Ujeong SikdangA Hidden Home-Style Diner in Namdaemun Market, for Spicy Pork, Spicy Squid, and the Banban

Start with the banban that isn't on the board

There's a banban that isn't up on the menu board in big letters. One plate comes half rolled omelette, half pan-fried sausage. The omelette is thick with vegetables in it; the sausages are the old-fashioned kind, scored to open up like little octopuses when fried.

Add a banban to the spicy pork or squid and the table is complete. It's especially good if you're with a child, or with someone who can't eat spicy food.

What it looks like

On a white plate sit two thick pieces of rolled omelet, with a heap of sausages cut octopus-style beneath them. Next to it, a large white bowl holds stir-fried spicy pork in red seasoning, with pork, onion and cabbage-like vegetables visible. A dish of ketchup sits beside the omelet plate, and above are a clear bean-sprout soup and a stainless bowl of rice. On the right, black beans, kimchi and seasoned spinach come in small plates.

Menu words

• Jeyuk-bokkeum is pork stir-fried in a spicy gochujang seasoning
• Gyeran-mari is a rolled omelet made by folding beaten egg into thin layers
• Baekban is a Korean home-style set meal of rice with soup and several side dishes

A home-style diner inside Namdaemun Market

Nothing grand. It works as a baekban — rice, soup and side dishes come together, and you pick one main. It has the narrow, busy feel of an old market diner.

Fine for a quick solo meal, and fine for sitting down partway through browsing the market.

Spicy pork and spicy squid

The mains are jeyuk-bokkeum (spicy pork) and ojingeo-bokkeum (spicy squid). Both are done well, so every visit you dither over which to order. This time I went with the spicy pork.

Pork stir-fried in a gochujang sauce with plenty of onion — a familiar, no-miss taste. Spoon it over rice and the bowl empties fast. Not very hot, but there's some heat.

For foreign visitors

• This place serves Korean baekban — one main with rice, soup and several side dishes. It's close to plain Korean home cooking, or a working-person's diner.
• Jeyuk-bokkeum is pork stir-fried in a gochujang sauce, mildly spicy. Ojingeo-bokkeum (squid) is similar in heat.
• If spice is a problem, order the banban (rolled omelette + sausage). Neither is spicy — a safe choice when unfamiliar Korean food isn't landing.
• Even if Korean food generally hasn't agreed with you, these particular dishes are worth a try.
• It's inside Namdaemun Market, walkable from Myeongdong or Seoul Station. It's back in an alley, so navigate with a map.

Who this suits, and before you go

• ✅ You want a proper baekban meal during a Namdaemun Market or Myeongdong day
• ✅ You like familiar Korean dishes like spicy pork and squid
• ✅ You're with a child or a non-spicy eater and need a mild option (the banban)
• ⚠️ You're expecting a big, clean restaurant — this is an old market diner
• ⚠️ You want a slow, course-paced meal — this is more eat-and-go

Getting there — Jung-gu, Seoul, inside Namdaemun Market. It's back in an alley, so check the name on the map before you go. If it's a weekday lunch, it's worth weighing this against Maknae Hoejip, a sashimi set place in the same market.

Ordering — one of spicy pork or spicy squid, plus a banban if you want it. Rice comes per person.

Closing day · hours · prices — weekdays 10:00–21:00 (break 15:00–16:30), closed Sundays; jeyuk-bokkeum and banban run 10,000 KRW, ojingeo-bokkeum around 12,000 (as of Sep 2026). Still worth checking before you go.