Yongsan tteokbokki restaurant with papaya slushie: Hyeonseonine

I'm bringing you my visit to Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, a tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) restaurant in Yongridan-gil. I understand it used to be a street food cart, but it got so popular it expanded to 8 branches nationwide. I love tteokbokki, so this was a must-visit spot for me. I went at an awkward weekend time, around 4:40pm, and got in right away.

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch: hours and how to get there

• Hours: 11:00-24:00
• Last order 22:40, Monday break time 14:30-16:00
• Takeout and delivery available
• 6-minute walk from Sinyongsan Station Exit 6
• Waiting expected

It's really close to Yongsan I'Park Mall, so I'd recommend browsing there before heading to Hyeonseonine! The AC inside is on full blast, so you don't need to worry — it's cool and comfortable.

How long is the wait on a weekend evening?

By the time I left, right in the middle of dinner rush, there were 9 parties waiting on CatchTable. That's proof this is a real Yongridan-gil favorite, right??? I heard even director Bong Joon-ho and actor Robert Pattinson have stopped by! The photos on the walls inside already smelled like a hit restaurant. Turns out it's properly famous as a Yongsan tteokbokki spot.

There looked to be about 12 tables. It's spacious enough for a whole family to come together. You can choose between jeukseok (instant, cooked-at-table) tteokbokki or the regular kind! Most places only sell one type, so having a choice felt new and welcome.

What comes in the 26,000 won combo set

Hyeonseonine combo set ₩26,000 / + papaya slushie ₩2,500

I ordered the Hyeonseonine combo set. The portion is generous enough that three women could probably share it comfortably. I went with my boyfriend, just the two of us, and we ate until we were stuffed. It's a set of tteokbokki, gimbap (seaweed rice roll), sundae (Korean blood sausage), fried snacks, and fish cake.

Sundae with organ meats, liver and lung included

I'm especially an organ meat lover, and you know not many places sell sundae with the organs included, right? The organs are chewy, iron-rich, and savory! Sundae organ meat is the best! I love liver and lung, and there was a generous amount, which made me happy.

Medium-spice tteokbokki with a papaya slushie

I chose medium spice for the tteokbokki, and it was exactly as spicy as I expected, in a good way. Sweet and spicy, so good it disappeared fast — genuinely delicious tteokbokki! I also ordered the papaya slushie, and the combination of the two is the best. The slushie cools down the heat, so I'd recommend it over kool-fizz soda. It's only ₩2,500 and tastes like nostalgia, so definitely order it!

Mini gimbap and five kinds of fried snacks

The gimbap is mini-sized, but it's packed with fillings so it's still filling. Dipping it right into the sauce like this is amazing.

You can't choose which fried snacks you get, but there were 5 kinds total: squid, sweet potato, mandu (dumpling), vegetable, and sweet potato again. The vegetable and squid ones were the best~! Haha, we split one of each fairly.

The curly fish cake broth is a familiar taste, but the kind you always crave!!! It pairs so well with the spicy tteokbokki, good good.

Next visit: the table-cooked instant tteokbokki

Quite a few tables had ordered the jeukseok (instant) tteokbokki, so I want to try that next time. The prices overall are pretty reasonable and the portions are generous, so it also seems great for delivery. Make sure you try the papaya slushie!

I can't believe I only just found out about a tteokbokki spot this good...!!! (I've wasted my life...) Next time I'm 100% coming back with friends. I'd always been ordering from other tteokbokki brands, and trying Hyeonseonine for the first time made me wonder why I hadn't found it sooner. If you love tteokbokki like I do, you have to visit.