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Located in Wongok-dong, the Ansan Multicultural Food Street was formed in 1990s during the influx of blue-collar foreign workers who came work at the many industrial companies in Ansan. The neighborhood has become a multicultural enclave for more than 20,000 foreigners from 57 different countries.
When I first approached the street, it looked like your typical traditional Korean market. However, as I got closer, I noticed that I didn’t hear Korean being spoken and the street was lined with foreign grocery stores and restaurants.
The exotic shops and restaurants that sit along the street reminded me of Itaewon, where I once lived. While Itaewon is a great meeting place for local youngsters and for foreigners to enjoy an evening out, Ansan Multicultural Food Street is the home and life of many immigrants from Russia, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and other countries.
Fine-dining restaurants or elegant coffee shops are rare here, but you can enjoy rustic restaurants that serve up traditional delicacies from all parts of the world. And there’s so many to choose from.
Walking down the street, I came across the Russian bakery IMPERIA. The small Russian bakery chain offering 15 varieties of Russian bread, many of which I sampled. Next to the bakery was a Russian restaurant that served up delicious dishes from the motherland.
If you don’t want to go inside to eat, cheap street food is sold by multiple vendors. Chinese dumplings, delicious skewers with different types of meat, rice ball and other tasty treats will tempt you.
Head to Ansan to soak in the culture and get a taste of food from around the world.
Address: (Parking lot) Irwon, 16 Damunhwa-gil, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si (ENG), 경기 안산시 단원구 원곡동 991-2 (KOR) Naver Map
