A day of shopping in Dongdaemun at Doota Shopping Mall

Doota Shopping Mall

Also known as “Doosan Tower”, Doota Mall is located in Dongdaemun (the East Gate of old Seoul) along with the popular Dongdaemun market where you can get things at a cheap price if you have good bargaining skills. We were not that adventurous that day so we decided to just hang out at the mall instead.

After alighting at the Dongdaemun subway station, it was not that hard to locate Doota’s bright orange logo. The Dongdaemun area is akin to Bugis Street in Singapore, bustling with activity(cafes, restaurants, eateries and the like) and people out for a good bargain: having a market (within the vicinity) with makeshift stalls selling their wares (and even some bargaining to boot).
Dongdaemun
After alighting from Dongdaemun Subway Station
Dongdaemun
We made our way to Doota
Dongdaemun area
The market area (I think)
Dongdaemun area
Shoes, clothes... the sellers are out and ready!
Dongdaemun area
Snacks anyone?
Dongdaemun area
Bags, bags, bags
Dongdaemun area
Pants
Dongdaemun area
Shirts
Dongdaemun area
Some street food anyone? :)
Dongdaemun area
Getting ready to cross the road to Doota
  
Doota Shopping Mall consists of 10 floors, has high ceilings with mostly natural lighting (in the day) with cafes galore. To get to the 1st floor, you can enter through the entrance located there or simply take the escalator outside to get to B1. We started from B1 and made our way up.


Level 7 & 8 - Although there are cafés and restaurants on each floor within Doota, the 7th and 8th floors is the “Food Gallery”. From coffee shops to fast food joints and proper restaurants, there is a wide selection of establishments to choose from. A rooftop garden gives you a breath of fresh air in the warmer seasons.

Level 6 - Looking for children wear and maternity wear for the soon-to-be moms? Then this floor would be for you. A nursing room is also available on this floor.

Level 5 - Accessories, cosmetics (e.g. Skin Food, ATRIUM etc…), souvenirs and even a manicure stall are located here. The tax refund counter is also located at this floor. So if you’re a foreign tourist, you can apply for a tax refund by simply filling out the documents at the office here. 
ATRIUM
PincessyLee's recommendation Laneige products
Do note: Remember to ask for the “tax free receipt” when making your purchase.

Level 4 - Finally a floor for the men.

Level 3 - This floor basically contains shoes, bags, and imported goods for any occasion.
Doota
Shoes galore!

Level 2 - This floor is called “Young Career” and caters to women as well. As the name suggests, this floor has outfits more suited for the office.

Level 1 - The “Designer Gallery” level with designer clothes and various accessories on this floor.

Floor B1 - Young new designers’ shops are in this area with casual womenswear, innerwear, and designer shops, and a small stationery shop to boot. Each shop has its own cahracteristic and we spent a tad too much time here.
Doota
I was really tempted to buy them... but I guess I overcame the temptation ha
Floor B2 - Where the well-known local and international sportswear brands are located. Not forgetting casual outfits ad demnin, as well as clothes alterations on this floor.

Doota
Lost? No worries there's always the directory

After making our way through floors B2 to 8, it was time for a break - tea break at Beans Bins Coffee! And I have to say the waffle ice-cream is nice! Just looking at the photos is making me hungry again!

Doota BeansBins Coffee
After all that shopping and walking, its time to take a break
 Doota BeansBins Coffee
Doota BeansBins Coffee
The beeper beeps when your order is ready for collection
Doota BeansBins Coffee
We had a corner seat near the window so it was one with a view
Doota BeansBins Coffee
View of the hustle and bustle below
Doota BeansBins Coffee
Waffle time! Yummy!
Doota BeansBins Coffee
Tea
Doota BeansBins Coffee
Coffee
Doota BeansBins Coffee
Coffee Beans of all varieties!
 

Doota has a strict fixed-price policy so no haggling is accepted, but if you happen to buy a lot at a single shop, the shop owner might just give you something extra. Besides the tax free shopping, the store offers various services including money exchange, baby carriage rental, foreigner service, and clothes alterations.
Tip: Unless at a specific designer shop, when you find something you like, look around the section or other floors (especially B2 to level 1) first to make sure the same item isn’t being sold at a different price.

How to get there:

Alight at 
  • Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Subway Station Exit 14 : walk straight out of the exit towards Dongdaemun
OR
  • Dongdaemun Subway Station Exit 8 : cross the bridge towards the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park on your left

Opening hours : 10:30 am ~ 5:00 am (open all night)
Closed : Sunday 11:00 pm ~ Monday 7:00 pm
Tel : (02) 3398-3333

Official site (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) : http://www.doota.com



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About TravelBytez

When travel collides with a byte, a unit of information made up of bits, TravelBytez is formed: snippets of ramblings on travel, food, shopping, living and anything else that comes to mind.

2 comments :

  1. Korea serve really nice coffee. 👍

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For a moment I forgot that you had coffee. Lol next time I will try. :p

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