Broth tteokbokki Hyeonseon Set at Yongsan bunsik spot Hyeonseonine

Today I visited Hyeonseonine through Superchart!

I used to come here all the time way back when it was still a street cart!! Whenever I crave spicy tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes), I end up back here!

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch began as a street cart — what is it today?

This is what Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch looks like now! It used to be a street cart... but now they've opened a bunch of chain locations and it's gotten so much bigger! I heard there are branches in Yeouido and Cheonggye too! It's always packed with people, and delivery orders are nonstop too!!

Setting the table with self-serve fried flakes and pickled radish

At Hyeonseonine, you set your own table. You grab fried flakes and pickled radish from the self-serve bar and set it up yourself!

This is Hyeonseonine's signature fried flakes! Eating it with the broth tastes amazing!

What comes in the Hyeonseon Set at Hyeonseonine?

Ta-da, the Hyeonseon Set!! The basic spread is so good!! 😙😙

Writing is getting so hard now, so let me get a little AI help... starting from here!

The signboard and the mood at Hyeonseonine around sunset

🌶️ I tend to get pretty serious about tteokbokki. The moment I saw the signboard, I blurted out, "Ah, this place!" Red awning, "Hyeonseonine" in handwritten letters. It was around dusk, so the string lights hanging under the eaves were switching on one by one, and the vibe was insane ✨ Inside was already packed.

🏠 Did you know Hyeonseonine is more than 20 years old?

Hyeonseonine apparently started in 2004 as a street cart in front of Yongsan Station. The story is that the sister with great cooking skills, named 'Hyeonseon,' ran the kitchen while her sibling handled the business — a sibling duo who started it together 🥹 And apparently the sisters just really loved spicy food, so everything they made turned out spicy, and that became the signature. This is exactly the kind of place that used to be on everyone's list for a spicy-food challenge!

Broth tteokbokki with wheat rice cakes and wide fish cake

🍲 At Hyeonseonine I ordered the broth version instead of the instant version — you can tell it's different just by the color, right? It looks watery but has just the right thickness that clings to the rice cakes, so you end up spooning up every last bit of broth. The rice cakes are chewy wheat rice cakes, and the wide fish cake soaks up all the broth, so fishing that out first is basically the rule 😋 Spice comes in mild, medium, and spicy — if you can handle some heat, medium hits the perfect spicy-sweet balance.

How were the mixed fritters, sundae, mini gimbap and fish cake soup?

🍢 The side dishes aren't just there for show either. The mixed fritters come with kim-mari (seaweed roll), sweet potato, and vegetable fritters, and the batter is thin enough that dipping it deep into the tteokbokki broth doesn't make it soggy. The sundae (Korean blood sausage) is the chewy glutinous rice type, and it comes with liver on the side too. The mini gimbap (seaweed rice roll) disappears in one bite, and I kept popping them in between spoonfuls of broth. I kept refilling my cup with the fish cake soup broth ☺️ Honestly, once isn't enough...🤭🤭

How to order at Hyeonseonine and tips for the wait

📍 Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch is on Hangangdae-ro 39-gil near Sinyongsan Station, so it's easy to find. You order at a kiosk, and water, dishes, scissors, and pickled radish are all self-serve. There can be a wait in the evenings, so I'd recommend going a bit early!

🥡 Takeout from Hyeonseonine is available too

I packed an extra bag to take home. They packed it so well that no broth leaked, so I felt reassured the whole way home haha. If you love tteokbokki, definitely give this place a try — you won't regret it ❤️