tteokbokki: chewy rice cakes in a glossy, spicy-sweet sauce. Order small, because the point is to keep moving. Add an eomuk fish-cake skewer and sip the light broth between bites.

Build the perfect tasting order

• First: something hot and savory, such as tteokbokki or mandu.
• Second: something crisp, such as twigim (Korean-style fried snacks).
• Finish: hotteok, a warm pancake filled with brown sugar and seeds.

Bring curiosity, small bills and one person willing to share everything.

Market manners

Stand where the vendor indicates, return bowls and skewers to the marked place, and avoid blocking the working edge of the stall. If a queue is moving quickly, decide before reaching the counter.

Prices vary by market and season, so read the posted menu before ordering. The real win is variety—not a rigid dollar total.