Yeouido IFC Mall tteokbokki: rice cakes sink when done, Hyeonseonine

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch: instant tteokbokki basics in Yeouido

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch is on B2 of IFC Mall at 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily 11:00–21:00. Takeout and delivery are both available.

I went to Hyeonseonine, a well-known instant tteokbokki (rice cake in spicy sauce) spot in Yeouido.

Part two of my Yeouido office worker restaurant picks!!! When you work in Yeouido there are tons of lunch options, but weirdly enough tteokbokki, snack food… is actually hard to find 🥹 You know those days when you and your coworkers just go "today I just want tteokbokki and fried snacks" lol. On those days the Yeouido spot I often head to is Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch! They have everything from regular tteokbokki to instant tteokbokki, which is surprisingly hard to find these days, so it's perfect when you're craving snack food♥

How to walk from Yeouido Station to IFC Mall without going outside

You can get to Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch entirely indoors, via the underground passage toward Exit 3 of Yeouido Station. Ride the moving walkway along, and right before you enter IFC Mall, look next to the GS convenience store — that's where you'll find Hyeonseonine!

What I love most is being able to move indoors without ever stepping outside from Yeouido Station! On rainy or snowy days, the second you step outside you kind of lose all motivation to go get lunch, right ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋ There are also lots of cafés nearby, so it's great for tteokbokki plus coffee in one go!

If you already know, you know — this is the very Hyeonseonine that became famous in Yongsan! I'm already on my Nth visit here, and the tteokbokki here really has that "deliciously spicy" thing going on that keeps pulling me back lol.

What's on the menu at Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch

The menu at Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch has basically everything you'd want at a snack restaurant — not just basic tteokbokki, but sundae (blood sausage), fried snacks, gimbap (seaweed rice roll), rice bowls, ramyeon, fish cake — and there's a variety of set menus for eating several things together.

And what I came here to eat that day was the instant tteokbokki!! Places that serve instant tteokbokki are surprisingly rare these days, so whenever I crave it in Yeouido, I end up coming here.

What is the seating like?

Inside there are mostly tables good for 2–4 people, and since instant tteokbokki has to be cooked right at the table, you use the seats toward the back of the store!

Right next to it there's also a communal table area that feels kind of outdoor-ish. This space isn't exclusive to Hyeonseonine — you can eat food bought from the convenience store or other nearby shops there too, so it seemed like a good option when everyone in your group wants something different.

Instant tteokbokki for two plus fish cake soup: what comes in it

We were really craving instant tteokbokki after a while, so we ordered instant tteokbokki for 2 + fish cake soup. I can never resist the tteokbokki + fish cake soup combo when eating snack food…♥

The instant tteokbokki comes out uncooked, but the basic toppings are already generously loaded in! Rice cakes, fish cake, 2 eggs, vegetables, jjolmyeon noodles, and 4 yaki-mandu dumplings! The basic setup was pretty substantial even without adding extra toppings.

Okay, now let's really get it boiling!!! Ah, it looks delicious just watching it ㅏㅠㅠㅠㅠ Keep stirring it every so often so the rice cakes and noodles don't stick to the bottom while it cooks!

How to tell when the rice cakes are fully cooked

From eating this many times, my little tip is ㅋㅋㅋㅋ — at first, as the water boils, the rice cakes puff up plump, and once those puffed-up rice cakes start to sink back down a bit, that's your sign they're almost done! Once that happens, dig in properly.

How spicy is the medium spice level?

We ordered medium spice, and it wasn't as spicy as I expected! It's a sweet tteokbokki sauce with just a touch of heat added, so for me it was a flavor I could keep eating without any pressure haha. If you want to properly enjoy Hyeonseonine's signature spicy kick, or if you generally handle spicy food well, ordering the spicy version might be a good call too.

And as you keep cooking it while eating, the broth gets thicker than at the start and the sauce really soaks into the rice cakes and jjolmyeon noodles… this is when it's truly delicious ㅠㅠㅠ Eat a rice cake, slurp some jjolmyeon, mash up an egg in the middle to coat it in sauce, and finish by dipping the yaki-mandu in too… that's the end♥ The toppings were also generous enough that two of us eating the 2-person instant tteokbokki ended up with just the right amount!

Is it a good lunch spot for Yeouido office workers?

Picking a lunch menu while working is its own daily task, and sometimes you want a proper snack-food meal instead of Korean food or salad. On those days, Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch is the place I often head to with my coworkers! You can walk there entirely indoors from Yeouido Station, so it's convenient even on bad-weather days, and the menu ranges from regular tteokbokki to instant tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, and gimbap, so it's also great for lunch with a group.

What I like best is being able to get instant tteokbokki, which is rare these days, right in Yeouido lol. If you're looking for a lunch spot for Yeouido office workers or a restaurant in IFC Mall, give this a try on a day you're craving snack food♥