I found out about Tongin Market when i was watching vlog's while planning for my "cousins only trip" to Seoul. When i first watched the video, I immediately sent it to the cousin's chat group. It looked so interesting and fun.
Before i get in to why it was on our must visit list, here's a little history on it.
It was set up in 1941 as a public market for the Japanese residence in the area when Korea was still under Japanese rule. Then after the Korean war the increase in population resulted in street vendors using the market as their marketplace. Today the market consists of 75 stores. A mixture of restaurants and grocery stores. And they close on the third Sunday of each month (Dosirak Cafe is closed Mondays).
You can get to Tongin Market by getting off at Gyeongbokgung Station (Seoul Subway Line 3). Make sure to get out at Exit 2. Then go straight for about 700 meters. The market will be on your left.
If you are coming from Gyeongbokgung (palace), at the main entrance turn right and go straight. You should see exit 3 at the 2nd major road. Cross that and you should see exit 2, from there just go straight up and you'll see the market on your left.
If you want to take the bus you will need to get off at Jongno-gu Health Center & Tongin Market Bus Stop. It should be a Green Bus: 1020, 1711, 7016, 7018, 7022, 7212 .
Ok...now onto why it was on our to do list. The highlight of the place is it's bento tray and the old coins. Near the entrance of the market you will find an old man sitting in a corner with a stack of bento trays and a bunch of old coins. You get a strand of 10 coins and a tray for 5,000w. Then you go round the market looking for food you would like to try and pay for it with the coins. Each coin is 500w, so it might not be enough, considering most food per serving costs 500w to 2,000w.
Now first impressions. The market is not as big as i thought and it was pretty deserted. Totally wasn't like the vlog i watched, which was pretty dissapointing. The good thing without the crowd i guess is that we could take our time choosing what we wanted and we didn't have to fight for space. It was nice that we could get a bit of everything to try, when usually you would have to get full dishes. ( I went there a second time a year later, there were a little more people but still no where near the crowd in the video)
A little tip is to walk the whole street first to get an idea of what is available before choosing, as most of the stalls sell different dishes. Also only change 5,000w worth of coins per person, as you can't change them back for cash if you can't finish them and only certain stalls take the coins. Look out for the sign that says 도시락 cafe. However don't worry you can still use cash to buy food if you run out of coins. It's just more fun with coins.
Once you are done filling your tray, you can go upstairs to an eating area. It's 2 floors of air conditioned space that provides you a place to eat, utensils and water. It's clean and comfortable, especially enjoyed the air-cond after the heat outside (we went in the summer). Remember to bring your rubbish and cutleries to the clean up area. There are people stationed there to ensure things are put away in the right areas. There are also restrooms available.
Overall i was pretty dissapointed in the market. It looked much more fun in the vlog. I'm not sure if it was the season or time we visited that made the difference, but i know of other markets that have more food ,things to look at and great atmosphere.
The market is near Gyeongbukgung so if you are around the area i guess getting lunch here is an option.
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