Tongin Market Coin Lunchbox 2026: How to Use 500-Won Coins for a DIY Seoul Lunch

Bottom line: At Tongin Market in Jongno, you buy brass "coins" that work like cash, use them bit by bit at the market's side-dish and street-food stalls, and carry your tray upstairs to the lunchbox café to eat. One coin costs 500 won, and you can buy them until 3 p.m. on weekdays or 4 p.m. on weekends.

If you didn't know: Show up too late and you can't buy coins at all — sales cut off at 3 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on weekends — so the whole lunchbox experience is off the table. The café itself closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on weekends, and it's closed entirely on Tuesdays and the third Sunday of each month, so timing your visit wrong means a wasted trip. Leftover coins can be refunded, so there's no need to overbuy and leave money sitting unused.

Walk into the market's alleys and you'll spot small wooden signs reading "coins accepted" outside the side-dish shops. Buy coins at the second-floor lunchbox café, grab a map, and wander the market trading a coin or two at each stall for pajeon, japchae, tteokbokki, or boiled pork. Carry your full tray back to the café, where a microwave and utensils are ready so you can eat right there. Tongin Market sits just west of Gyeongbokgung Palace, in the Chebu-dong area, making it an easy stop after exploring the palace or the hanok lanes of Seochon. Some stalls don't take foreign cards, so it's safer to bring cash for buying coins.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-10-24 · Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government Media Hub