Yongsan tteokbokki restaurant for beer after the KTX: Hyeonseonine

This is the tteokbokki place I was recommended after seeing a movie at CGV Yongsan, when I was feeling peckish. I went in with no expectations, but the tteokbokki was sooooo good⁉️ I remember thinking, I have to come back here—and I really did, haha. Not long ago, I got off the KTX at Yongsan Station after a trip out of town, and suddenly I started thinking about that tteokbokki❔ So I headed to Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch. If a flavor comes back to you after just one meal, doesn’t that say it all❔

Weekend waiting near Sinyongsan Station

They say to walk about 5 m straight from Exit 5 of Sinyongsan Station, then enter the alley between the hof bar and real-estate office at the intersection and look for the yellow chimney. There is no dedicated parking or parking service, so you will need to use a nearby paid parking lot.

Of course there was a weekend wait—I joined through Catchtable.

The day I visited was a weekend, and sure enough, there were quite a few people in front of the restaurant. I thought, I’ll just walk in and sit down right away, right❔ But there was a wait, so I registered on Catchtable too. I waited after putting my name down, then got called in and finally entered. The funny thing was that even after I was called and seated, the queue outside kept going. That was when I realized this place really gets busy on weekends. I had remembered enjoying my first visit, which is why I came back as soon as I got off at Yongsan Station, but I had not expected it to be popular enough for a weekend wait~ Still, registering on Catchtable and waiting for the call was much more convenient than standing in front of the restaurant with no plan~~ Especially if you have something else to do around Yongsan Station, it is nice to make some use of that waiting time!!

I had it after a movie—so why was I thinking about it again?

Hyeonseonine apparently began as a pocha (street-food tent) in 2004 and now runs eight directly managed locations. Maybe because it has been around for so long, I had heard the name before, but on my first visit I simply stopped by after a movie because I was hungry. Then I took one bite of the tteokbokki and it was far more delicious than I expected❕❕ It is spicy but sweet, the kind of flavor that makes you keep reaching back in⁉️ I also remember thinking that it would be really good with beer, haha.

So this time, since I had come back comfortably by KTX and did not have a car, I thought, let’s just have something delicious and a drink today⁉️ The restaurant had a comfortable atmosphere for a meal, and it looked like a nice place to stop for something simple after a movie or while spending time near Yongsan Station, just like I did~~!!

How to order the Hyeonseonine Set

Order at the kiosk, then pick up whatever you need from the self-service bar.

After sitting down, I ordered at the kiosk~ The menu I chose was the Hyeonseonine Set! It lets you have several things at once, from tteokbokki to assorted fritters, gimbap (seaweed rice roll), and sundae (Korean blood sausage), so I ordered it without a second thought~~ You can adjust the tteokbokki spice level to your taste, and for the sundae, I asked to have only sundae and liver. I like sundae too, but that day I was especially craving liver, haha.

Once I had ordered, I went to the self-service bar and picked up what I needed. At a Korean snack restaurant like this, I think it is actually more convenient to take only as much as you want‼️ I came back to the table and waited for the food; as the dishes gradually filled the table, the real eating show began :)

Why I ordered the Hyeonseonine Set—and beer

Why ordering the Hyeonseonine Set led to ordering beer, too.

What I ordered that day was the Hyeonseonine Set‼️ You can adjust the tteokbokki spice level, and it comes with assorted fritters, gimbap, and sundae‼️‼️ When just one dish of tteokbokki feels a little lacking and you want several things together, a set like this is perfect⁉️ I am especially someone who cannot leave fritters out when I eat tteokbokki, haha, so seeing assorted fritters alongside it already made my mouth water~ Just so you know, the fritters cannot be changed. And with gimbap and sundae, the table filled up in no time~~ Every item is tasty on its own, but it is so fun dipping this and that into the tteokbokki sauce, right!?

I started with the tteokbokki, and it was exactly the flavor I remembered‼️ It was spicy and sweet at once, boldly seasoned but so moreish that I thought, ah, this is why I came back, hahaha. I had tteokbokki, picked up a fritter, took a bite of gimbap, then dipped it back into the tteokbokki sauce—and I just could not put my chopsticks down⁉️ Sometimes even a place I thought was delicious can feel different when I revisit it, but on this second visit I understood even more clearly why I had loved it the first time‼️‼️ So in the end, I ordered beer..🍺 Hahahahahaha.

Do tteokbokki and beer always go this well together?

Tteokbokki and beer—has this always been such a happy pairing?

Actually, ordering beer was not part of the plan that day (??) haha. I was going to finish neatly with the tteokbokki and set menu. But as I ate, I suddenly wanted beer so badly❕ Especially because I had taken the KTX after traveling out of town and had not brought a car⁉️ Usually I would think, no, I have to drive today, but with no car that day❔ I could relax and have a drink, and that made me so happy, haha. One bite of tteokbokki, one sip of beer.

One fritter, one sip of beer. This went together far better than I expected❔❔ It made me wonder why I had discovered tteokmaek—tteokbokki and beer—so late. The tteokbokki was spicy-sweet, the beer was cold, and with a fritter in between, it was a combination that kept me eating~~🍺 I was a little tired after my trip that day, but a delicious plate of tteokbokki and a beer made me forget that tiredness for a moment🍺🍺 I thought to myself, ah, this is exactly what a delicious meal after a trip feels like. . .🍺🍺🍺

A full spread with fritter crumbs, sundae, and liver

After having the tteokbokki, I also added the fritter crumbs I had brought from the self-service bar into the tteokbokki sauce. It was a surprisingly special treat⁉️ The crumbs made the sauce taste nutty and gave it a crisp texture, so it was a different experience from having the sauce on its own~ I already love dipping fritters into tteokbokki sauce, but adding the crumbs made me want to keep spooning up the sauce itself, haha.

And that day, just as I asked, I had only sundae and liver. Having only sundae and liver actually made it nice to eat with the tteokbokki, and the mild, clean taste of the liver worked quite well with the spicy-sweet tteokbokki❕❕❕

And of course, gimbap could not be left out! I ordered the basic gimbap, and it was satisfyingly filling with the tteokbokki❕ Tteokbokki alone might feel a little incomplete, but with gimbap it was enough for a full meal; alternating bites with fritters and liver made it fun to work through everything on the table❕ I had come straight here after arriving at Yongsan Station from out of town, so I was quite hungry tooㅠㅠ Maybe that is why the food tasted even better.

A bite of tteokbokki, a bite of gimbap, a fritter dipped in tteokbokki sauce, then a piece of liver—at first I thought one set would surely be enough, but my chopsticks never stopped moving, haha. Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch is no longer just a tteokbokki place I visited once: I remembered it from that movie outing, then thought of it again as soon as I got off at Yongsan Station and came back❕❕ If you are looking for something simple after a movie in Yongsan, or crave spicy-sweet tteokbokki near Yongsan Station when you are hungry, you might end up thinking of Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch like I do⁉️ Most of all, since I had traveled by KTX without a car that day, I could have a beer with delicious tteokbokki, and it made for a very happy evening for me ♡ One last question: tteokmaek really is this good, right? 🍺🌶️ I truly discovered it that day, haha. If I go to Yongsan again, I will probably think of it once more.