Kondae (Konkuk University), is a crowded nightlife area packed with college students, street food, restaurants, and an almost endless amount of bars. The best time to visit is at night when the place is lit up, loud, and packed with lots of hungry people looking for to party and for cheap food and drinks.
The majority of people who visit this area are college students from adjacent Konkuk University. You will also see businessmen looking for cheap food and drinks after a hard day at work. Either way, this area is packed any night of the week.
Not many tourists know of this area as they tend to stick to the more well known and more tourist friendly areas such as Myeongdong, Hongdae (Hongik University Area), and Itaewon.
There are endless choices of restaurants and street food vendors to try here, with new ones popping up all the time. Everyone seems to have their favorite hidden gem. As in all of Seoul, you can find your choice of BBQ restaurants and chicken and hof.
There are also a large variety of seafood and grilled shellfish restaurants. As you walk through the streets, you will easily notice the seafood restaurants as they display their fresh and swimming seafood proudly in tanks by their front door.
You can also find a large number of authentic Chinese restaurants. One of the most popular is Maehwa Banjeom, which serves up cheap dishes such as lamb skewers, sweet and sour pork, and stir fried pork. If you are looking for Indian food, try Rodeo Street.
Many of the restaurants here are not as tourist oriented as in other neighborhoods in Seoul. English on menus and on signs is few and far between. If you do not know Korean, expect ordering food to be a little more difficult. Either bring a friend who knows Korean or try finding restaurants with photos on their windows or in the menu where you can pick a dish by pointing at it.
Your best bet is to just roam the streets and see what looks good and what looks busy. If it is busy, odds are it is popular and has great food.
Your other choice is street food. A line of street vendors can be found lining the sidewalk just across the street from exits 3 and 4 of Konkuk University Station. These street food vendors sell delicious items including from dakkocchi (skewers of chicken), waffles, churros, twigim (deep fried goodies), tokkebi hot dogs, croquettes (fried hot dogs), odeng (fish cakes), tteokbokki, hotteok, sundae. You can also find a few Japanese treats such as udon and takoyaki. The smells are amazing and hard to resist.
Hours
24 hoursAdmission
FreeGetting Here
Take Subway Line 2 or Line 7 to Konkuk University Station (Exit 2)
Map
Additional Resources
Rakuten
Save money while exploring Seoul with Rakuten's cashback program. By booking hotels through Rakuten, visitors can earn cashback rewards and enjoy significant savings. Exclusive partnerships and deals make stays in Seoul more affordable, freeing up funds for attractions, dining, and other experiences. I use Rakuten for cashback on all of my hotel stays in Seoul.
If you sign up using the link below, you will get $30 cashback after your first purchase.
Klook
Klook is a reliable online platform offering discounted tickets and reservations for attractions and services in Seoul. It covers theme parks, museums, transportation, WiFi, tours, and more. Travelers can save time and money by booking through Klook's user-friendly interface, with secure transactions and helpful customer support.
If you sign up using the link below, you will get $5 off your first order.
Learn more about Klook