Cheongju snack bar for tteokbokki and beer: Bubu Duri Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki is delicious as a snack on its own, but I secretly love it as a beer snack too, haha. A crisp fried snack dipped in sweet-spicy tteokbokki broth, followed by a cool sip of beer—such a perfect pairing•••🧡

Bubu Duri Tteokbokki started as a pojangmacha (Korean street-food tent) and has been a Cheongju tteokbokki spot for 20 years. I used to eat at its Bongmyeong-dong location from time to time! Back then, I would finish my first round somewhere else, then come here for a second round of tteokbokki and beer, and I really remembered how good it was. When I heard the Geumcheon branch had opened, I had to go—and oh, it was exactly the flavor I remembered. So happy🥹

Location and parking at Bubu Duri Tteokbokki Cheongju Geumcheon Branch

• 1F, 32 Sanseong-ro 98beon-gil, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea
• Tue–Sat 12:00–02:00 / Sun 12:00–24:00
• Closed every Monday
• Geumcheon Building underground parking available

Bubu Duri Tteokbokki Cheongju Geumcheon Branch is on the first floor of Geumcheon Building at Geumcheon Square, right next to Wichim. If you often pass through Geumcheon Square, it is easy enough to find—and best of all, parking is available. The entrance down to the Geumcheon Building underground parking lot is right beside the restaurant, so it was convenient even when visiting by car.

A relaxed interior for Korean snacks and a beer

From outside, I expected a typical small Korean snack shop, but the inside was more spacious and tidier than I thought. There were several tables, so it felt easy to stop by alone for a simple meal, while still having a nice atmosphere for friends or couples coming for tteokbokki!

More than a place where you quickly eat tteokbokki and leave like at an ordinary snack shop, this felt like a great place to have tteokbokki, fried snacks, and a beer. It would fit nicely as a second- or third-stop drinking course in Geumcheon-dong in the evening too.

There was also a separate self-service station, so I could freely take whatever I needed. When you are eating tteokbokki, you keep reaching for danmuji (pickled radish) or side dishes, and it was convenient to take as much as I wanted without having to ask the staff, haha.

What we ordered and prices

Bubu Duri Tteokbokki is a long-running, representative Cheongju snack restaurant that began as a pojangmacha. Along with tteokbokki, it has plenty of familiar Korean snack-shop dishes, including sundae, eomuk (fish cake), and fried snacks.

• Duri Tteokbokki ₩6,000
• Chewy Sundae ₩6,000
• Fried Squid ₩4,000
• Fried Chili Peppers ₩4,000

If it is hard to choose items one by one, there are set menus with tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, eomuk, and more. A set would be a good choice when you want to try a little of everything!

Sweet-spicy Duri Tteokbokki

Duri Tteokbokki ₩6,000

Of course, when you come to Bubu Duri, you have to get the tteokbokki! It is not intensely spicy or heavily seasoned like so much delivery tteokbokki these days. It is just that sweet, mildly spicy, soupy old-school tteokbokki style I used to eat at snack shops near school🧡

There was plenty of broth, so it was nice to eat a rice cake, spoon up some broth, then thoroughly dip in a fried snack too. I had such good memories of eating at the original Bongmyeong-dong branch that I was quietly curious whether the Geumcheon branch would taste the same. One bite and—ah yes, this was the flavor🥹

Chewy Sundae ₩6,000

You would miss something if sundae was not alongside tteokbokki, right? True to its name, the chewy sundae had a great bouncy texture. It was delicious dipped in salt, but I am definitely on team tteokbokki broth, haha.

Pick up a piece of sundae, coat it generously in the red broth, and the sweet-spicy seasoning makes it even more delicious!!

Fried Squid ₩4,000

I also ordered fried squid as the designated tteokbokki-broth dipper. It was crisp outside with chewy squid inside, so it was good on its own, but fried snacks absolutely have to be dipped in soupy tteokbokki to taste their best!

I first had a bite while it was crisp, then from then on dipped it deeply into the tteokbokki broth. The sweet-spicy broth soaked into the crisp batter, making it just a little moist, and that was another delicious treat.

Fried Chili Peppers ₩4,000

And today’s kick! Fried chili peppers. They had that distinctive chili pepper aroma, with a moist filling and crisp exterior, and went incredibly well with the tteokbokki broth.

I planned to finish with only what we first ordered, but everything was so delicious as I ate, haha. In the end, I even got extra fried chili peppers to take away. They were still delicious when I ate them again at home later, which I loved—it is not a menu item that only tastes good at the restaurant.

Personally, I think Bubu Duri becomes a level more appealing when you eat it with beer. Have sweet-spicy tteokbokki, then one crisp fried chili pepper, then cleanse your palate with a cold beer••• It made me think, were Korean snack-shop foods always this excellent with drinks? Haha.

When you are craving old-school tteokbokki in Geumcheon-dong

It has a different appeal from today’s tteokbokki, where you choose a spice level and add all kinds of toppings. It is the familiar style I ate as a child, a flavor that keeps you reaching back in without feeling overwhelming! If you are craving old-school soupy tteokbokki in Geumcheon-dong, Cheongju, or looking around Geumcheon Square for a place to have Korean snacks and a casual beer rather than elaborate drinking food, I think it is worth stopping by ერთხელ :)