Myeongdong Street Food Prices: ₩2,000 Fish Cake and ₩3,000 Honey Hotteok (With Free Broth Refills)
At this Myeongdong street stall, Busan fish cake costs ₩2,000 per skewer and honey hotteok costs ₩3,000 each. The fish cake comes in two versions, mild and spicy, and each one is served in its own paper cup. Here's the part that surprises most visitors: the fish cake broth is unlimited. Payment is cash or bank transfer.
What kind of stall is this Myeongdong fish cake vendor?
This stall sells Busan eomuk (fish cake), named after Busan, the Korean city famous for it. The signboard above the counter advertises both Busan Fish Cake and Honey Pancake side by side.
On one side of the stall, a pan of fish cake broth stays at a constant simmer. On the other side, hotteok rounds are pressed flat and browned on a hot griddle. Fish cake and honey hotteok — that's the entire menu here. Simple, and very good.
A short menu means less deciding. So let's start with what it costs.
How much do Myeongdong fish cake and hotteok cost?
The menu board is printed in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, so you can read the prices without asking anyone. Nothing complicated about it.
| Menu | Price | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Busan fish cake (mild) | ₩2,000 | Savory and salty |
| Busan fish cake (spicy) | ₩2,000 | Heat comes from chili powder in the broth |
| Honey hotteok | ₩3,000 | Filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts and sugar |
Mild and spicy fish cake are both ₩2,000 — no price difference at all. You're only choosing a flavor.
I bought two mild Busan fish cakes myself that day. I handed over ₩4,000 in cash and ate them right there, blowing on each bite. Check the menu board once, then just pick your flavor.
Is the fish cake broth in Myeongdong really unlimited?
Yes, it is. You can drink as much fish cake broth as you want. Korean national snacks like fish cake, tteokbokki and hotteok are so widely loved that free-flowing broth has become an unspoken standard — Koreans simply expect it.
The method is simple. Ladle the broth into a paper cup and drink it. Fresh from the pan it runs very hot, so blow on it and take your time.
What struck me most was the depth of the broth itself. Radish, blue crab and other ingredients simmer together inside the round stainless steel pot, and you can taste it. I went through about three paper cups that day — enough to fill me up on broth alone.
It brought back a childhood habit of mine — spooning rice into fish cake broth and eating it that way. No side dishes needed. That's the kind of broth this is.
A few things worth knowing before you eat
- Dip it in soy sauce. Dipping the fish cake in soy sauce brings out more of that salty edge.
- Put used skewers in the skewer holder. The stall keeps a container specifically for finished skewers.
- Don't walk around with it. The broth drips as you go, which makes eating awkward. Standing at the stall until you're done works better.
Once the mild version has warmed you up, the spicy one starts calling.
How spicy is the spicy fish cake in Myeongdong?
The heat comes from chili powder mixed into the fish cake broth. Where the mild version leans savory and salty, the spicy one gets its kick from the broth itself.
That day I photographed a foreign visitor filling his paper cup with spicy fish cake, ready to take on the heat. Korean spice has a reputation that travels well beyond Korea.
Since it costs the same ₩2,000 as the mild version, there's no reason to hesitate if you like heat.
What does the honey hotteok in Myeongdong taste like?
Honey hotteok is filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts and sugar. There's no spice in it at all — it's purely sweet.
The vendor presses each one flat with a round, disc-shaped tool, so it comes out as an even circle. You'll spot them lined up on the griddle, golden brown across the surface.
One warning: the filling inside gets extremely hot. Be careful with that first bite. The menu board itself says "Very hot~Be careful."
It's also more filling than it looks. If you're someone who eats light, one hotteok can stand in for a meal.
How do you pay at a Myeongdong street stall?
Accepted payment methods
- Cash
- Korean bank transfer
Useful to know
- The stall displays a board with its bank account number.
- Cash is the easiest route, so keep small bills on hand.
When is the best time to eat Myeongdong fish cake and hotteok?
Both are hot snacks, which makes them far more popular in winter than in summer. They taste good in July too, but if you're visiting Korea in the cold months, put these on your list.
Nothing thaws you out in a Korean winter quite like fish cake broth. It's the best there is.
Frequently asked questions
How much is one fish cake in Myeongdong?
Busan fish cake at this Myeongdong stall costs ₩2,000 per skewer. Mild and spicy are both available at the same price. Each one is served in its own paper cup, and you can pay by cash or Korean bank transfer.
Do I have to pay extra for the fish cake broth?
No, the broth is unlimited. Ladle it into a paper cup and drink as much as you like. Straight from the pan it runs very hot, so blow on it and sip slowly rather than taking a full mouthful.
What's inside Myeongdong honey hotteok?
Honey hotteok is filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts and sugar. There's no spice at all, just sweetness. It costs ₩3,000 each, and the filling gets extremely hot, so take that first bite carefully.
What do I do with the skewer after eating?
The stall keeps a container for used skewers, so drop yours in there. Since the broth drips while you walk, finishing your fish cake at the stall is the more comfortable option.
Can I pay by card at this Myeongdong stall?
This stall takes cash and Korean bank transfer. Keeping small bills with you is the simplest way to order without any back-and-forth.
Where to go next in Myeongdong
The fish cake and honey hotteok at this Myeongdong stall are honestly priced and reliably good. Two bills — ₩2,000 and ₩3,000 — buy you a real taste of what these alleys are like.
Curious about prices at other Myeongdong street stalls, or how to order without getting overcharged? I've written those up separately, and they pair well with this one.
