Yeouido IFC Mall tteokbokki, cabbage-packed medium spice: Hyeonseonine

Hyeonseonine started in Yongsan and is famous as one of Korea's "Big 3 Tteokbokki" spots.

The weather's gotten cooler, so I ran an LSD (long slow distance) route of about 15km from home to Yeouido, and by the end I could feel my blood sugar dropping. At times like this, tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) is the answer!

How to reach Hyeonseonine from Yeouido Station without going outside

So I headed to Hyeonseonine, located in the underground passage that connects Yeouido Station to IFC Mall.

📍 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, B2 IFC Mall, South Korea ⏰ Weekdays 11:00-21:00 / Weekends 12:00-21:00 / Last order 20:40

The company-run branch at IFC Mall Yeouido has been newly renovated.

Maybe because it was lunchtime, the seats inside were nearly full, and a lot of people were eating at the tables set up between the GS convenience store as well.

Ordering the instant tteokbokki for two at 22,000 won

This spicy tteokbokki spot started as a street cart in 2004. I remember eating it back in the day at Yongsan Station's iPark Mall too.

Hyeonseonine is originally famous for its spicy tteokbokki, but today we ordered the instant tteokbokki. ✔️ Instant tteokbokki for two, ₩22,000

Tableware and pickled radish are self-serve, and you grab your own drinks too. ✔️ Coolpis ₩1,500 ✔️ Soda ₩2,000

How spicy is Hyeonseonine's medium instant tteokbokki?

The set for two comes with rice cakes, fish cake, 2 eggs, vegetables, jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles), and 4 fried dumplings.

You can choose between mild, medium, and spicy, and I ordered medium.

The broth was on the shallow side, giving it more of a soupy tteokbokki feel.

There were a whopping 4 fried dumplings included, but personally I'm not a fan of soggy fried dumplings, so I pulled them out of the pot while the tteokbokki was simmering. I like eating them crispy, so this is my usual move.

Hyeonseonine's instant tteokbokki bubbling away deliciously.

Since jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles) is in there, make sure to keep stirring or it'll stick to the bottom of the pot.

Hyeonseonine's medium-spicy instant tteokbokki had a slightly spicy first bite, but it wasn't overwhelmingly hot. Hyeonseonine used to be the place I went for proper spicy tteokbokki, but I've been turning into a spice wimp lately, so it's a bit of a shame — still, we compromised on medium and it turned out to be just the right level of deliciously spicy.

The rice cakes were nice and chewy. And cabbage is my favorite thing in instant tteokbokki — it usually disappears fast while it's cooking, and you end up digging through the pot for it, but here there was plenty of cabbage, which I really liked.

The unwritten rule is to crack the egg into your own little dish and dip it into the tteokbokki broth. And you can't skip the warm fish cake broth in between bites either. They gave a generous amount of that too, which I appreciated. The table next to us was eating mini gimbap and it looked delicious — I'm planning to order that next time I come.

After my run, my energy was completely drained, so between the rice cakes, gochujang, sugar in the tteokbokki, and a cola on top, I recharged my blood sugar properly! Hyeonseonine is a great spot if you're looking for a quick lunch in Yeouido, or if you're craving something spicy while at IFC Mall — perfect for a pot of instant tteokbokki.

Since it's right in the underground passage connecting Yeouido Station directly to IFC Mall, it's easy to get to and would be great to stop by during lunch hour. After we finished eating, we did some shopping at Zara in IFC Mall and had a well-spent day :)