Myeongdong Hotteok Guide: ₩3,000 Honey Hotteok, ₩4,000 Sikhye, Payment & How to Eat It
At Seoul Kkul Hotteok, a street stall in Myeongdong, honey hotteok costs ₩3,000 each and traditional Korean sikhye costs ₩4,000, with both prices posted on signs in Korean and English right in front of the stall. You can pay by cash, bank transfer, card, or mobile pay, and when you're done eating, just hand your empty container to the vendor and they'll throw it away for you. One warning: hotteok is warm on the outside but hot on the inside, so don't take a big, fast bite.
What kind of stall is Seoul Kkul Hotteok in Myeongdong?
Seoul Kkul Hotteok (서울꿀호떡, "kkul" means honey) is a Myeongdong street food stall that sells exactly two items. Honey hotteok (a Korean sweet pancake) and traditional Korean sikhye (a sweet rice drink) are the whole menu.
The first thing you'll notice at Seoul Kkul Hotteok is the signboard. Since the stall sells traditional Korean food, the sign design looks distinctly Korean. The square patterns in the four corners of the sign are a traditional Korean motif.
Myeongdong has plenty of stalls with thoughtful design touches like this. So let's start with what Seoul Kkul Hotteok actually charges.
What's on the menu at Seoul Kkul Hotteok, and how much does it cost?
Each item at Seoul Kkul Hotteok has its own standing sign with the price written in both Korean and English. The honey hotteok sign even spells out the unit: "1개 ₩3,000원" (₩3,000 per piece).
| Menu | English on the sign | Price | Unit shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honey hotteok (꿀호떡) | Honey Hotteok (Korean Sweet Pancake) | ₩3,000 | 1 item |
| Traditional Korean sikhye (한국전통식혜) | Sikhye (Sweet rice drink) | ₩4,000 | 1 item |
The same prices appear a second time on a handwritten price card attached to the stall. It lists hotteok at 3,000 won each and sikhye at 4,000 won each, matching the standing signs exactly.
Once you've checked the price, the next question is how to pay.
Can you pay by card or mobile pay at Seoul Kkul Hotteok?
Yes. Seoul Kkul Hotteok accepts cash, bank transfer, card, and mobile pay.
| Payment method | Accepted? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | Yes | - |
| Bank transfer | Yes | Send to the bank account shown on the sign at the stall |
| Card | Yes | - |
| Mobile pay | Yes | Alipay+ logo shown on the QR payment sign |
A payment sign with a printed QR code hangs on the right-hand pole of the Seoul Kkul Hotteok stall. Any of these methods works. That said, if you want the fastest, simplest checkout at a street stall, cash is the best option. Cash is the basic payment method wherever you travel in the world. Once you've sorted out payment, it's time to watch the hotteok being made.
How is the hotteok at Seoul Kkul Hotteok made?
The honey hotteok at Seoul Kkul Hotteok is made right in front of customers. The staff place a ball of hotteok dough on an oiled griddle and press it flat with a special tool.
Here's the thing, though: not every hotteok is cooked from scratch after you order. The hotteok are partly grilled and fried ahead of time, then finished when an order comes in and handed to the customer. That's because making a hotteok from scratch takes a while, roughly 5 minutes or more.
That's why the Seoul Kkul Hotteok griddle holds both pale, uncooked dough and golden-brown hotteok at the same time. While you wait for your hotteok, take a look at the sikhye machine next to it.
Why is traditional Korean sikhye kept cold?
Sikhye is a drink made from rice, so if it's kept warm it spoils quickly and becomes undrinkable. That's why Seoul Kkul Hotteok keeps its sikhye cold in a cooling machine.
The temperature display on the Seoul Kkul Hotteok cooling machine reads 6°C. That's cold enough to feel refreshing on a hot summer day.
When you order, the vendor pours the sikhye straight into a disposable, sanitary plastic cup and hands it over. Now, once you've got your hotteok, there's one thing you really need to know before you eat it.
Is there a hotteok warning most foreign visitors don't know about?
Yes. Eat hotteok very slowly, taking small bites.
The filling inside a hotteok is still hot when it's handed to you. I've seen plenty of tourists in Myeongdong eat too fast and get startled by the hot filling.
A warm outside doesn't mean a warm inside: if the outside of a hotteok is warm, the inside is hot. So be careful before you take that first bite. Next question: where should you actually eat it?
Where do you eat hotteok, and where does the trash go?
- Where to eat: Stand and eat in front of the Seoul Kkul Hotteok stall, or eat while walking around Myeongdong.
- Trash: Hand your empty container to the vendor, and they'll throw it away for you.
Myeongdong's street vendors are running a campaign to take and dispose of customers' trash. At the bottom of the Seoul Kkul Hotteok handwritten price card, the phrase "쓰레기 버려드립니다." (We'll throw away your trash.) is printed in Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese.
So don't feel bad about it. Just hand your empty container to the vendor. By the way, when do Koreans eat hotteok the most?
When is hotteok most popular in Korea?
Hotteok is an especially popular snack among Koreans in winter.
In winter, Korean convenience stores and supermarkets sell it in many forms, including hotteok and hoppang (steamed buns). Even under the same name, the hotteok at a Myeongdong stall and the kind sold in convenience stores come in different shapes.
To wrap up, let me share a bit about how Myeongdong's streets feel these days from a local merchant's point of view.
How much has the number of foreign tourists visiting Myeongdong grown?
This year, far more foreign tourists have been coming back to Korea and Myeongdong. According to Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, a cumulative 15.05 million foreign tourists visited Korea from January to August 2026, a new all-time record.
Hearing this news on TV and in the papers, as someone who works in Myeongdong, I'm genuinely glad and grateful.
I hope more foreign visitors will feel closer to Korea through K-culture, K-food, and K-shopping that carry the warm, welcoming feeling unique to Korea.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is hotteok at Seoul Kkul Hotteok in Myeongdong?
Honey hotteok at Seoul Kkul Hotteok costs ₩3,000 each. The traditional Korean sikhye sold alongside it costs ₩4,000, and both prices are posted in Korean and English on signs in front of the stall. The same prices also appear on the stall's handwritten price card.
Can I pay by card at Seoul Kkul Hotteok?
Yes, Seoul Kkul Hotteok accepts card payments. Cash, bank transfer, and mobile pay are also accepted. The QR payment sign hanging on the stall's pole shows the Alipay+ logo.
Where do I throw away my trash after eating hotteok?
Hand your empty container to the Seoul Kkul Hotteok vendor, and they'll dispose of it for you. Myeongdong's street vendors run a trash-collection campaign, and the price card carries the phrase "쓰레기 버려드립니다." (We'll throw away your trash.) in four languages.
What should I watch out for when eating hotteok?
Eat hotteok slowly, in small bites. If the outside of a hotteok is warm, the inside is hot, so eating too fast can leave you startled by the hot filling.
Where do I eat hotteok from Seoul Kkul Hotteok?
You can stand and eat in front of the Seoul Kkul Hotteok stall or eat while walking around Myeongdong. When you're done, just hand the empty container to the vendor.
Curious how a ₩3,000 honey hotteok compares with other Myeongdong street food? Check out our other post rounding up Myeongdong street food prices. What snack are you trying next in Myeongdong?
