Euljiro snack bar with tabletop induction tteokbokki: Hyeonseoni-ne

Hyeonseoni-ne is an old-school-vibe tteokbokki spot near Euljiro-ipgu Station where you can eat like it's a decades-old joint. I was so happy to find Hyeonseoni-ne, famous in Yongsan for its spicy tteokbokki, right here in Euljiro-ipgu! The location is genuinely unusual — I was following the map thinking "wait, is this actually a restaurant...?" but it was packed with people, which honestly blew my mind haha.

Next to Mega Coffee at Euljiro-ipgu Station exit 3, order via alley kiosk

Hyeonseoni-ne is about a 1-minute walk from Euljiro-ipgu Station (Line 2) exit 3. It's set in this little leftover sliver of space right next to Mega Coffee — I was so surprised this counted as a storefront...!! On top of that, the actual seating area inside looks kind of like a street food tent, and to get there you order at a kiosk right at the mouth of the alley hahaha.

What's on the menu

The menu board at Hyeonseoni-ne, a Cheonggyecheon tteokbokki favorite. They serve instant tteokbokki, meaning you get to enjoy it bubbling away right at your table. Instant tteokbokki requires a minimum order of two servings, and you can add all kinds of extra ingredients — great! Alongside the instant version they also sell regular tteokbokki plates plus a bunch of other snack bar items: assorted fried snacks, handmade sundae (Korean blood sausage), mini gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), tuna mayo rice balls, Busan long fish cake skewers, fried rice cake, Pikachu-shaped pork cutlet, fried fish cake, ramyeon, and more — great for a group. I haven't seen a Pikachu pork cutlet in ages!! haha They also serve alcohol, and sure enough, plenty of people around me were pairing their instant tteokbokki with a cold draft beer. Hyeonseoni-ne also bundles its signature items into set menus, so it's worth ordering based on your group size and taste.

A street-tent-like shop squeezed between buildings, 20 seats and a wait

The reason I was so taken aback by the exterior is that it genuinely looked like an outdoor street food tent haha. It seems to be built into leftover space between two buildings, which made me wonder if this could even be legally permitted... yet somehow it was still packed with people!?!? The space fits around 20 people, and when we arrived it was completely full, so we ended up waiting to get in — wow.

Even though the space isn't big, I was so excited to be able to eat the famously spicy tteokbokki from Hyeonseoni-ne, a Yongsan favorite! They've made good use of the tight space with a spot to grab your own cutlery and pickled radish.

I always have to have pickled radish with my tteokbokki haha. Leave a review on Naver, Kakao, or Google and they'll give you a free fried rice cake or a savory mayo rice ball, so definitely take part!

Add the Busan skewered fish cake into the tteokbokki

Before the instant tteokbokki arrived, out came a great appetizer: Busan skewered fish cake. Not the mushy, waterlogged kind — this had a nice springy, chewy bite, great! For reference, this skewered fish cake is tasty on its own, but it got even better later once I dropped it into the instant tteokbokki!!!!

Medium-spicy instant tteokbokki for two, simmered on the induction burner

Even though the shop is small, Hyeonseoni-ne, a great Cheonggyecheon date spot, has an induction burner at every single table. We ordered the medium-spicy instant tteokbokki for two.

Cabbage might just be the one thing you can't leave out of an instant tteokbokki haha. On top of that, there were crispy fried dumplings piled on too.

I firmly believe wheat rice cake wins over rice rice cake every time. Wheat rice cake, fish cake, and even jjolmyeon (chewy noodle) add-ins!!! — I was so happy haha.

I've eaten a ridiculous amount of food in my life, but if I had to pick just one dish to eat before I die, I'd pick tteokbokki without a second thought....!! Anyway, I actually took Hyeonseoni-ne's instant tteokbokki home a few weeks ago from their Yeouido branch and cooked it up myself, but food like this really does taste better simmered fresh at the actual restaurant?! So my expectations kept climbing. The spicy aroma hitting me only made me more excited!

How spicy is "medium" really?

The sauce gave off a spicy aroma, and even the medium spice level packed a real kick on the first bite. I'd originally planned to order it at the spicy level, but the staff genuinely warned me it was seriously hot, so I switched to medium haha. Anyway, the soft, chewy wheat rice cake combined with the spicy, savory, deeply flavorful sauce was so good!!!! The fried dumplings, soaked through with sauce, were also amazing haha.

Cooking it fresh right there on the induction burner made it taste even better — Hyeonseoni-ne's instant tteokbokki, an old-school favorite near Euljiro-ipgu Station.

Mashing up the boiled egg that comes with Hyeonseoni-ne's instant tteokbokki and mixing it into the sauce is so good!!! The portion was so big that I couldn't fit in fried rice afterward even though I was full, but I had such a great, satisfying meal of properly spicy instant tteokbokki at this Euljiro-ipgu favorite. I'll have to check out the original Yongsan location soon!!!! haha

Shop info

• Name: Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch (현선이네 청계즉석점)
• Address: 112 Namdaemun-ro, 1st floor, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (next to Mega Coffee)
• Hours: Weekdays 10:40–21:00 / Closed weekends