[Beef!] Taewon Hanoo from Majang butcher town

If you have been living in Seoul, Korea for a long period of time, you probably have conquered most of the “Must-visit” places, like Gangnam, Hongdae, Itaewon.

 

But the real part of Korea resides somewhere else!

Today, I want to show you where only the real local residents visit: the “Ma-Jang” butcher town.

 

Majang town is placed at the east end side of the Cheongye river. It’s near the Dongdaemun, the clothing shopping street, but more to the residential area so it is not to famous to foreigners.

 

However, I guarantee that this is the best place to visit, Not only because of the freshness of the meat, but also the unique experience of the Korean butcher market. 한우(Hanoo) is the unique Korean beef, very similar to Wagyu(The Japanese beef). Although it is not so famous as Wagyu, I bet Hanoo tastes better than Wagyu.

 

If you are taking subway you can get off from Shindab station Line 2, or get off from Majang station Line 5. You can simply use the Naver of Kakao map application(or Google map) to get to the butcher market.

 

 

My recommendation is the “태원한우(Taewon Hanoo)”. This is the shop recommended by Korean local bloggers. I personally do not have any preferred stores, so even I had to do some research to find a good butcher shop, and Taewon had a descent recommendation ranking.

 

Taewon is located right next to the main door of Majang butcher town main entrance, so it is not so difficult to find. They sell both pork and beef, so you may choose whichever meat you want. The beef is so fresh that you don’t need to worry about the quality.

 

Also, Taewon Hanoo provides a place to dine in too. The place is called “인생한우(in-Saeng Hanoo)”. According to the shop, Taewon is operated by husband, and Insaeng is by wife, so it is like a family business for them.

 

Insaeng Hanoo is located about 5 minute walk distance from Taewon. They give you a business card which shows the location, but it barely helps, so it is better to type it in map application to get the direction.

 

If you dine in Insaeng Hanoo, all you have to pay is \6,000 per person as a table fee, which includes charcoal, various of side dishes, and sauce for your beef.

 

You can also buy meats from Insaeng Hanoo as well. The source of the meat is the same from that of Taewon’s. The only difference is the price. Buying from Insaeng is about 10% more expensive. So, if you are dining with two people, a regular 600g sirloin will be good enough, and the price difference will be about \7,000 because 600g of sirloin is about \70,000~\80,000.

 

Also, if you buy beef from Insaeng store directly, they give you \2,000 table charge discount! So, basically the 10% price difference kinda evens out. If you are lazy or have difficulty finding places in Korean ally streets in Majang market. I guess its better for you to just go directly to Insaeng store and order from there.

 

 

Anyway, you do not have to go either Taewon or Insaeng Hanoo place where I recommended.

Majang butcher town is full of fresh meat stores! especially Korean beef 한우. You can just drop by any store you can see or like. They all have price tags, so you will not get riped off. All you have to do is just pick up any meat you like and ask for a place to dine in. Most of the stores have their related dine in places!

 

Enjoy this delicious Hanoo meat while your stay in Korea!