Bokdae-dong rice cake shop for Chuseok songpyeon: Tteokmidang

Chuseok is coming up, so lately I've been craving songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes) more than usual — especially the kind packed with sesame filling. Looking for a Cheongju rice cake shop, I ended up visiting Tteokmidang Cheongju.

If you're into custom rice cakes in Cheongju and looking into both holiday songpyeon and thank-you rice cakes, pay attention — they're already taking Chuseok songpyeon reservations.

Where is Tteokmidang in Bokdae-dong, and is there parking?

Tteokmidang Cheongju is on Jikjidae-ro 240beon-gil in Bokdae-dong, and there's a proper parking lot right beside the store, which made visiting easy. Most rice cake shops are tucked inside markets, which is honestly a bit inconvenient — carrying rice cakes out through parking hassles and alleys and all that. In that sense, Tteokmidang in Bokdae-dong was easy to find and get to.

There are a lot of rice cake varieties to order. You can also order organic sikhye (sweet rice punch) alongside.

Tteokmidang's 24-piece custom gift set and how to reserve it

Walking into the store, I saw two boxes of the day's 24-piece custom gift set already packed. They were full of yeongyangtteok (nutritious rice cake) and yaksik (sweet glutinous rice with nuts) and looked so delicious — I thought I'd have to try the yeongyangtteok next time.

I ordered five-color songpyeon 1kg for home along with thank-you rice cakes. Tteokmidang takes advance reservations, and snack rice cakes can be ordered from 1 day ahead up to a minimum of 2 hours before pickup, so it would work fine even if you need something on short notice. If you're in Bokdae-dong or Bihadong and need rice cakes as a snack for kids or adults, this is a good place to stop by.

The 16-piece rice cake gift set and bojagi wrapping

There was also a 16-piece box gift set for Cheongju rice cake gifts — good for a small family or a gift that isn't too heavy-handed.

Using the bojagi (wrapping cloth) wrapping gives it a more elegant look, too.

For a different reservation, custom rice cakes made for a grandmother's birthday were on display — seeing the persimmon-shaped rice cake in red, I thought the grandmother would love it.

How much is the organic sikhye at Tteokmidang?

Tteokmidang Cheongju also sells organic sikhye, which makes a great drink to pair with rice cakes. A cup of sikhye is ₩800, and a large bottle is ₩8,000.

The owner threw in an extra sikhye and a piece of siru-tteok (steamed layered rice cake) alongside my order for me to try.

Five-color songpyeon, 1kg: how the sesame filling tastes

The five-color songpyeon I ordered came out to about 40 pieces per 1kg. I liked it even more knowing they use 100% domestic non-glutinous rice. The colors were so vibrant they made the table look festive.

There's a wide range of thank-you rice cake packaging and compositions. The clean packaging would work great for handing out at the office, too.

Once unwrapped, the five-color songpyeon was glossy and smooth-looking.

But most of all, the taste was really good —

The outside was chewy yet soft to bite into. Since I picked them up right on order time, the flavor was top-notch. Inside was packed with sesame filling, so a nutty, sweet taste filled my mouth. +_+ It's great with a cup of tea, and just as good as a quick snack when you're feeling peckish. Thanks to the vibrant colors, I think everyone would love having these on the Chuseok table.

Both the thank-you rice cakes and the sikhye tasted great — handy as a snack for kids before hagwon (private academy), or as a quick breakfast substitute on busy mornings!

When thank-you rice cakes from Tteokmidang make sense

Tteokmidang Cheongju's thank-you rice cakes are individually wrapped in pieces small enough to hand out without feeling like too much, so they seemed good for saying thanks or preparing for an event. The compositions are so varied that you can pick according to the recipient or the mood of the occasion. People give these out a lot after dol (first birthday) parties, too. ^^

Cheongju in particular is home to companies like SK Hynix, LG Energy Solution, LG H&H, Ecopro, and Ecopro BM, so this seemed useful for company events, staff snacks, or gifts for visitors too.

What to know before ordering Chuseok songpyeon

If you're on the hunt for songpyeon ahead of Chuseok, I'd recommend Tteokmidang Cheongju among Cheongju rice cake shops. The sesame filling in the songpyeon was packed so full that, personally, it was the best I've had. If you're looking for a Cheongju rice cake shop, keep this in mind when preparing holiday songpyeon or thank-you rice cakes.

Even if you haven't ordered ahead, snack rice cakes (sold in plastic cups) can be ordered up to a minimum of 2 hours before, so it's worth inquiring based on when you need them. They don't always keep rice cakes ready in stock for walk-ins, so I'd recommend a Naver reservation or calling the store.

• Same-day order, same-day delivery, same-day pickup available
• Hours: Mon–Sat 07:00–16:00
• Unmanned pickup available after 16:00
• Orders possible via official website and Naver Reservation