Yongsan tteokbokki set with five halved fried snacks: Hyeonseonine

I'd wanted to visit this famous Yongridan-gil tteokbokki spot for ages! Here's my review of the Hyeonseoni Combo Set at 'Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch,' also known as a regular haunt of celebrities Choiza and Kang Min-kyung!

Where is Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, and when is it open?

• 📍2-13 Hangang-daero 39-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul / 180m from Sinyongsan Station Exit 6
• ⏰ Mon-Sun 11:00-24:00 / last order 22:40
• ✔️ No parking — use the paid lot in the alley on the way in (Bareum Planning Parking)
• ✔️ Takeout and delivery available
• ✔️ Gender-separated restrooms in store

How long is the wait on a weekend evening?

At Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, I was seated after about a 20-minute wait around 7pm on a weekend evening. You can wait using Catch Table, and there were separate lines for instant tteokbokki and original tteokbokki.

Since Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch is famous as a Yongridan-gil favorite, there was quite a wait on the weekend! There were already tons of people in front of the store. The instant tteokbokki seemed more popular that day!

While waiting, you can even try a gacha capsule toy haha! Not sure what's inside though!

Inside Hyeonseonine: atmosphere and kiosk ordering

The inside of the store was really bustling. But it was still nice and cool and comfortable!

How to order: 1) get seated 2) order at the kiosk 3) use the self-serve bar for pickled radish and utensils.

Hyeonseonine started as a street cart in 2004 and became known as a tteokbokki hotspot, now with several branches — Yongsan is the main branch!!

With so many people, the kiosk line was long too T_T Definitely recommend ordering everything at once...!! I tried to order a drink later but gave up because the line was too long..!! haha

There's also a Naver Place review event!! They said you get a slush drink or a tteokbokki size-up!!

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch menu and prices

Set menus

• Hyeonseoni Beer Set - ₩32,000
• Hyeonseoni Combo Set - ₩26,000
• Hyeonseoni Set - ₩23,000
• Sunny Set - ₩18,000
• Baby Set - ₩13,000

Instant tteokbokki and add-ons

• Instant, 1 person - ₩11,000 (orders of 2+ required)
• Ramen noodles - ₩1,500
• Jjolmyeon noodles - ₩1,500
• Rice cake add-on - ₩2,500
• Fish cake add-on - ₩2,500
• Vegetable add-on - ₩2,000
• Vermicelli add-on - ₩2,000
• Dinosaur egg fried egg (2pc) - ₩1,800
• Cheese fried rice - ₩4,500
• Fried rice - ₩3,500

Single dishes

• Tteokbokki - ₩6,000
• Handmade sundae - ₩6,500
• Assorted fried snacks - ₩6,000
• Kkoma gimbap, 4pc - ₩5,000
• Menu name hidden - ₩5,000
• Special thick fish cake skewers, 2pc - ₩3,000
• Menu name hidden - ₩4,000
• Spicy ramen - ₩5,500
• Cheese ramen - ₩5,000
• Ramen - ₩4,500
• Tuna mayo rice ball - ₩6,000
• Butter garlic fries - ₩7,500

Drinks and alcohol

• Coca-Cola - ₩2,000
• Sprite - ₩2,000
• Lipton Iced Tea ZERO - ₩2,000
• Pepsi ZERO - ₩2,000
• Sprite ZERO - ₩2,000
• Trevi (Lime) - ₩2,000
• Soju - ₩5,000
• Bottled beer - ₩5,000
• Draft beer - ₩4,500

What comes in the 26,000 won Hyeonseoni Combo Set?

The Hyeonseoni Combo Set is made up of tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, odeng, and kkoma gimbap! The portion was incredibly generous haha!

How spicy is the medium-spice tteokbokki?

You could choose mild/medium/spicy for the tteokbokki, and I went with medium since it's a bit spicier than Shin Ramyun and apparently the most popular choice! The tteokbokki was made with very soft, chewy wheat rice cakes (mil-tteok), and the sauce had soaked in really well so it was so delicious haha!

It didn't taste too much of MSG and had a slightly sharp, refreshing kick, so my friend and I agreed right after the first bite — this is legit a tteokbokki hotspot, the wait makes sense haha. Even for a spice wimp like me, it wasn't unbearable at all, and paired with the side dishes it was totally manageable. Really deliciously spicy, the kind of flavor you keep reaching for!!

Odeng (fish cake)

The odeng had three skewered fish cakes, with seaweed, fried tofu, and green onion in a nice refreshing broth haha! It wasn't salty and had no spice at all, which paired really well with the spicy tteokbokki!!

The five kinds of fried snacks

The fried snacks came as five types — vegetable fritter, gimmari (fried seaweed roll), fried squid, fried mandu (dumplings), and sweet potato fritter — each cut in half, so two pieces per type!!

Hyeonseonine... it's a tteokbokki hotspot but honestly a fried-snack hotspot too... So crispy and delicious, and not the least bit greasy. In particular the vegetable fritter (couldn't get a photo, sorry T_T) had fried shredded sweet potato inside, which I think made it even nuttier and really delicious. Dipping it in the tteokbokki sauce is seriously amazing... The rest of the fried snacks were all great too... Hyeonseonine = a hidden fried-snack gem!!!!

Kkoma gimbap (mini seaweed rice rolls)

The kkoma gimbap (mini seaweed rice roll) also has quite a variety of ingredients inside!! Ham, spinach, egg, pickled radish, imitation crab. It's brushed with sesame oil on the outside too, so it's nutty and delicious T_T

Handmade sundae served with organ meat

We ordered the sundae (Korean blood sausage) with organ meat included!!! Chewy, glossy-looking sundae haha, goes perfectly with the tteokbokki T_T I don't eat organ meat myself so I asked my friend how the sundae was — they usually like liver and lungs and said this place's sundae was genuinely delicious!! No gamey smell, and sometimes liver can taste a bit chalky at other places, but not here at all!!!

Is Hyeonseonine worth the wait?

A mil-tteok tteokbokki hotspot on Yongridan-gil where not just the tteokbokki but every side dish is delicious — 'Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch.' I'm calling it the number one bunsik (Korean snack food) spot in Yongsan...! Definitely worth the wait!! The instant tteokbokki line looked even longer, so I'm planning to come back for that next time haha.