Kiosk-order squid fritters dipped in tteokbokki broth: Hyeonseoni-ne

Today I'm introducing a place near Euljiro-ip-gu Station: Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch (현선이네 청계즉석점)!

Closed Saturdays and Sundays / Mon–Fri 10:30 AM – 9:00 PM

Blue building exterior and kiosk ordering

First let me show you the outside of the shop! It's a vivid blue building that catches your eye from far away. There's a huge sign spanning the second floor that says 'Hyeonseoni-ne Tteokbokki' with a cute character drawn on it ✨ Next to it are illustrations of Seoul landmarks, giving the whole place a super cute, nostalgic feel! 🥰

By the entrance there's a menu board and an ordering kiosk. The kiosk screen kindly says 'order here' in both Korean and English! There are big 'dine-in' and 'takeout' buttons, so ordering was really easy 👍 Kiosk ordering is the trend these days, isn't it! 😉

If you look closely at the menu board, it's packed with everything from single items to set menus to instant menus! You can choose tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) in spicy, medium, or mild 🌶️ There are also tons of perfect bunsik combos like hand-made sundae (blood sausage), assorted fried snacks, and mini gimbap 🤤 The set menu lineup is especially great! From the Hyeonseoni Beer Set to the Hyeonseoni Combo Set, Hyeonseoni Set, Sunny Set, and Baby Set — so much fun picking based on group size or taste 💖

Inside the shop

Going further in, the kitchen is open so you get a peek at the cooking process 🧑‍🍳 The stainless steel shelves have dishes and ingredients neatly organized, which gave me a lot of confidence ✨ There's another big menu board on the wall so you can check the menu from anywhere!

The hall has a lively market-street vibe while still feeling warm and inviting! The tables aren't spaced far apart, but that's exactly the vibe for chatting loudly with a friend over food 😉 When we went there were quite a few customers, so it was bustling! It has a slight pojangmacha (street tent bar) feel too — eating tteokbokki while feeling the Cheonggyecheon breeze sounds amazing 🌬️ We just sat at an inside table, but next time I want to try the tented outdoor seating! 😉

The menu board

The menu board hangs big and clean above the kitchen, so it was really easy to choose. It's broadly divided into single items, sets, instant menus, and drinks/alcohol ✨

Self-serve bar

On one side of the shop, there's a self-serve bar neatly set up under hot pink neon signs 💖 It really brings out that hip pojangmacha feel, which put me in a good mood! It was hygienically well managed too, so I could grab what I needed with peace of mind.

What's in the Hyeonseoni Combo Set (₩25,000)

When you go for tteokbokki, you want sundae too... and fried snacks too... and gimbap with hot fish cake soup, can't skip that either... I'm not the only one, right?! Seeing the tray come out completely full was so touching 🥹 The combo set we ordered arrived, and the visuals were exactly my type! Everything came generously arranged by category in green bowls that bring back memories of school-days snack bars ✨ Tteokbokki, fried snacks, sundae plus organs, mini gimbap, fish cake soup — a spread you can taste it all from, and it looked so filling just to see! 👍

Broth tteokbokki

First, I greeted the star of the show: the tteokbokki! It's the broth style, with bright red broth pooled shallow underneath. The rice cakes had the seasoning soaked all the way through — pure chewiness itself! 🤤 The savory flavor was spicy yet sweet, clinging to the palate... you have to scoop up the broth and rice cakes together with a spoon for the true flavor, you know?! 💖

Hand-made sundae with liver and lung

Sundae lovers, scream!!! 👏 Not only was there plenty of glass-noodle-packed sundae, they also sliced up generous portions of liver and lung! The liver wasn't dry at all — moist, delicious even dipped in seasoned salt — and dunked in the tteokbokki broth it was absolute heaven... No gamey smell at all, so clean I devoured it in a storm 🥹

Mini gimbap

Don't let 'mini gimbap' fool you into thinking it's just rice-packed rolls! The seaweed is dusted with fragrant sesame oil and sesame seeds, and when you look at the cross-section, there's thick egg omelette, pickled radish, ham, and fish cake all packed in ✨ One bite bursts with savory flavor — this one's a must for dipping in the tteokbokki broth too! 🫶

Assorted fried snacks

The fried snacks come out golden-brown in bite-size pieces — glass noodle rolls, dumplings, sweet potato, vegetables. The batter stays crisp all the way through, never soggy! Dunking them fully in the broth was still amazing 👍

Fish cake soup

And right when the spiciness starts creeping up, a spoonful of the fish cake soup broth washes it all away! The fish cakes stay springy without going soft, with chopped green onion scattered in — the broth was genuinely refreshing and deep 🤤

How to dip everything in the tteokbokki broth

First I tried the tteokbokki itself, coated properly in that red seasoning. It wasn't just coated on the surface — the seasoning had soaked all the way to the center. The moment you bite in, it's soft yet chewy — pure art 🥹 Since the broth style is shallow, scooping up a spoonful of broth along with it? The spicy-sweet savory flavor spreads all through your mouth! 👍

Friends... when you come to Hyeonseoni-ne, you absolutely have to dip everything in the tteokbokki broth ✨ Dunk the plump white squid fritters into the broth, and the fritter's savory flavor meets the spicy seasoning — total hit for my taste!

And as an organ-meat lover, I tried dipping the lung in the broth too — the chewy, springy texture combined with the spicy seasoning, no gamey smell at all, true flavor 💖

Then dipping the generously stuffed mini gimbap, with fillings practically spilling out, into the broth too... the spicy seasoning seeped between every grain of rice, and it was truly touching 🫶

When the spiciness started building up again, I ladled up a generous scoop of the fish cake soup! The square fish cakes were big and plentiful, staying tender without going soft, with rich broth that really cleared my palate 🤤 It had been a while since I saw such a proper full spread of bunsik, and I was happy the whole time eating it 🥹 If you're looking for a date spot or a place to eat and chat with friends near Cheonggyecheon, I highly recommend Hyeonseoni-ne! 👍 Another delicious meal today~!