Yongsan tteokbokki combo with liver-only sundae: Hyeonseonine

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, the original tteokbokki shop on Yongridan-gil

Visited Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch after work. It's the closest branch to my place, so I come here often. Besides the Yongsan location, there are also branches at IFC Mall in Yeouido and near Cheonggyecheon. But ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Yongsan is the main branch ⭐️⭐️⭐️

How long is the wait at Hyeonseonine the evening before a holiday?

I'd never had to wait at Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch before, but since it was the evening before a holiday, I put my name down on Catch Table for the first time. Waited about 5 minutes before getting in — since it's tteokbokki, turnover is fast and the place is fairly big, so even with a wait you get seated quickly, which was nice. (Around 6:30pm on a weekday evening)

How ordering works at Hyeonseonine

⭐️Fast ordering tip⭐️ After being shown to your table, go to the kiosk and order. Pickled radish, small plates, soy sauce, salt etc. are all self-serve.

What comes in the Hyeonseonine Combo Set, and why we picked medium spice

You can order à la carte or go with a set — my boyfriend and I got the Hyeonseonine Combo Set. It comes with 3 squiggly fish cakes, tteokbokki, mini gimbap, assorted fritters and sundae. You can also choose the spice level for the tteokbokki (mild, medium, or spicy) — we picked medium.

Order through the kiosk right by the entrance, and the food gets brought straight to your table.

The self-serve bar, down to fried flakes for the fish cake broth

The self-serve bar is right next to the kiosk — soy sauce, salt, pickled radish, small plates, disposable aprons and more. There were even fried flakes you could add to the fish cake broth. Add them to the fish cake broth that comes with the set and it's absolute heaven.

There's also a review event where you get a tteokbokki size-up or a slushie for writing a Naver Place review, so while you're waiting for your food, make sure to write one and claim the freebie... 😁👍

The combo set arrived 3 minutes after ordering — how was it?

The food came out just 3 minutes after ordering. Plenty for two people, both in variety and portion.

Medium-spice tteokbokki at Hyeonseonine

The medium-spice tteokbokki was every bit as spicy as I imagine the spicy option would be. The rice cakes were plump and chewy with great bite, and the savory flavor came through nicely thanks to a hint of sweetness layered over the spicy base.

Mini gimbap (bite-size seaweed rice rolls)

Mini gimbap ~~~ spinach, ham, crab stick, pickled radish, even egg — packed with everything, way more filling than the name 'mini' gimbap suggests.

Three squiggly fish cakes and broth-soaked rice cake skewers

The set even includes three fish cake skewers, so we ate well and got full ~~~ You can't see it in the photo, but there were plain rice cake skewers in there too ,,,, 👍👍👍

You can ask for liver-only sundae at Hyeonseonine

Sundae usually comes with all the organs mixed in, but I asked for liver only and got just that. The sundae was sliced nice and thick too, so I happily dunked it deep into the tteokbokki broth.

The assorted fritter plate

You can't swap out the types of fritters, but the lineup happened to be all my favorites, so I enjoyed it. The batter wasn't soggy at all — crispy through and through, and even after dunking it deep into the tteokbokki broth, it stayed crisp instead of going soft, extreme crunchiness. It's fried mandu, vegetable fritter, sweet potato fritter, gimmari and fried squid, all served halved, perfect for splitting one of each between two people. Of course, my boyfriend ate all the mandu and vegetable fritters ㅠ

Drinks with your tteokbokki, and instant tteokbokki on the menu too

Plates scraped clean ,,,,, we ate well ,,,,,

They sell alcohol along with soft drinks, so it's also a great spot to have a light drink with tteokbokki as the side dish. Besides regular tteokbokki, they also have instant tteokbokki, so I'd recommend this Yongsan tteokbokki spot to anyone who loves instant tteokbokki plus fried rice too. Recommended for whenever a bunsik craving hits ~~~~