10 Places Where Locals Love to Eat in Jeju Island

Guksu Geori (Noodle Street) is a collection of restaurants that specialise in gogi guksu (pork noodle soup). This folk food contains noodles, boiled black pork slices and broth.

You can choose from a wide range of noodles in the various eateries, including anchovy, bibimbap (mixed), tofu and sunflower. To experience the local flavour of Jeju, you can add agangbal (piglets' feet) or Napa wraps with dombegogi (black pork) to your pork noodle soup. Guksu Geori is within walking distance of the Jeju Folklore and Natural History Museum.

Black Pork Street (Gunip-dong) is one of Jeju’s long-standing food streets. Here, you’ll find a variety of restaurants and stalls that might tempt you with the rich aroma of grilled black pork. Jeju black pig is a breed of domestic pig that’s indigenous to Korea and isn’t mixed with other breeds. The best way to eat grilled black pork is by dipping it in kktomyeolchi jeotgal (salted anchovy).

On your visit to Black Pork Street, you could also enjoy a stroll along the seafront or a stop at Tapdong Plaza. If you’re in the mood for shopping, Dongmun Traditional Market is also nearby. 

Wimi Port Raw Fish Centre has enjoyed a rich 45-year history of excellent dining in Jeju. It’s within a 10-minute drive from Jeju Airport. There are 18 relatively large restaurants run by veteran professionals with at least 10 to 40 years of experience. This is a great place to enjoy a table d'hôte of raw fish made with Jeju's fresh ingredients, such as snapper, abalone, mackerel, cutlassfish and sea urchin.

Dine at one of the restaurants at Wimi Port Raw Fish Centre and enjoy the ocean view. You can also go for a leisurely stroll around a nearby seawall or Tapdong Square. Nearby attractions include Yongduam Rock and Dongmun Traditional Market.

Gyorae-ri is a Jeju village that's widely known for Sangumburi Crater and native Korean chicken. As this breed has very tender meat, many local restaurants in the area serve it hotpot-style. It's made by blanching chicken breast in a rich broth, then dipping it in a sauce made with water parsley and Napa cabbage.

The village is a great place to try a wide variety of local chicken dishes. Especially popular with the locals are dishes like baeksuk (boiled chicken with rice), samgye-tang (ginseng chicken soup), dak-bokkeum-tang (braised spicy chicken) and dak kalguksu (noodle soup with chicken).

Chilsimni Food Street is found along the coast in Songsan-dong, Seogwipo City. You can enjoy some of Jeju’s best fresh seafood dishes like haemul ttukbaegi (hotpot seafood stew), galchi guk (cutlassfish soup), grilled fish (typically yellow sea bream, mackerel or cutlassfish), mulhoe (cold raw fish soup), mom guk (gulfweed soup) and seonggye miyeok-guk (seaweed soup with sea urchin).

Some of the best scenic spots to visit when you’re in the area include Cheonjiyeon Falls, Jeongbang Falls, Saeseom Island and Munseom Island. Seogwipo Chilsimni Festival is held every autumn, so don't miss it if you're visiting Jeju at this time of year.

Arang Joeul Food Street is located in Cheonji-dong, Seogwipo-si, and its name means 'a street worth remembering' in the Jeju dialect. You can find dozens of restaurants offering unique local seafood dishes and Jeju specialities. Popular dishes include duruchigi (Korean bouillabaisse), caldron lid-grilled pork belly, briquette-grilled pork, black pig hotpot, gul haejangguk (oyster hangover soup), hongeo samhap (fermented skate and steamed pork slices with kimchi) and crude liquor.

Seogwipo Olle Market, Chilsimni Park and Olle Trails are close to Arang Joeul Food Street. You might want to get there early in the day to explore the neighbourhood.

Dongmun Traditional Market is one of Jeju's oldest traditional markets. Open daily, it's not only famous for offering Jeju specialities and daily necessities, but also an excellent place to enjoy local dishes.

As you browse around for a snack, you can experience the hustle and bustle of a traditional market in Jeju. Dongmun Traditional Market stays open until nighttime, with even more food stalls selling tteok-bokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae (Korean blood sausage) and gimbap (seaweed rice rolls).

The Arboretum Night Market takes place in Jeju's Halla Arboretum, also known as Theme Park Arboretum. This bustling market is held in a pine forest from 6 pm onward. You’ll find a selection of food trucks that serve Asian and fusion dishes, with some iconic dishes available to sample.

As you stroll around the grounds, you can absorb the lively atmosphere of the market as well as the calming fresh air among the trees. There are plenty of colourful lights and art installations throughout the site, too, providing good photo opportunities.

The Jeju Coastal Road cafe district is a route dotted with cafes along the coast, located on the way to Iho Taewu Beach from Yongduam in Jeju City. There are also many cafes lining the coastal road that stretches from Iho Taewu Beach to Aewol Port.

The coastal roads offer a choice of trendy eateries where you can enjoy excellent coffee and snacks. On summer nights, you can gaze at the fantastic views across the waters, with fishing boats bobbing and moonlight sparkling on the East Sea.

Museulpo Port is a port on the southwest coast of Jeju Island, close to Sanbangsan Mountain. The Bangeo Festival Street is a good place to eat raw fish throughout the year. Famous for its textured flesh and savoury taste, yellowtail (bangeo) is best enjoyed in winter.

Enjoy it like the locals by wrapping raw yellowtail in ripe kimchi (mugeun-ji) or over-fermented kimchi (shin kimchi). You can also find many restaurants serving yellowtail in different ways, including grilled, stir-fried, skewered, and in a soup.