Shopping The Streets of Myeongdong

The top 3 places to visit in Myeong Dong

Just a half an hour ride away from the Co-op Residences, Myeong Dong is a lively street that is bustling with shops and avid shoppers looking for the best deals.

Åland

One of the must-visit shops includes “Åland”. Located adjacent to Homestead Coffee (mentioned below), this 5-story shop is always crowded with customers. Åland sells clothes, shoes, bags, and all sorts of accessories, suitable for both genders!

We have done our shopping!

For lazy shopaholics, rest assured as Åland carries the latest styles and trends. It is kind of like a classier version of a flea market, with various individual shops and brands (Cheap Monday, anyone?) contained in a single shop. If you are unwilling to spend just a little more money, why not try heading out and exploring the streets of Myeong Dong?

Homestead Coffee

Hidden away in one of the many blocks in the street, lies a quaint and gorgeous Balinese style café – Homestead Coffee.

The design concept for Homestead Coffee Café.
  

With just one peer up the warmly lit staircase alley, the feeling of “home” could already be felt. Furthermore, the huge glossy posters placed outside the entrance informed us that they served Patbingsu – the Korean version of iced kachang. This greatly enticed us as our tongues were all burning from the spicy street food that we had just before.

With sore shoulders and aching arms (from all that shopping!), we decided to take a break in this Café. The baristas took a break from whatever they were doing and greeted us cheerily.

We ordered lemon-mango yoghurt and blueberry yoghurt-flavoured Patbingsu and it was made on the spot. We digged into both bowls at the same time. The tangy taste of the lemon-mango Patbingsu complemented the sweet vanilla ice cream atop the blueberry Patbingsu. One does not simply stop at the first scoop!



The interior design for Homestead Coffee Café. 



Not only was the dessert absolutely heavenly, the ambience of the entire café was just right. The warm lighting and cushioned chairs deserved plus points for tired and aching shoppers like us. There was also an air-conditioned “smoking zone” room at the corner of the shop to cater to smokers. Plus, there was free wifi as well!

After spending close to an hour in the comfy abode, we were fully rejuvenated for yet another time for more shopping!

Myeong Dong is also home to many street food stalls that sell Korean delicacies at a low and affordable price – perfect for shopaholics who want to grab a little bite and continue with their spree.

Dragon Beard

We stumbled upon this street stall and found that the snack that the vendor was selling to be very familiar, a childhood snack. The vendor was extremely friendly and took the initiative to demonstrate to us how the snack is prepared. We were so awed that we bought a pack straightaway after that. Before we left, we even took a photo with him for memory’s sake. 

Making the yummy Dragon Beard Candy

   

Lemonade stall

We soon found our throats dry and parched from the weather and our instincts drew us to a lemonade stall. We can’t name it because it was simply a table loaded with lemons an automated juicer, drinks for mixing and two enthusiastic sellers. What we can tell you is that you can see it from the entrance of clothes store SPAO and if you are in dire need of refreshment, nothing quenches like this. The juice squeezed is mixed with Chilsung Cider (a carbonated beverage available here) and voila, fresh and fizzy lemonade!

Ddokbukki

Street food is a popular fixture in the shopping districts of Korea so our trip to Myeong Dong could not be complete without it. Though many of them line the streets and the differences are imperceptible, this particular stall had the fattest rice cakes ever seen. The soft chewy rice cakes, ddok, held up impressively against the balanced flavours of kimchi, gochujang, and starch. Aside from that, we had Soondae, a kind of blood sausage and a hotdog covered in French fries. It’s not important where you eat the ddokbukki either, they’re everywhere and serve pretty much the same thing. Just try your luck and hope to strike snacking.

Article by Abigail and Jodenia
Photos by Tiffany and Zoer
Videography and Editing by Elyss and Phoebe