Chuseok songpyeon bulk orders at Cheongju rice cake shop Tteokmama

For anyone in Cheongju agonizing over what to prepare for a baekilttoek (100-day rice cake) or dolttoek (first birthday rice cake) set, let me introduce a rice cake shop that will absolutely get you compliments for return-gift and custom rice cakes. The Cheongju rice cake shop I'm introducing is Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch.

I visited to check the taste of songpyeon (half-moon rice cakes) before placing my Chuseok order. Spoiler: if you prepare your return-gift rice cakes from Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch, you're guaranteed compliments.

Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch

• Address: 13 Bokdae-ro, 1st floor, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 08:30–21:00, open even on Chuseok
• Group orders, takeout, delivery, reservations, return-gift rice cakes, parking

Where is Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch, and where do you park?

Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch is located about 100m from Gaesin Seonghwa intersection toward Gaesin Nonghyup, occupying the entire first floor of Geumwon Building on Bokdae-ro. When you need custom return-gift rice cakes in Cheongju, this is a no-brainer stop.

With Gaesin-dong Prugio apartments and Seonghwa-dong Hyundai apartments nearby, it's also the go-to Cheongju custom rice cake shop for nearby residents ordering dolttoek and baekilttoek without a second thought.

They're taking reservations for Chuseok songpyeon with the holiday coming up soon, so if you need songpyeon for the harvest festival, don't forget to order ahead. My totally unscientific theory is that if orders pile up, they might close early!! But here's reassuring news — Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch is open with no days off during this Chuseok holiday, so even if you forget to reserve, you might still be able to buy songpyeon and other rice cakes on the day!!

For parking, you get 3 hours free if you use the building's underground parking lot. If you're just picking up a pre-ordered order, parking on the side streets around the building should also work. According to the store's signage, roadside parking is available at lunchtime 11:30–12:00, and on weekends and holidays you can park roadside anytime without worry.

A sign that caught my eye before entering the store said 'Pregnant Woman Happy Business' and 'Cheongju City Moamoa Designated Business,' so expectant moms can shop here with peace of mind, and keep coming back for dolttoek and baekilttoek orders after giving birth too.

More rice cake café than neighborhood rice cake shop

I was genuinely surprised when I opened the door at Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch. I went in expecting a typical neighborhood rice cake shop, but this place is honestly good enough to be called a rice cake café — a Cheongju event rice cake shop that doubles as a rice cake café.

One item I highly recommend for Cheongju event rice cakes is the owner's ambitious new menu item, pizza seolgi (pizza-topped rice cake). It apparently became a hit product the moment it launched. Great as a kids' snack and hearty enough as a meal replacement when you're hungry — if you visit Tteokmama, don't forget to grab some pizza seolgi... (warning: it's delicious!!)

Even though I visited relatively early in the morning, the rice cakes were selling out as fast as they came out, so the selection wasn't huge. Customers kept coming in the whole time I was choosing rice cakes. Meanwhile, in true blogger spirit, I diligently photographed all the rice cakes on display.

How the Chuseok songpyeon tasted — mom's instant OK

The item that caught my eye most at Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch was definitely the songpyeon. Since I was planning a bulk order for the harvest festival, I needed to taste-test first and get my mom's approval. Spoiler: the moment my mom tasted it, she placed the order right then and there.

• Mugwort gaeddeok ₩4,000
• Mosi-songpyeon (kidney bean) ₩5,000
• Five-color sesame songpyeon ₩8,000
• Long bean songpyeon ₩5,000
• Yaksik ₩4,500
• Tri-color dutteok ₩4,000
• Four-color gyeongdan ₩3,500
• Bite-size kkulddeok ₩2,000

Injeolmi flavors at Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch

• Black sesame injeolmi ₩4,400
• Bean powder injeolmi ₩4,000
• Mugwort bean powder injeolmi ₩4,000
• Castella injeolmi ₩4,000
• Mini choco injeolmi ₩4,000
• Baekseolgi ₩1,800

Traditional sweets too: kkwabaegi and honey yakgwa

As a Cheongju rice cake shop, baekilttoek and dolttoek sets are the best sellers, but Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch also sells traditional sweets like old-style sweet rice kkwabaegi (twisted donuts), honey yakgwa, salted yakgwa, and walnut gangjeong, giving those planning harvest festival gifts more options.

Especially the kkwabaegi and honey yakgwa are loved not just by parents but by kids too, making them a great choice for an after-school snack.

Packaging and cleanliness inside the Cheongju rice cake shop

Among Cheongju rice cake shops, Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch — my recommendation for all baekilttoek, dolttoek and event rice cakes — has really clean packaging, and they seem to pay close attention to store cleanliness too, with display shelves that are spotless.

The fruit mochi gift set, which needs to be refrigerated, was kept nicely in the rice cake fridge. The fruit mochi looked so pretty that I figured you'd want to see it, so I recorded it carefully on video.

Chaltteok cake and butter rice cake made to order

Tteokmama Gaesin Branch, the number-one Cheongju rice cake shop in my book, also takes orders for cakes to celebrate special occasions. Looking at the photos, ordering a chaljjuk cake to mark Parents' Day or a parent's birthday would surely move them. Next year for my parents' birthdays, I'm planning to order a Tteokmama chaljjuk cake instead of a regular cake.

The butter rice cake, which was trendy a while back and still gets great reactions, is also available at Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch. I haven't tried their butter rice cake myself, but after tasting several other items, I've come to trust that everything Tteokmama makes is high quality. So the butter rice cake is guaranteed to be sweet and delicious too, no question. Haha.

I brought home freshly made songpyeon, pizza seolgi, baekseolgi, and mosi-songpyeon, still warm.

Why return-gift rice cakes now go to Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch

Maybe it's because they're the go-to recommendation for return-gift rice cakes in Cheongju, but after tasting several kinds at home, I've decided Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch is where I'll settle for return-gift rice cake orders from now on. This Chuseok's songpyeon is settled with Tteokmama Cheongju Gaesin Branch too — whatever rice cake it is from now on, I'm officially a Tteokmama fan.