Myeongdong Street Skewers: Lamb ₩10,000, Beef ₩12,000, Cash Only and Halal Certified
At the skewer carts on Myeongdong's main street, lamb skewers cost ₩10,000 and beef skewers cost ₩12,000. Those numbers are written on the price board hanging above the cart, in both Korean and English, so you can read them before you say a word. You pay in cash, there is nowhere to sit down, and the cart takes your used skewer sticks when you finish.
How much do lamb and beef skewers cost in Myeongdong?
| Menu | Price | Languages on the price board |
|---|---|---|
| Lamb skewers (yangkkochi) | ₩10,000 | Korean + English |
| Beef skewers (sokkochi) | ₩12,000 | Korean + English |
I did not estimate these prices. They are the handwritten numbers on the item price board hanging on the front of the cart. The top of that board carries the Myeongdong Square logo and the Jung-gu district office logo.
So at this cart you never have to open with "How much is it?" You just look up.
There was something at this cart that stood out even more than the price board.
Is the meat at this cart halal certified?
A green HALAL CERTIFIED FOOD sign hangs above the cart, and a framed HALAL CERTIFICATE stands next to the counter, turned to face customers. The document lists an Australian meat supplier (JBS Australia) and a certificate number.
In other words, it is not only a verbal claim. The paperwork is sitting right there. If you are a Muslim traveler, you can read the document yourself before ordering and decide from there.
Once you have checked the certificate, ordering comes next.
Can you order here without speaking Korean?
This cart has two kinds of menu signage. One is the Korean and English price board hanging overhead. The other is a photo sign propped up in front of the grill.
The photo sign has cartoon cow and sheep illustrations, with English (Beef Skewers / Lamb skewers), Japanese and Chinese written side by side, and ₩12,000 and ₩10,000 printed large underneath.
Even with no shared language, pointing at that sign gets across which skewer you want and how many. The vendor takes the par-grilled skewers, finishes them on the grill, and hands them straight to you.
Basic English is enough for a simple order here, so the language part is not something you need to prepare for.
Payment is the part that catches people out. It is worth knowing before you go.
Can you pay by card?
There was no card terminal sign and no mobile payment (pay app) sign anywhere on this cart. Cash only.
One lamb skewer is ₩10,000 and one beef skewer is ₩12,000, so it helps to have ₩10,000 notes ready. Two skewers come to ₩22,000, so think about change as well.
With payment sorted, here is what the food was actually like.
How were the beef and lamb skewers?
Honestly, the price runs a little high. More than ₩10,000 for a single skewer is a real amount of money, and I am not going to pretend otherwise.
That said, the beef skewer I bought was full of juice. It was not ground or reformed meat, so the texture of beef itself came through.
The lamb surprised me more. I had always thought of lamb skewers as chewy, but this was the most tender lamb skewer I have had. How you handle them on the grill clearly makes that much difference.
The vendor does not grill everything in advance and stack it up. The skewers are only par-grilled, then finished on the fire once an order comes in. The whole cooking process happens in front of you, which is its own small pleasure to watch.
For reference, when I visited, the cumin-style seasoning powder had not been spread on the seasoning tray yet. That means the cart had opened only a short time earlier.
From walking past this street every day, the busiest stretch is 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. If the prepared meat runs out early, a cart can close before 10 p.m. on a weekday, but they stock generously, so that is rare.
Once the skewer is in your hand, this is where a lot of visitors freeze.
Where do you eat the skewer after you buy it?
This is an outdoor cart on the street, so there is nowhere to sit. No tables, no chairs.
That leaves two options: stand next to the cart and eat, or walk down the Myeongdong street while you eat. So many people are walking around with skewers here that nobody will look twice at you.
When you are done, you are left holding a wooden stick, and this cart has signage for that too.
Where do you throw away the used skewer stick?
At the bottom of the price board there is a trash bin illustration with the line "We'll take your trash" printed next to it, in English (You can leave your garbage with us), Japanese and Chinese as well.
Just hand your used sticks back to the cart. You do not need to walk around Myeongdong hunting for a bin.
And it does not have to be the same cart. No cart on this street will turn your trash away, so you can pass your finished sticks to any of them. Vendors handling trash for customers is a campaign to keep the Myeongdong street clean.
Last thing: what time do you need to show up to find these carts?
What time do Myeongdong street carts open?
| Days | Opening | Closing |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | 4 p.m. | 10 p.m. |
| Weekends | 2 p.m. | 11 p.m. |
This is not one specific cart's schedule. It is the pattern most carts on the Myeongdong street follow, based on what I see commuting here every day. My guess is that the Myeongdong merchants' association set the hours and the pitches this way to keep order and efficiency on the street.
Which means if you come to Myeongdong at lunchtime, the skewer carts are not there yet. The street fills up with carts later in the afternoon, as the sun starts dropping.
Frequently asked questions
How much is one lamb skewer in Myeongdong?
Lamb skewers are ₩10,000 and beef skewers are ₩12,000. Both prices are written in Korean and English on the item price board hanging above the cart, so you can check them yourself before ordering.
Can I pay by card or mobile payment?
This cart had no card terminal sign and no mobile payment sign, so bring cash. One skewer is ₩10,000 or ₩12,000, which makes it worth carrying ₩10,000 notes along with some change.
Is the food halal?
A HALAL CERTIFIED FOOD sign hangs above the cart, and the original halal certificate stands beside the counter facing customers. You can read the document, which lists an Australian meat supplier and a certificate number, and judge for yourself.
Is there anywhere to sit and eat?
There are no seats. It is an outdoor cart on the street, with no tables or chairs. You either stand beside the cart to eat, or eat while walking along the Myeongdong street.
What do I do with the stick after eating?
Hand it back to the cart. Below the price board there is a trash bin illustration with "We'll take your trash" printed in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese. You do not need to find a bin yourself.
What should you eat next on the Myeongdong street?
One skewer is not going to fill you up. Some carts on the Myeongdong street post their prices out front, and some you have to ask.
I buy them one at a time on my way to work and photograph the price boards, so check the next post for other Myeongdong street food. Which Myeongdong food are you most curious about?
