Yangjae Station pie shop, presentation gift & Dubai pie: Hodu Kkakki

A premium pie made with good ingredients and fully by hand, polished enough to give as a gift, with a healthy, deep flavor. This is Hodu Kkakki Brothers, a Yangjae favorite.

What kind of place is Hodu Kkakki Brothers?

Hodu Kkakki Brothers (호두까끼형제) is a handmade pie shop in an alley between Yangjae Station and Dogok-dong, and it's well worth a visit if you're hunting for a special dessert in Dogok-dong. It already has a name as a Yangjae favorite, so dessert lovers may find it familiar.

This time I went to Hodu Kkakki Brothers on purpose to get a gift for the presentation day of someone precious to me, and I understood all over again why it's called a Yangjae favorite. I chose it as a gift for four main reasons.

Four reasons I chose Hodu Kkakki Brothers pies as a gift

1. Sweetness from honey and maple syrup, not refined sugar

First, a healthy sweetness that lets the ingredients speak! Instead of refined sugar or sugar substitutes, Hodu Kkakki Brothers says it uses domestic honey, oligosaccharide syrup and maple syrup for a subtle, deep sweetness. That makes it a dessert that isn't overdone and sits comfortably in the stomach, which is why it keeps getting mentioned as a Yangjae favorite. It was even featured as a "sugar-free walnut pie" on the TV show Saengbangsong Today, episode 3180.

2. Domestic eggs, New Zealand butter, French fresh cream

Second, carefully chosen premium ingredients. They are picky about the basics: fresh domestic eggs, New Zealand butter, French fresh cream and so on. The deep flavor that comes from good ingredients makes it a gift you can trust, and it's a big reason Hodu Kkakki Brothers has settled in as a Yangjae favorite.

3. Fully handmade in the shop, from dough to shaping

Third, the care of a fully handmade approach. Dough, filling and shaping are all done in the shop, and they say they use no ready-made products. Each slice is made with care, and that sincerity comes straight through to whoever eats it.

4. Vintage, witty gift packaging

Fourth, packaging that makes a gift feel complete. The vintage yet witty box makes every moment pleasant, from the second it's handed over to opening it and tasting. The whole experience of the gift leaves a good impression.

How do the four signature pies at Hodu Kkakki Brothers taste different?

The signature menu at Hodu Kkakki Brothers is four pies: the signature walnut pie, pecan pie, macadamia cheese pie and hazelnut cacao pie. Looking at them makes it even clearer why this place is loved as a Yangjae favorite.

Signature walnut pie: flaky crust and a clean finish

The signature walnut pie is the most basic item, and the one that shows off the shop's skill best. The crust is folded into many thin layers, and when you bite in, the texture feels lighter and more playful than just "crispy." Amazingly there's almost none of that dry, chalky flour feel; instead, the aroma of toasty baked butter rises gently.

The walnuts packed on top are firm without being too hard, and as you chew, a nutty richness spreads and blends naturally with the filling's subtle sweetness. At the end the sweetness doesn't linger but disappears cleanly, a balance that leaves you wanting one more slice.

Pecan pie: deeper, heavier nut flavor, and the best match for coffee

The pecan pie is marked by a nuttiness deeper and heavier than the walnut pie. The soft, rich nuttiness unique to pecans spreads through your mouth first, giving a stronger nut flavor overall. The filling doesn't hit you with sweetness; it sits quietly underneath to support the nuts, so it isn't overdone.

The nuttiness builds up as you chew, so it balances best with coffee. "Quiet but deep" is the phrase that suits this one.

Macadamia cheese pie: right on target if you love New York cheesecake

The macadamia cheese pie is definitely for you if you like New York cheesecake. The cheese flavor wraps your mouth softly first, with a lovely heavy, dense richness. The buttery nuttiness of macadamia then joins in, finishing it as a much softer, rounder taste.

It feels less like chewing and more like melting? It's that soft. At the end a gentle nuttiness lingers and tidies up your mouth.

Hazelnut cacao pie: bitter, nutty and sweet in layers

The hazelnut cacao pie has the most three-dimensional flavor of the Hodu Kkakki Brothers pies. On the first bite, a rich, slightly bitter cacao flavor like dark chocolate rushes in. But the bitterness doesn't last; it quickly turns smoothly into the nutty, warm aroma of hazelnut.

Bitter, nutty, then sweet, layered in that order, so you don't get tired of it right to the last bite! They say the chocolate base is made in the shop with freshly blended roasted coffee beans, and it really does have a depth that's different from ordinary dessert chocolate.

The Premium Assorted Pie set I chose as a presentation gift

The Premium Assorted Pie set at Hodu Kkakki Brothers holds two slices each of the walnut, pecan, macadamia cheese and hazelnut cacao pies. So I went with this assorted set for the presentation gift. One box lets the recipient try several flavors, which makes it especially good for gifting. This set alone is enough to show the dessert quality of Hodu Kkakki Brothers, the Yangjae favorite, don't you think?

Hodu Kkakki Brothers started in 2017 and is now heading toward its 10th year, and they say the brand was completed by inheriting the recipe of an elderly couple in Seocho-dong. So it leaves a strong impression of being not just a dessert but "a slice made with care," and that's probably why so many people remember it as a Yangjae favorite.

The limited-quantity Dubai crispy pie I bought for myself

A taste you already know is dangerous, and having come all this way, could I really buy only the gift? I need one for myself too?! The "Dubai crispy pie," which Hodu Kkakki Brothers sells only in limited quantities, caught my eye, so I picked up two.

Hodu Kkakki Brothers was a dessert spot where you can give a gift with real heart. Whenever I need to give someone a meaningful gift, I think it will be a Yangjae favorite I come back to.

Hodu Kkakki Brothers hours, directions and parking

• Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 (break time 14:30–15:30)
• Sat 11:00–20:00
• Sun 11:00–19:00
• Directions: Yangjae Station Exit 4 → turn into the first alley on the left → past the Gopchangwang Gimbrothers restaurant, the ground-floor shop marked "walnut pie" (호두파이) is on the right
• Parking: no parking lot of its own; the nearest is the underground garage of the SK Herb Primo building