Seoul snack bar takeout after a Cheonggyecheon walk: Hyeonseoni-ne

The autumn weather has been so nice lately that downtown Seoul — Gwanghwamun, Cheonggyecheon — has been packed with people. I went last week and there were tons of tourists taking photos along the stream. Downtown Seoul is honestly really pretty this time of year.

After looking around Cheonggyecheon, I picked up dinner to go from a newly opened Cheonggyecheon snack bar (bunsik), Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch.

Where is Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch, and when is it open?

• 🏠 1F, 112 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu
• 🚇 68m from Euljiro 1-ga Station Exit 3
• 🕙 Mon–Fri 10:40–21:00
• Closed every Saturday and Sunday

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch is right next to Exit 3 of Euljiro 1-ga Station — a true station-front location. The shop sits on a corner next to Mega Coffee, so it feels a bit like finding a hidden gem. There were several office workers stopping by for an afternoon snack.

The sign for Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch catches your eye even from a distance. I've eaten at another branch before and remember it being really good.

Menu and prices at Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch has all the snacks Koreans love — tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae (Korean blood sausage), fried snacks, fish cake, gimbap (seaweed rice roll) and more. You can order individual items, or choose from a range of set menus. If you have time, they also do instant tteokbokki to eat in-store, orderable for two or more.

• Hyeonseoni Combo ₩25,000
• Hyeonseoni Set ₩23,000
• Instant tteokbokki (for 2) ₩22,000
• Sunny Set ₩18,000
• Hyeonseoni Beer Set ₩32,000

It's a small, cozy shop where you feel like you're eating delicious bunsik in a bit of a secret spot. Perfect for melting away stress as an afternoon snack for office workers around Euljiro 1-ga Station.

How did the takeout hold up on the bus ride home?

My dinner order from Cheonggyecheon's Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch this day — the packaging was so clean and well-sealed that it didn't cool down much or leak at all on the way home. I took the bus and there wasn't even any smell~~

This would be perfect for takeout or delivery to an office near Euljiro for a snack.

What comes in the 25,000 won Hyeonseoni Combo?

I ordered the Hyeonseoni Combo for ₩25,000. It's enough for two to three people, great value considering prices these days, and best of all, it includes every kind of bunsik I love without missing a single one.

Tteokbokki + sundae + fried snacks + gimbap + fish cake

It's like a gift box of assorted bunsik. The portion isn't small either, so just ordering the Hyeonseoni Combo alone is perfect for a group snack.

Tteokbokki at medium spice

You can adjust the spice level of the tteokbokki when ordering. I went with mild-medium~~ If tteokbokki isn't spicy enough, it loses flavor. Mild-medium is spicy enough while letting the savory umami of the tteokbokki sauce soak nicely into the rice cakes and fish cake.

The signature dish at Cheonggyecheon's Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch — tteokbokki~~ You can tell from the look of it just how rich that broth is.

Assorted fried snacks

The fried snacks (twigim) come as an assortment of squid, vegetables, sweet potato, and gimmari (fried seaweed rolls). Dipping them in the tteokbokki broth is that savory combo anyone who ate bunsik back in school days can fully relate to.

Mini gimbap (bite-size seaweed rice rolls)

Mini gimbap. I worried dinner might feel a bit light with just bunsik from Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch, but can't have anyone going hungry~~ and there's delicious mini gimbap too. I would've been so disappointed without the mini gimbap.

It's plain gimbap with no special fillings, so why is it this good?

Squiggly fish cake in broth

Squiggly fish cake (kkobuli-eomuk). The broth didn't leak at all and was still nicely warm — slurping that broth~~ and there's the fun of biting off pieces of the squiggly fish cake.

Sundae (blood sausage) with liver and offal

The sundae (Korean blood sausage) comes packed with glutinous rice sundae along with liver and organ meat. I really love dry, crumbly liver, and bunsik just isn't complete without sundae~~ it has that addictive flavor that makes you eat every last piece.

Walking distance from Cheonggyecheon stream and Gwanghwamun

This newly opened Cheonggyecheon snack bar, Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch, is close enough to walk to from Cheonggyecheon and Euljiro, as well as Gwanghwamun and Jongno.

Picking up the Hyeonseoni Combo, a delicious assorted bunsik set, and enjoying autumn nearby would be lovely all the way into late fall.