In the event you’re a meals lover visiting Seoul, you’ve most likely heard of Noryangjin Fish Market for contemporary seafood. However what for those who’re a meat lover?
Enter Majang Meat Market —Korea’s largest and most well-known butcher market, supplying over 60% of the nation’s beef. In the event you love Hanwoo beef (한우, pronounced Han-oo) and need to expertise genuine Korean BBQ in a novel, native setting, that is the place to go!
Why Go to Majang Meat Market?
Majang Meat Market isn’t only a place to purchase meat—it’s a foodie vacation spot the place you may expertise Korea’s butchery traditions, meat tradition, and eating customs firsthand.
✅ High Causes to Go to:
- 🥩 Premium Hanwoo Beef: The best-quality Korean home beef at 20-30% cheaper than restaurant costs.
- 🔥 Distinctive Korean BBQ Expertise: Purchase meat straight from the butcher and grill it at a restaurant on-site.
- 📸 Genuine Market Ambiance: Discover a bustling native market the place butchers skillfully put together contemporary cuts of beef.
- 💰 Finest Bang for Your Buck: Get pleasure from top-tier Hanwoo at a fraction of the worth of luxurious eating places like Born & Bred.
What Makes Hanwoo (한우) Beef Particular?
Hanwoo is Korea’s prized native breed of cattle, typically in comparison with Wagyu and USDA Prime beef. However what makes Hanwoo so particular?
🐂 Why Hanwoo is Distinctive:
- Unbelievable Marbling: Hanwoo beef is richly marbled, creating a young, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Candy, Nutty Taste: In contrast to Wagyu, which is ultra-fatty, Hanwoo has a stability of meat and fats, giving it a extra strong, beefy taste.
- Farm-to-Desk Transparency: Each lower of Hanwoo beef should be labeled with its origin, farm, and grade, making certain top-tier high quality.
- Uncommon & Costly: Hanwoo cattle are raised in small numbers in comparison with American or Australian beef, making them a premium delicacy.
- Most well-liked for Korean BBQ: The stability of marbling and tenderness makes Hanwoo good for grilling over charcoal.
🥩 Should-Attempt Hanwoo Cuts
- 🐄 Ggotdeungshim (꽃등심) – Ribeye → Tremendous tender with glorious marbling.
- 🐄 Anchangsal (안창살) – Skinny Skirt → Deep, beefy umami taste, barely chewy.
- 🐄 Salchisal (살치살) – Flap Tail → Juicy and flavorful, nice for grilling.
- 🐄 Chaekkeut (채끝살) – Strip Loin → Steak-like lower with wealthy layers of fats.
When consuming Hanwoo at Majang Meat Market, you get the very best quality at a fraction of the worth of high-end eating places.
What to Anticipate at Majang Meat Market
Majang Meat Market is split into three foremost areas:
1️⃣ Wholesale Meat Part (도매시장)
- Open early within the morning, that is the place restaurant homeowners and butchers purchase in bulk.
- Anticipate to see big slabs of beef, pork, and lamb being lower and ready.
2️⃣ Retail Butcher Retailers (소매 정육점)
- The place people should purchase contemporary meat for private use.
- Many butchers supply free tastings and customized cuts for grilling.
3️⃣ BBQ Eating places
- Deliver your freshly purchased meat to a BBQ restaurant, the place they’ll grill it over charcoal. Lots of them are on the second ground.
- Most eating places cost a small grilling charge (~₩5,000 per particular person), together with limitless aspect dishes.
Notice that you could be hear rather a lot about Majang BBQ Beef Alley. It has not too long ago been razed with the resident eating places scattering across the space. So unhappy. Regardless that that they had been illegally squatting on that land for over forty years and have been a hearth hazard (round 30-percent of the eating places burned down in 2023), it was a cultural landmark.
The way to Expertise Korean BBQ at Majang Meat Market
In contrast to typical BBQ eating places, right here’s how you can do it the native approach:
✅ Step 1: Select Your Butcher
- Stroll by means of the market and search for butchers specializing in Hanwoo.
- Tip: If not sure, ask for a “meat platter” (Gogi Modeum 고기 모둠) to strive totally different cuts.
✅ Step 2: Purchase Your Meat
- Anticipate to pay ₩30,000–₩60,000 per particular person for premium Hanwoo cuts.
- Some butchers supply complimentary “service” cuts—typically lean beef for consuming uncooked (Yukhwe 육회) with sesame oil & salt.
✅ Step 3: Take It to a BBQ Restaurant
- Discover a restaurant available in the market and hand them your meat. Many occasions the butchers are related to eating places and can direct you there.
- They’ll grill it for you over charcoal and supply banchan (반찬, aspect dishes).
✅ Step 4: Get pleasure from Your Meal!
- Attempt dipping the meat in ssamjang (쌈장, spicy soybean paste), salt, or wasabi.
- Wrap it in perilla leaves (Kkaenip 깻잎) or lettuce for the final word Korean BBQ expertise.
Majang Meat Market: Customer Suggestions
- 📅 Finest Time to Go to: Mornings (for contemporary cuts) or early evenings (for BBQ).
- 🚇 The way to Get There:
- Take Subway Line 2 to Yongdu Station (용두역), Exit 4.
- Stroll 5 minutes to the market entrance.
- 🚗 Parking: ₩3,000 per hour, however free parking vouchers can be found with purchases.
Be a part of Our Majang Meat Lovers Expertise!
Need a guided tour to Majang Meat Market with unique tastings and insider entry?
Be a part of our Majang Meat Lovers Expertise, the place we take you to:
✅ The perfect butcher retailers for premium Hanwoo
✅ Hidden BBQ spots with charcoal grilling
✅ Secret tastings of uncommon beef cuts
🍖 Ebook Your Spot Now!
Remaining Ideas: Why Majang Meat Market is a Should-Go to
Majang Meat Market isn’t only a place to purchase meat—it’s an genuine cultural expertise for meals lovers. If you wish to:
✅ Eat the most effective Hanwoo beef at the most effective costs
✅ Expertise Korean BBQ in probably the most genuine approach
✅ Discover Seoul past the vacationer hotspots
Then skip the overpriced BBQ joints and head to Majang Meat Market for a legendary meat feast! 🔥🍖
Bonus Video
I joined Bart in his video on Majang-dong. You possibly can see extra of the market and the outdated Beef BBQ Alley right here.
Bonus Podcast Episode
Oh! And we additionally did a Darkish Facet of Seoul Podcast episode about Majang Meat Market. Test it out right here >>