Private Downtown Seoul Food & Market Tour with 8+ Tastings
Description
On our Secret Food Tour: Seoul, we'll show you some of the most loved foods and beautiful landscapes our city has to offer. We' ll take you through hidden alleyways and quaint backstreets home to secret foodie gems, and share little tips and tricks along the way that you'll be able to use on the rest of your trip. Enjoy freshly made dishes, tasty tteokkbokki(the local kind of gnocchi!), smoky rice cakes and mini rice rolls, interesting snacks, dumplings and much more. And don't forget our delicious Secret Dish! As a private tour, everything works around you! Our start times are much more easy going, dates can open up. It's a much more intimate and cozy experience. No need to shout over other tourists, you will have every question answered, and leave feeling like a native yourself!
Tour Options
Itinerary
The N Seoul Tower, officially the YTN Seoul Tower and commonly known as the Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea.
The main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty. Built in 1395, it is located in northern Seoul, South Korea.
A large traditional market in Seoul, South Korea. The market is located next to Namdaemun, the "Great South Gate," which was the main southern gate to the old city. It is the oldest and largest market in Korea.
A Korean traditional village in Seoul with a long history located on the top of a hill between Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Royal Shrine.
The main and largest gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Set within a large park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We strongly advise wearing comfortable walking shoes to all of our guests. Our tour runs a little over 3 hours.
- Please note: The itinerary and menu are subject to changes, based on the location's availability, weather and other circumstances.
- Please ensure to contact us in advance of the tour for any dietary requirement, to ensure we can cater for them the best we can.
- Due to the nature of creating a well balanced and thoughtful gastronomy experience, many of our tours are unable to accommodate certain dietary restrictions. Please contact us prior to booking your tour to see if we are able to accommodate your dietary needs.
Reviews(28)
Youla was amazing! She took our group through Gwangjang Market and we got to try so many amazing local foods. Youla struck a perfect balance of providing enough information, cultural practices, and history without spending too much time on it. She was also receptive to our requests and made navigating dietary restrictions easy. She also ended by giving us recommendations of where to go or eat and cosmetic recommendations of what to buy at Olive Young. We had so much fun with Youla, a highlight of the trip.
Thank you for your 5-star feedback! Knowing the experience felt memorable from beginning to end means a lot to our team. We’d be happy to host you again on Secret Food Tours.
Youle was just great-we were late(thank Naver for that) not knowing that we were her entire group and she was still very cheery and accommodating. We had stops not just for cooked foods, but markets and the culture of the neighborhood. She also texted us great links for the rest if our trip! She’s informative and enjoys this work. Highly recommended❤️
Thank you for taking the time to share this. It’s always wonderful to know when the mix of tastings and insights helps guests see the city in a new way. Secret Food Tours looks forward to your next visit!
What a fun way exploring Korean street food with a local guide. My girlfriend and I wanted to checkout the street food scene but didn't know where to start. Our guide Alex really took the time in sharing the background of each meal and bringing us a variety of Korean cuisine. We were plenty full by the end. Afternoon tea helped alot. We have been fortunate with all the guides we have booked. Thank you Alex for making it a memorable trip!
We’re glad the tastings and stories came together to create such a positive memory for you. Thank you for sharing your feedback. Secret Food Tours in more than 100 cities has plenty more waiting!
The walking route was great but the market food very average. Alex was a great guide, fun and happy to answer all our questions plus giving us plenty of information on Korean cuisine. It was nice to pass through different areas but the food at the market was a bit disappointing . Honestly most stalls are selling the same so there is no need for a food tour. Just take yourself to the market and pick whatever you fancy. Afterwards we did visit a great bakery and lovely tea house which were for me the highlights . Thank you Alex for doing your best to keep us entertained
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts about your experience on our Seoul Private Walking Food Tour. We're truly glad to hear you enjoyed exploring the city with Alex. He’s passionate about Korean food and culture, and we're pleased his energy, knowledge, and openness to questions stood out during your tour. Walking through the varied neighborhoods and uncovering local gems is a big part of what makes this experience special, so it's great to know you appreciated that aspect. Regarding the market portion — while it's true that many stalls might appear to sell similar fare, our goal is to offer context and insight that goes beyond just sampling. Many of our guests have told us that having a local guide really helped them understand what they were eating, learn about ingredients and preparation styles, and confidently try things they might otherwise have overlooked. We understand, though, that expectations can vary, and your feedback is valuable in helping us refine our approach. Thank you again for joining us and for acknowledging Alex’s efforts. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your time in Seoul and that you’ll think of us again for another food adventure in one of our many other cities around the world!
A perfect start to our SEOUL holiday! Alex our guy was knowledgeable and took us to interesting and unique places to eat. He was a great guide and his love for Korea was infectious. We met some fantastic people on the tour with us.
Thank you for your amazing support! We’re always discovering new flavors and stories, so we’d love for you to join us again and experience something new!
My young adult son and I loved this experience. Chris K. was incredible so ask for him by name. Private is fantastic, as we still hit the main food highlights, but also are discussing the markets themselves, taking different approaches for different ways of eating, etc. I know he also leads groups as well. I really appreciated the vendors / stands themselves, and the follow-on discussions we enjoyed. I'm really grateful. Chris himself is exceptional as fully bi-culturally and language wise represents the best of both Korea and the United States given his upbringing. His knowledge of the "what", "why" and "how" is impressive -- especially for my foodie son (who yes, takes pictures of all of his food :) ) and myself (insatiably curious) ... Definitely go with Secret Food Tours and definitely work with Chris K. If you're a foodie, consider a private walking tour. Then, enjoy!
This tour exceeded our hopes in both sharing Korean food & culture but also helping us get accustomed to norms here in Seoul.
Thank you for choosing Secret Food Tours for your Seoul adventure, Justin. We'll always be here to guide you on another culinary journey!
Chris was an excellent guide. Enjoyed the food stops and really enjoyed the route. Went back the next day to a couple of the areas we visited to spend more time and visit some of the places we walked by that also looked good.
Thank you for sharing your positive feedback, Benjamin, and we look forward to welcoming you again to one of our tours in over 60 cities worldwide!
First time in Seoul Korea, this was a great way to explore the amazing food culture in Korea as a solo traveller and be able to share with others. Alex is a fantastic host, very knowledge and thoughtful. Highly recommend!
We're glad you had an awesome time on our food tour! Your recommendation is appreciated and we hope you'll join us again in one of our 60+ cities worldwide for more culinary adventures. Take care!
Great tour with Sunah around the best food market in town and finished in a dream desert café. Thank you for unswering thousands of crazy tourist questions 😀
Thank you so much for your positive rating of our Seoul food tour! We’re glad to have contributed to your adventures in South Korea. We can't wait to welcome you back for another flavorful adventure soon!
