Noryangjin Fish Market: Buying Seafood, Separate Restaurant Fees and a Meal Calculator

At Noryangjin, choosing seafood and ordering a cooked meal are separate decisions. A stall quote does not automatically include a restaurant meal. This guide follows the purchase from the tank to the table, explains what to ask before paying, and provides a calculator for the quotes you actually receive. The market is at 674 Nodeul-ro in Dongjak-gu, Seoul; its history goes back to 1927.

How buying works: two payments, one meal

Start by asking which fish or shellfish the quote covers, its price per kilogram, and the weight used for payment. If it is a fixed-price platter, ask what is included instead. Before agreeing to the purchase, confirm how it will be prepared and whether the stall charges for that service. If you want to eat upstairs, ask the restaurant separately about its per-person table fee, any cooking fee, and extras such as soup, rice and drinks. Ask which items are already included so you do not count them twice. Keep the stall and restaurant receipts separate and compare the combined amount with your budget. A wholesale auction price is not a guaranteed retail quote. This is an editorial buying checklist, not a report of a meal we ate.

Hours, closed days, and the auction

The operator lists wholesale/retail sales as open year-round: premium seafood 00:00–24:00, general fish 01:30–22:00, frozen 03:30–22:00, shellfish 01:00–22:00, dried seafood 23:00–19:00 the following day, and salted seafood 03:00–19:00. Auctions separately close Sundays, New Year’s Day, and three days each at Seollal and Chuseok. Auction starts are general fish 00:00, shellfish 01:00, premium fresh fish 01:30, and premium live/frozen fish 03:00. These do not establish individual restaurant hours or unrestricted auction-floor entry. Confirm the viewing date and area with the operator at 02-2254-8000 or 8001.

Choose the meal before choosing a day

Eating upstairs: confirm the restaurant accepts your purchase and ask for the complete fee breakdown before buying seafood. Takeaway: ask the stall about preparation and packaging; choose a destination and transport plan before ordering. Discounts: this update does not verify current Seafood Day dates, eligible products or coupon availability. Count a discount only after the stall confirms it applies to your purchase. Choosing a time: search interest does not measure restaurant queues. Ask your chosen restaurant about availability instead of assuming that a weekday guarantees a table. Comparing stalls: compare the same species, weight and preparation; a cheaper price for a different product is not a like-for-like saving.

Inside the market, then one optional outing

Use the first four stops for the meal. The auction is a separate overnight visit. The other places are alternatives for extending the day, not a ten-stop walking itinerary. Check the actual route and each destination’s opening arrangements before leaving.

1. Noryangjin Station exit 9 (노량진역 9번 출구) — the market entrance is about two hundred metres away; Lines 1 and 9 both stop here.
2. The ground-floor tanks (1층 활어) — hundreds of stalls; walk the full length once before buying, and look for the per-kilo price cards.
3. The shellfish rows (패류) — abalone, clams, scallops and crab in a separate section, open from 01:00; crab is sold live by weight.
4. The restaurants upstairs (2층 식당) — where the fish becomes dinner; agree the table fee before you sit and order the spicy stew from the trimmings.
5. The auction floor at night (경매장) — Auction viewing requires a separate plan. Confirm the product-specific start time, non-trading days and permitted viewing area with the operator; keep out of working aisles.
6. Noryangjin cup-rice street (노량진 컵밥거리) — the street of cheap rice-bowl stalls beside the station, built for the exam-cram students who fill the neighbourhood.
7. Sayuksin Park (사육신공원) — An optional park outing east of the market. Check the route from your actual exit and allow for the uphill walk.
8. Nodeul Island (노들섬) — An optional island visit reached via Hangang Bridge. Check a walking or bus route from your actual market exit; this guide does not promise a twenty-minute walk.
9. Yeouido Hangang Park (여의도한강공원) — An alternative riverside outing on the south side of the Han. Search the park entrance as your destination; reaching Yeouido Station is not the same as reaching the park.
10. The National Cemetery (국립서울현충원) — A separate visit near Dongjak Station. Check the train service and the cemetery’s visitor guidance; local and express trains do not make the same stops.

Noryangjin Fish Market on Naver Map 674 Nodeul-ro — search the Korean name; the pin is the main building beside the station.

Hours, access, rules

Before paying, show the two businesses the same plan: how many people, which seafood, how it will be cooked, and which extras you want. If you cannot obtain a clear total, compare another quote before committing. That decision is more useful than an unsupported promise of the cheapest meal in Seoul.