Hadan, Busan rice cake shop: gift for meeting the in-laws, Hohobak

What is Hohobak, the Hadan rice cake shop?

Hohobak (호호박) is a rice cake shop in Hadan, Busan, known for rice castella rice cakes, especially pumpkin injeolmi castella (injeolmi is chewy rice cake coated in powder). Since Changeok Tteok has a famous pumpkin castella rice cake these days, I ordered takeout from Hohobak in Hadan to try it. The rice cakes are of course delicious, and the owner is kind too, so I recommend it :)

• Address: 6 Nakdongnam-ro 1389beon-gil, Saha-gu, Busan, South Korea, 1st floor
• Hours: 08:00–16:00, closed every Sunday

Where is Hohobak, and what about parking?

From Hadan Station Exit 1, turn into the Daiso alley and you'll find Hohobak. There's no parking lot, but I heard roadside parking is fine for a quick pickup like mine, so I parked briefly and dashed in.

Can you use the fuel-price relief voucher at Hohobak?

Yes, Hohobak accepts the fuel-price relief voucher. As a perk for pregnant women, they give one Hohobak milk for free, so if you're expecting, give it a try.

They say Hohobak visits the produce market every dawn to pick only the freshest, most trustworthy ingredients, and makes the rice cakes by hand in the shop using only healthy, fresh ingredients.

Which size works best for a thank-you gift?

Hohobak packaging comes in small, medium and large. The small size seems great for thank-you gifts, both for its size and its price.

Hohobak milk is handmade pumpkin milk with a healthy, different flavor. It's one of the signature items, and I hear many people have it with their rice cakes.

What's on the Hohobak menu, and how much is it?

Rice castella rice cake is the main item at Hohobak, in pumpkin injeolmi, mugwort injeolmi and black sesame castella flavors. I wanted to try one of each flavor, so I ordered that way.

• Pumpkin injeolmi: small ₩3,500 / medium ₩6,500 / large ₩25,000
• Mugwort castella: small ₩4,000 / medium ₩7,500 / large ₩29,000
• Injeolmi castella: small ₩3,500 / medium ₩6,500 / large ₩25,000
• Handmade Hohobak milk: small ₩3,500 / large ₩9,500

They also have a regular americano and iced tea, so I bet the rice cakes go well with coffee too.

Hohobak also runs a visitor review event: leave a receipt review and you get a Hohobak ballpoint pen.

Is it a good gift for a first meeting with the in-laws?

Hohobak rice cakes can be packaged like this, so they'd be good to bring when greeting your partner's parents for the first time, and I think they'd also make a nice gift for the formal family meeting (sanggyeollye). I recommend them.

I got a hand fan instead of a pen. It has a cute little pumpkin drawn on it, so adorable!

7 small boxes in a paper bag

At Hohobak I ordered 4 small pumpkin injeolmi, 2 black sesame injeolmi and 1 mugwort injeolmi. They put everything in a paper bag, which makes it easy to carry and nice for handing out as gifts.

Boxes with flavor stickers and forks

I brought them home to eat, and every Hohobak box has a sticker on it. Pumpkin injeolmi castella gets a pumpkin-shaped sticker and mugwort injeolmi gets a mugwort-shaped one, so you can pick by flavor just by looking.

When I opened a box, the rice cakes were inside with a fork, so I could dig right in, and the varied colors made them look even more appetizing.

How does the pumpkin injeolmi castella taste?

I started with Hohobak's most famous pumpkin injeolmi castella, and wow, it was the best I've had at any rice cake shop in Hadan. The owner makes the castella powder herself, so the rice cake is soft yet chewy, which is really charming, and the more you chew, the more you taste the softness and sweetness of pumpkin.

What about black sesame and mugwort injeolmi?

The black sesame had an even nuttier flavor, and if you love mugwort, you'll like the subtle mugwort scent!! Still, personally, I enjoyed the pumpkin injeolmi castella rice cake the most!!

Isn't this basically Busan's Changeok Tteok~? It was that good, so if you're deciding on a rice cake shop in Hadan, try the pumpkin injeolmi at Hohobak in Hadan.