IFC Mall snack bar lunch in Yeouido: medium broth set, Hyeonseonine

When you miss the tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) you ate as a kid, this is the Yeouido spot to go to! "Hyeonseonine Tteokbokki"

Where is Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch? Hours and parking

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch (현선이네 프리미엄 IFC몰점) is on the L2 level of IFC Mall's North Pavilion, about 250 meters from Exit 3 of Yeouido Station (Lines 5 and 6). It is open Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 and Sat–Sun 12:00–21:00, with last order at 20:40.

Since it's inside IFC Mall, you can shop, eat, and rest with tea at a café, so on a hot summer day a restaurant in a big shopping mall is just wonderful ♡ There's a Youngpoong Bookstore and a digital store too, so on weekdays lots of families come with their kids.

• Dine-in, takeout and delivery are all available
• Free parking time depends on how much you spend
• 1 hour free with ₩20,000+ purchase, 2 hours free with ₩40,000+, so keep your shopping receipts!

Kiosk ordering and a tidy self-service corner at Hyeonseonine Premium

At Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch you order at a kiosk, then grab what you need yourself from the self-service corner.

After ordering at the kiosk and sitting down, I spotted the self-service corner, so I picked up a bit of this and that while waiting for the tteokbokki.

Why is Hyeonseonine tteokbokki so popular?

Hyeonseonine Tteokbokki reportedly started as a street stall in Yongsan and has sold tteokbokki in the same spot for over 20 years. They say it now runs 8 company-owned branches, and nothing else.

Running only directly owned branches, you can feel the pride they take in it. Keeping the same taste for 20-plus years and still being popular is seriously impressive. That's more than enough time for the mountains and rivers to change twice over!

What's in the Hyeonseonine set, and how big is it?

The Hyeonseonine set comes with tteokbokki, chewy sundae (Korean blood sausage), mini gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and fried snacks, and it was a really hearty amount for two people. I had a soft drink, but they sell draft beer too.

I couldn't gauge the amount at first, but as I ate I realized it's way too much for two to finish~ It would also be nice to enjoy the Hyeonseonine set when you're thirsty, as dinner, or with draft beer ^^

How many tteokbokki spice levels are there? Medium-spice review

Hyeonseonine's tteokbokki comes in 4 spice levels: mild, medium, spicy and extra spicy. I chose medium, and it was an excellent choice!!!

Are these wheat rice cakes or rice rice cakes? Why are they so good? Hyeonseonine tteokbokki shows off the real essence of old-style broth tteokbokki ♡ And why is the sauce in the broth so delicious~ I couldn't put my spoon down! It's exactly the tteokbokki I loved as a kid, I'm going to cry, I really am 😂

Are Hyeonseonine's fried snacks worth ordering?

If you come to Hyeonseonine for an IFC Yeouido lunch, you have to get the fried snacks (twigim)! The batter and the fritters are truly art, crispy, thin and nutty, so my hand just keeps going back for more~ You'd be a fool not to eat them~

You can dip them in the tteokbokki broth, dip them in soy sauce, eat them however you like, and personally I loved them plain with nothing at all too, haha. Fritter love

Chewy sundae dipped in salt

The chewy sundae in the Hyeonseonine set is springy and tasty, haha. I was already so moved by the tteokbokki and fritters that I just assumed the sundae would be clean, with no off smell, and chewy, haha. Dip it in salt rather than the tteokbokki broth and you'll really appreciate how good it is~

Mini gimbap with a rich sesame oil aroma

Hyeonseonine's mini gimbap is the best I've ever had! The sesame oil aroma is so strong that I was startled. They must use good ingredients, that's why it's this delicious ♡ When you're eating slightly spicy tteokbokki, one of these mini gimbap makes your mouth happy.

Verdict: is Hyeonseonine Premium a good Yeouido IFC Mall lunch?

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch gets five stars for both taste and value. There's not much to say about atmosphere, but being inside IFC Mall earns it five stars for location.

You can enjoy old-style tteokbokki with draft beer, so I'd count it among the go-to Yeouido IFC spots for family, couples, friends and coworkers alike. By the way, several foreign guests came in while I was eating, so it really is an IFC Yeouido favorite.

You can also charge your phone behind the kiosk, so you can feed your phone a meal while you eat, haha.