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What to eat in Jeju

Written by hand, not generated. Dishes, markets, timing and prices for Jeju.

Eating in Jeju: a local guide

Jeju is a volcanic island with almost no rice paddies, so pork, seafood and field crops carry the cooking. Ingredients and methods differ from the mainland, so dishes with the same name taste different here — and much of the seafood comes straight from the haenyeo divers.

What people eat here

  • Grilled black pork Jeju City and Seogwipo

    Cut thick, grilled, then dipped in fermented anchovy sauce. The sauce is salty, so dip lightly.

  • Gogi guksu (pork noodle soup)

    Wheat noodles in pork broth topped with boiled pork. A breakfast and hangover dish.

  • Braised or grilled hairtail

    Large hairtail cooked whole, usually braised together with radish.

  • Momguk

    A soup of gulfweed simmered in pork broth, descended from banquet cooking.

  • Jari mulhoe Seogwipo and Moseulpo

    Damselfish sliced bone and all into a chilled soybean paste broth. A summer dish.

  • Sea urchin and seaweed soup

    Urchin harvested by the divers, simmered with brown seaweed. In season from spring into early summer.

Where the food is

Dongmun Market, Jeju City

The largest traditional market on the island — raw fish, snacks and local produce together.

Maeil Olle Market, Seogwipo

The main southern market, heavy on citrus and street food.

Black pork street, Jeju City

A street of black pork grill restaurants.

Aewol and Hamdeok coastal roads

A stretch of sea-facing cafes and brunch places.

Moseulpo Port

The south-western harbour working in winter yellowtail and damselfish.

When to go

  • Damselfish is in season from May to July, sea urchin from April to June.
  • Yellowtail is best around Moseulpo in winter, November to February.
  • Flights and accommodation rise sharply in the summer and winter peaks.

Worth knowing

  • Locals dip black pork in fermented anchovy sauce rather than salt. It is strong, so use a little.
  • The coastal roads assume a rental car, but parking is difficult in peak season.
  • Tourist districts and residential neighbourhoods differ a lot in price; markets and back streets are cheaper.
  • Seafood depends on whether the divers went out and on the weather. If you have a specific dish in mind, call ahead.

What it costsBlack pork runs KRW 20,000-25,000 per person, pork noodle soup KRW 9,000-10,000, and braised hairtail around KRW 50,000 for two.

KR

What to Eat in Jeju — Local Food Guide | TastyLog