Snack bar in Yeomchang: Shin Ramyun-spicy tteokbokki, Deokbokhui-jip

Today I'm bringing you a review of Deokbokhui-jip (덕복희집), a handmade snack bar near Yeomchang Station where I found a perfect combination! The name carries a lovely meaning, "a house that shares blessings and joy with virtue," and the food and atmosphere were so good that I really wanted to introduce it.

How do you get to Deokbokhui-jip from Yeomchang Station?

Deokbokhui-jip is at 90 Mokdongjungang-buk-ro, 1st floor, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 156m from Exit 4 of Yeomchang Station on Line 9. Come down the stairs in front of Exit 4, turn right and keep going straight. It's on the first floor of the church building on your left.

It's open 11:30–23:00, and offers takeout, delivery, Wi-Fi, group seating, reservations and simple mobile payment.

What's the atmosphere like at Deokbokhui-jip? An indoor pub-style interior

Unlike a typical snack bar, the interior was clean and classy, which stood out. By day it's great for a meal or a date over tasty snack food, and at night it has an indoor pub (silnae pocha) vibe, perfect for a glass of soju or cold draft beer!

It turns out Deokbokhui-jip never uses frozen ready-made products for its rice cakes, sundae or fried items, and prepares the ingredients by hand every morning. Even the ssamjang (dipping paste), pickles and soy sauce are made from their own original recipes, so my expectations went up before I'd even eaten!

At Deokbokhui-jip you can choose between two kinds of tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), instant (jeuktteok) or regular, to suit your taste. The instant version lets you combine all sorts of toppings. There was an event going on too, but we had ordered so much that we didn't join in.

What we ordered at Deokbokhui-jip: instant tteokbokki, fried platter and sundae

Instant tteokbokki at Shin Ramyun spice level: how spicy is it?

I chose the instant tteokbokki at about Shin Ramyun spiciness. It wasn't too hot, just sweet and spicy, and the broth really clung to me. It was the dish I was most looking forward to, and it didn't disappoint!

Maybe because the rice cakes come in fresh every day, the chewiness was something else. After some deliberation I picked ramyeon noodles and cheese as add-ons, and I thought I should try other combinations next time, haha.

The king of crunch! Deokbokhui-jip's fried platter

Maybe because it's Japanese-style handmade frying made with Deokbokhui-jip's own know-how, the batter was really thin and crispy outside, moist inside. You can't have snack food without fried items! Even dipped in the tteokbokki broth they stayed crunchy, and I enjoyed them so much.

The tteokbokki is great, but the fried items are amazing. Please order them together!

Chewy, fresh sundae

The sundae (Korean blood sausage) comes in fresh every morning, so it was very chewy with no funky smell. Dab it in the tteokbokki broth and, you know, it's a perfect combination! 👍

Instant tteokbokki tip: be sure to add ramyeon noodles and cheese

Once I ordered the instant tteokbokki and it started to boil, something felt a little lacking.

So I added the must-have ramyeon noodles and cheese! The noodles soaked up the sweet-spicy broth, and with melted cheese on top, the richness and spiciness doubled, and my not-quite-full stomach felt perfectly filled. Please try it with add-ons!

Verdict: how was Deokbokhui-jip as a snack bar near Yeomchang Station?

Delicious tteokbokki, crispy handmade fried items as good as a Japanese restaurant's, and ingredients you can tell are prepared with care: that was Deokbokhui-jip!

If you're looking for a carefully made snack bar with a nice atmosphere near Yeomchang Station, do visit Deokbokhui-jip! It's good for takeout or delivery, and I highly recommend enjoying it in the restaurant with a glass of beer too! 🍺👍