Jung-gu snack bar for after-work spicy tteokbokki: Hyeonseoni-ne

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch is on the first floor at 112 Namdaemun-ro in Jung-gu, Seoul, right next to Mega Coffee. Reservations, takeout, and delivery are available too!

Today I’m introducing Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch, located near Cheonggyecheon. Even before getting off work, I was craving spicy tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) and alllll sorts of Korean snacks. So I quickly talked a coworker into coming with me, haha.

They’re closed on weekends, so please keep that in mind if you’re planning a visit!

Finding the small entrance beside Mega Coffee

You have to go in through this little entrance, so I think first-timers could easily walk past it. This was my second visit, so I found it easily, but just look carefully for the small entrance beside Mega Coffee!

Keep walking straight in, and before you know it, you’ll see the dining area.

The interior is smaller and cozier than I expected. There are several tables, so it was nice and comfortable to sit down and eat!

You can conveniently pick up any bowls, spoons, and chopsticks you need from the self-service bar.

Water is self-service too!

Instant tteokbokki, regular tteokbokki, and the Hyeonseoni Combo

The menu had a great variety, from tteokbokki to sundae (Korean blood sausage), fried snacks, and gimbap (seaweed rice rolls). But here’s what was interesting! They had both instant tteokbokki and regular tteokbokki.

There were lots of set options too, so it was easy to choose one that suited your taste!

Of course, there were drinks, including alcohol! At the table next to us, some guys were having tteokbokki with soju, hahaha. Tteokbokki with soju or beer actually seemed like it would be a pretty good pairing.

And there were even nostalgic snacks~

We ordered the Hyeonseoni Combo set! It comes with tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, gimbap, and fish cake, so it’s the perfect spread for anyone who loves Korean snack food and wants to try a little bit of everything.

Korean snacks dipped in spicy tteokbokki sauce

First, I tried the tteokbokki! The rice cakes and fish cake looked so appetizing in that red sauce. It had a spicy kick that really melted away my stressㅠㅠ But it felt pretty spicy to me, so if you’re a spice lightweight like me, Coolpis is essential...

There were several kinds of fried snacks, which made it fun to pick through them one by one! The squid and gim-mari (seaweed rolls) were generously filled, while the vegetable fritter and sweet-potato fritter were tasty without being dry.

Dipping the fried snacks right into the tteokbokki sauce was heaven. (Maybe it tasted even better because I’d just finished work...)

The sundae came with offal, and it was so wonderfully chewy—no unpleasant smell at all, and so delicious. It was good dipped in the sauce, or in the salt they served alongside it.

The bite-size mini gimbap was packed with fillings too. You know gimbap is delicious dipped in tteokbokki sauce, right? I loooove eating it this way.

And something that was quietly so satisfying was this fish cake! It was great to have a spoonful of broth here and there while eating. The broth tasted so clean yet deeply flavorful that I just kept going back for more spoonfuls, hahaha.

They’re also running an event where you can get a free service item for writing a review. Honestly, it’s such a good deal, so be sure to write a review and get the extra item too!

Unfortunately, there’s no dedicated parking, so I recommend using public transportation :)

Ordering the set was so nice because we could fill up on every kind of Korean snack food, from tteokbokki and sundae to fried snacks, gimbap, and fish cake! Plus, every single item was delicious, so I’m always super satisfied whenever I go. I’m still thinking about those crispy fried snacks dipped in tteokbokki sauce 🤤 I think I’ll be back again and again when I’m craving tteokbokki after work!