Seasonal flounder sashimi, Spanish wine: a gourmet tour through Sangbong's outdoor dining alley

A small-group local food program pairing neighborhood specialties with wines from around the world is set to make use of the outdoor spaces along Sangbong Meokja Alley, with the aim of revitalizing the alley's commercial district in a sustainable way.

Foodion, a local dining experience service, said it will hold three showings of the "2026 Sangbong Meokja Alley Outdoor Dining Gourmet Tour" in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, from Oct. 30 through November.

The outdoor dining gourmet tour is a project organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Credit Guarantee Foundation, Jungnang-gu and the Sangbong Meokja Alley Merchants' Association to develop new content for the local commercial district and promote the alley's appeal. Foodion, a company specializing in local food content, is handling all planning and operations.

The tour takes participants to three eateries along Sangbong Meokja Alley in sequence, offering what organizers describe as three meals in a single day at the alley's outdoor venues. Each showing is capped at 20 people to allow guests to fully immerse themselves in the food, wine and stories from the alley's merchants.

The gourmet course pairs local dishes representative of Sangbong Meokja Alley with wines from various countries. The first stop, Golttang, serves East Sea white whelk stew alongside a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The second, Hampyeong Gukbap, offers raw marinated beef with an Italian Chianti Classico. At the third stop, Honggildong Hoe Sussan, guests are served seasonal flounder sashimi paired with Cava, a Spanish sparkling wine.

Beyond visiting the restaurants, participants will have the chance to hear food stories and personal histories shared directly by merchants who have kept the alley alive for years. Through food and wine as a common thread, guests encounter the flavors, people and history of Sangbong Meokja Alley as a single gourmet experience.

The project aims to add food-focused content to Sangbong Meokja Alley and build a sustainable commercial model in which local merchants play an active role. Organizers said they intend to leverage the alley's distinctive outdoor dining culture to draw outside visitors, and to lay the groundwork for expanding the tour into a regular program that merchants can eventually run on their own.

Schedules and registration for the 2026 Sangbong Meokja Alley Outdoor Dining Gourmet Tour are available through Foodion's official social media channels.

"We wanted to show that you don't have to travel far to find a special dining experience — a compelling gourmet tour is possible right in the neighborhood alley you've always walked past," said Kim Tae-hyun, chief executive of Foodion. "By connecting three distinctly different local spots — Golttang, Hampyeong Gukbap and Honggildong Hoe Sussan — with wines from around the world into a single narrative, we will present new food tourism content unique to Sangbong Meokja Alley."