Seoul: Mangwon Market Tour & Korean Cooking Class Hands-On

Summary

Cook Korean favorites after exploring Mangwon Market’s lively flavors

You’ll wander Seoul’s Mangwon Market with a local guide, tasting street snacks before heading to a cozy studio for your own hands-on Korean cooking class. With your private station, you’ll make three classic dishes like bibimbap or kimchi stew—then sit down to share lunch (and rice wine) together. It’s lively, messy fun that leaves you with new recipes—and maybe even new friends.

What’s the experience like?

I met Jomin right outside Mangwon Station — she waved, bright apron already on. The market was just waking up, all those metal shutters clattering open and vendors setting out trays of red chilies and green onions. I tried a bite of something chewy (fish cake? I think?) that Jomin handed me, still steaming from the stall. She laughed when I flinched at the chili paste — apparently “not spicy” means something different here. We ducked between stalls, and she pointed out the soft tofu for sundubu jjigae and these tiny clams I’d never have noticed on my own.

The cooking studio was just a few minutes’ walk, tucked above a bakery with sweet bread smells sneaking up the stairs. Everyone got their own table — no fighting over space or burners, which I secretly appreciated. We started with bulgogi, slicing beef thin as paper and mixing soy sauce with what looked like half the market’s worth of garlic. My hands still smelled like sesame oil after. Jomin kept things relaxed; she told stories about her grandmother making bibimbap for Lunar New Year while we stirred rice and vegetables together. I tried to say “jeyuk bokkeum” in Korean — totally butchered it — but nobody minded.

Lunch was just us around one big table, eating what we’d made ourselves. The kimchi stew was way better than any restaurant version I’ve had back home (maybe because I actually chopped the cabbage this time?). There was homemade rice wine too — milky white and slightly fizzy. Someone spilled a little and we all laughed; it felt like being at someone’s house more than a class. The light through the window made everything look warmer than it probably was outside.

I took home leftovers in a paper bag and a tiny cookbook that’ll probably get splattered in my kitchen soon enough. Walking back through Mangwon Market after, arms full and head buzzing with chili heat, I realized how much more Seoul feels like itself when you’re elbow-deep in dinner prep with locals instead of just watching from the sidelines.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Meet and explore local market

• Meet at Mangwon Metro Station entrance 2
• Explore Mangwon Market and taste street food

Day 2 — Cook and enjoy Korean dishes

• Arrive at cooking studio
• Discuss menu and dishes
• Cook three Korean dishes hands-on
• Enjoy cooked dishes and take leftovers

Top questions

What dishes do you cook in this Seoul cooking class?

You’ll cook three Korean dishes per session: either seafood soft tofu stew, bibimbap, bulgogi or kimchi stew, japchae, stir-fried pork depending on day/time.

Does the tour include visiting Mangwon Market?

Yes, you start by meeting at Mangwon Station and touring Mangwon Market with your guide before heading to the cooking studio.

Are vegetarian or vegan options available?

Yes, vegetarian and vegan options are available if requested in advance.

Is this class hands-on or just a demonstration?

This is fully hands-on—you get your own cooking table and equipment to prepare each dish yourself.

What is included in the price?

The experience includes all ingredients, use of equipment, three-course meal with water, rice wine, dessert, plus a cookbook to take home.

How long does the whole activity take?

The class starts at set times (morning or evening) and lasts several hours including market tour and meal—plan for half a day.

Where is the meeting point for this cooking class?

You meet your guide at Entrance 2 of Mangwon subway station (Line 6) in Seoul.

Is there hotel pickup included?

No hotel pickup is included; you meet directly at Mangwon Station entrance 2.

What’s included

Your day includes meeting your local guide at Mangwon Station for a lively market tour with street food tastings before heading to a nearby studio where you’ll have your own cooking table and fresh ingredients to prepare three classic Korean dishes—plus water, homemade rice wine, dessert, and a professionally designed cookbook to take home at the end.