Regional food guide

What to eat in Incheon

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

5 dishes 7 food areas See Incheon restaurant picks Open the food map

Incheon holds a treaty port, a working harbour and a set of islands in one city. Korean black bean noodles started in its Chinatown, and Soraepogu and Yeonan Pier bring in crab, shrimp and salted seafood as each season turns. Downtown food and harbour food are two different things here.

What people eat here

Start with the local defaults

Chinatown

Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)

Began as a cheap noodle sold to dock workers by Shandong Chinese settlers after the port opened. There is a small museum about it in Chinatown.

Sinpo Market

Dakgangjeong (sweet crispy chicken)

Large pieces of fried chicken tossed in a sweet chilli glaze, sold by the tub and meant for sharing.

Soraepogu and Yeonan Pier

Steamed or stewed blue crab

Roe-heavy females in spring, meatier males in autumn.

Sorae and Ganghwa

Baendaengi muchim (shad salad)

An oily little fish tossed with vegetables and chilli vinegar dressing. The season is short.

Jjolmyeon (chewy cold noodles)

Thick springy noodles in a spicy sauce, said to have come out of a noodle factory in this city.

Where the food is

Markets, streets and harbours

View all (6)

Sinpo International Market

A downtown market for fried chicken, dumplings and street snacks.

Restaurants nearby

Soraepogu Fish Market

A harbour market for salted shrimp, blue crab and prawns; buy at a stall and have it steamed on the spot.

Restaurants nearby

Yeonan Pier Fish Market

A large market focused on live fish and raw fish platters.

Restaurants nearby

Bupyeong Market (Kkang Market)

A big traditional market north of Bupyeong Station with rice cake shops, trotter and sausage lanes and snack stalls. It is where locals shop and grab dinner.

Restaurants nearby

Hwapyeong-dong Naengmyeon Street

Near Dongincheon Station, Hwapyeong-dong is known for washbasin-sized bowls of cold noodles. A summer street famous for portion size.

Restaurants nearby

Open Port Street (Jung-gu)

Cafes and bakeries set among preserved early-modern buildings.

Restaurants nearby

When to go

Blue crab is best as females from April to June and as males from September to November.
Salted shrimp is at its best during the autumn harvest.
Shad has a short season, roughly May and June.

Worth knowing

1At the harbour markets a preparation or table charge is usually added on top of the seafood price. Ask for the total first.
2Chinatown queues are long on weekend afternoons; weekdays or early hours are easier.
3With the airport and port nearby, more restaurants than usual stay open around the clock.
4The metro reaches downtown, Sorae and Chinatown, so a car is not necessary.

What it costs · Per person, roughly

Black bean noodles run KRW 7,000-9,000, a tub of sweet crispy chicken about KRW 20,000, and crab stew around KRW 50,000 for two.