Euljiro 1-ga snack bar with review-event freebies: Hyeonseoni-ne

I stopped by Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch again, my go-to spot whenever I'm craving Korean snack food near Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station.

This was already my N-th visit here. I love the familiar taste of the tteokbokki, but what keeps bringing me back is being able to enjoy a bunch of different snack foods all at once.

It's close to Exit 3 of Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, so it's easy to get to by public transit. It's only a 2–3 minute walk from the station, making it a nice light stop after work, or an easy detour after exploring Myeongdong or Cheonggyecheon.

Finding Hyeonseoni-ne: a small storefront with old Seoul charm

When I arrived, the colorful Hyeonseoni-ne sign caught my eye first.

There was a cute character eating tteokbokki, along with drawings of N Seoul Tower, tiled roofs, the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, and the stone bridges of Cheonggyecheon — fun little details that reminded me of Seoul.

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch info Address: 112 Namdaemun-ro, 1F, Jung-gu, Seoul Location: 2–3 min walk from Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station Exit 3 Hours: 10:40 AM–9:00 PM, closed Saturdays and Sundays Parking: Nearby paid parking lots

In front of the ground-floor shop there was a menu banner and a kiosk, so it was easy to check the menu before going in. The whole place had a friendly, cozy vibe that made hunting down a snack bar in Euljiro feel like part of the fun.

Inside Hyeonseoni-ne: seating with a street-tent (pojangmacha) feel

Inside Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch, every table had its own induction burner for cooking instant tteokbokki. The tables were surrounded by cushioned chairs, with storage space underneath for bags and belongings.

On one side, some seats were sectioned off with clear vinyl tent flaps. The flaps blocked out the wind while giving the space a pojangmacha (street food tent) feel — a nice touch of variety.

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch menu

What the review event at Hyeonseoni-ne gives you

A big sign for a review event was posted on one wall. Write a review on Naver, Google, or Daum, and you get a free side dish — just show the screen to staff afterward and choose between a savory mayo rice ball or a nostalgic fried rice cake. A nice thing to do after finishing your meal.

For the Naver Place review event specifically, you write a photo review with a local hashtag and save the shop on Naver Maps to participate. Since a simple review earns you a free menu item, it seemed to be popular with visitors.

The side-menu sign also caught my eye — Pikachu-shaped donkatsu, fried rice cakes, and fried fish cake, all snacks that bring back memories of the snack bars near my old school. The prices were reasonable too, making them easy to add on alongside the main dish, and they added to the warm, nostalgic feel of the place.

Hyeonseoni-ne menu: instant tteokbokki and other snack dishes

The menu is centered on instant tteokbokki, with plenty of other snack items to enjoy alongside it. The instant tteokbokki comes loaded with rice cakes, fish cake, jjolmyeon noodles, vegetables, yaki-mandu (pan-fried dumplings), and egg, so you get to enjoy a lot of ingredients at once.

It's great if you just want simple tteokbokki, but if you're visiting with a group, you can add whatever extra ingredients you like to customize it further.

What comes in the Hyeonseoni Combo Set takeout

This time I ordered the Hyeonseoni Combo Set to go. The takeout food came in a paper shopping bag decorated with the cute Hyeonseoni-ne character — easy to carry and full of the brand's charm.

At the self-serve bar, aprons, utensils, and paper cups were laid out for anyone to grab as needed. It had that relaxed, no-fuss snack bar atmosphere that makes for an easy, casual meal.

When I got home and opened it up, the box was packed with tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, gimbap, and fish cake — a really generous spread.

Tasting the combo set: tteokbokki, fried snacks, sundae, gimbap and fish cake

I started with the tteokbokki. The spicy-sweet balance was easy on the palate, and the rice cakes had that satisfying chewy texture. Dipping the fried snacks into the tteokbokki sauce was, as always, a great combo.

The fried snacks included sweet, soft sweet pumpkin and sweet potato fritters, crispy gimmari (seaweed noodle rolls), squid and vegetable fritters, and fried mandu — all the classic fried items you'd expect at a snack bar.

The batter stayed nice and crispy — good on its own dipped in soy sauce, and even better dipped into the spicy-sweet tteokbokki sauce.

The sundae plate came with chewy blood sausage plus various offal cuts like liver, lung, and heart, all on one plate — a good way to sample a range of flavors.

The gimbap was a set of bite-sized mini gimbap, neatly rolled. Packed with egg omelet, ham or crab stick, pickled radish, and fish cake, each piece delivered a different mix of textures and flavors.

The seaweed on the outside was lightly brushed with sesame oil and generously sprinkled with roasted sesame seeds, giving it a nice nutty aroma. Being smaller than regular gimbap, it's an easy bite to pair with sundae or tteokbokki.

The fish cake came as flat, folded squares in a shallow pool of clear, clean broth — just looking at it felt warming.

The combo set really is the right choice when you want to try a bit of everything. Compared to ordering just one dish, having this many varieties made the meal more fun.

Is Hyeonseoni-ne worth it for snack food in Euljiro?

Hyeonseoni-ne Cheonggye Instant Branch is a great stop for a quick snack-food fix around Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station and Cheonggyecheon. Eating instant tteokbokki in the shop is fun, but taking it home or elsewhere to eat, like I did, worked just as well.

Above all, coming back for what feels like the N-th time, I appreciated having a menu I can rely on. If just tteokbokki alone doesn't feel like enough, the Hyeonseoni Combo Set — with sundae, fried snacks, gimbap, and fish cake all together — lets you enjoy a whole spread of snack food at once.

If you're hungry near Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, or looking for something easy to eat after wandering around Cheonggyecheon, and Korean snack food sounds good, this is worth a visit. I ate it as takeout this time, but next time I'll add extra ingredients to the instant tteokbokki and enjoy it warm right in the shop.