Tteokbokki bar in Yeouido IFC Mall vs Yongsan original: Hyeonseonine

What is Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch?

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch (현선이네 프리미엄 IFC몰점) is a tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and Korean snack bar on the B2 floor of IFC Mall in Yeouido. It's the place everyone thinks of when they say Yeouido tteokbokki, so I finally went!

I always pass it when I stop by IFC Mall or before heading to The Hyundai Seoul, and it's always packed. I kept wondering, how good can snack food possibly be to keep drawing crowds like that??

Location, hours and parking

The address is B2, IFC Mall, 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (lot-number address: 23 Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu). It's open daily 11:00-21:00, with last order at 20:40.

There was no information on parking.

Is it different from the Yongsan main branch?

The system at the IFC Mall branch was almost the same as the Yongsan main branch. Every table has an induction cooktop, and you fetch your own water, pickled radish, soy sauce, salt and small plates.

Anyone else curious what the difference is between the Yeouido tteokbokki place and Yongsan?? I've been to the Yongsan main branch too, and I couldn't see any difference. The induction cooktop on each table keeps the freshly cooked tteokbokki warm for a long time, and the self-serve setup for water, pickled radish, soy sauce, salt and small plates was the same too.

Menu and how to order

The menu was no different from the regular branches either. You order at a kiosk, sit down, and the food comes out quickly.

It's an open kitchen so you can watch everything, and I'd say they're basically warming up snacks that were already fried.

• Hyeonseonine Set
• Hyeonseonine Combo Set
• Baby Set (a set where you get half portions)
• Sunny Set (tteokbokki, fried snacks and sundae only)
• Ramyeon, cheese ramyeon, spicy ramyeon
• Hyeonseonine Beer Set

So many kinds of snack food to choose from!

Hyeonseonine Set for ₩23,000: portion and contents

The Hyeonseonine Set costs ₩23,000 and comes with tteokbokki, sundae (Korean blood sausage), fried snacks and mini gimbap (seaweed rice rolls). It was just the right amount for two people.

At this Yeouido branch I ordered the Hyeonseonine Set! At the Yongsan main branch I had the Combo Set, and the fish cakes were so huge and the portion so big that I couldn't finish it, which felt like such a waste. The regular set turned out to be a decent compromise.

Soy sauce and salt from the self-serve bar, plus pickled radish! Nicely salty and tasty. They come in sealed packs and containers, so it feels hygienic and I could eat without worrying :)

The Hyeonseonine Set at this snack bar near The Hyundai is made up of tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks and mini gimbap! The amount and combination were just right for two people.

A difference from the main branch: they don't ask which sundae cuts you want

The one thing I didn't like: at the Yongsan main branch they asked how I wanted my sundae assorted, but the IFC Mall branch didn't seem to, so sadly ㅜㅜ lung, which I don't eat, got added too... But the other food was so generous that it kind of made up for it..?!

Also, the Hyeonseonine Set doesn't include fish cakes, but they still give you a big bowl full of fish cake broth haha. It was great to sip whenever the snacks made me choke a bit.

How spicy is the medium tteokbokki?

You can choose the tteokbokki spice level from not spicy, medium or spicy. I went with medium, and it was milder than at the Yongsan main branch.

The tteokbokki sauce at this Yeouido spot is really delicious too~! Though maybe I'm just imagining it..? haha The rice cakes are wheat-based, so they're chewy and bouncy, with a great bite!

How were the sundae, liver, mini gimbap and fried snacks?

Dipping sundae lightly in salt is the gold standard, but the tteokbokki sauce here is so good that you can soak it in the sauce and never get tired of it!!

The liver was a bit dry and not very moist, which was a letdown, but it was nutty and mild enough to eat.

The gimbap is mini, but it has everything inside: ham, pickled radish, egg and vegetables. It's tasty on its own, but the true winning combo is dipping it in the tteokbokki sauce!! At a Yeouido tteokbokki place like this, everything seems inseparable from the tteokbokki haha

The fried snacks had been fried a while ago and weren't very crispy, which was a shame, but the plus side is that they warmed them up so I could eat them hot. There was a mix of vegetable fritters, sweet potato, pepper, gimmari (glass noodle seaweed rolls) and squid fritters, so I really ate until I was about to burst(?).

Is Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch worth a visit?

If you're looking for tidy interiors, generous portions and a good combination of snacks in Yeouido near The Hyundai, try Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch! It's the Yeouido IFC directly run branch carrying on the legacy of Yongsan's Hyeonseonine, one of Korea's top three tteokbokki spots.