Cheongju snack bar 5-dish set lunch: Bubuduri Tteokbokki

Today I'm introducing Bubuduri Tteokbokki in Bongmyeong-dong, Cheongju! If you're into Korean snack food (bunsik) around Cheongju, you've probably heard of this place before. Apparently it's got 20 years of history?? Looking at the photos, it really gave me that in-front-of-school tteokbokki feeling, haha, in a good nostalgic way.

Bubuduri Tteokbokki Bongmyeong branch: location, hours and parking

Bubuduri Tteokbokki's Bongmyeong branch is on the 1st floor at 16 Baekbong-ro 197beon-gil, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea. It's open Monday to Wednesday from 11:00 to 2:30am, and Thursday to Saturday from 11:00 to 3:30am, with regular closures every Sunday.

• 📍Location: 1st floor, 16 Baekbong-ro 197beon-gil, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
• 🕐Hours: Mon–Wed 11:00–2:30am / Thu–Sat 11:00–3:30am (closed every Sunday)
• ✨A Korean snack restaurant open until the early hours!!!!✨
• 🚗Parking: 2–3 dedicated spots behind the building, nearby alleys if full
• <Bongmyeong-dong has a rough reputation for parking, so I'd recommend going on foot..>

The sign out front is huge, so anyone can tell at a glance this is a tteokbokki place!! Haha.

Inside Bubuduri Tteokbokki: a snack bar that also pours drinks

Pretty spacious inside for a tteokbokki place, right?? Since it stays open until the early hours, apparently people come to eat Korean snacks with drinks too. I visited almost right at opening time for lunch, haha.

Ordering by tablet at Bubuduri Tteokbokki: what's on the menu?

Ordering was easy — each table has its own tablet, so you can take your time browsing the menu photos, haha. There's a separate kiosk by the entrance just for takeout customers, so the flow never felt crowded or confusing. They really do serve alcohol here!! I was curious what it would feel like eating Korean snack food as a drinking side dish at a place like this.

What comes in the Bubuduri Set (24,000 won)?

I went back and forth on single items, but ended up ordering the signature Bubuduri Set, which lets you try a bit of everything — tteokbokki, sundae, mixed fried snacks, fish cake, and spicy fish cake!

The set lineup is really great. And in the middle of it all, what catches my eye is the Bubu Sanmaek Set... I guess I just wanted beer, lol.

There's also a lunch special served from 11am to 4pm, just so you know, haha. My whole goal today was Korean snack food, so I skipped it!

What's on the self-serve bar at Bubuduri Tteokbokki?

The self-serve bar on one side had pickled radish, salt, soy sauce, finely chopped green onion, wet wipes, and even small plates, all neatly set up. It was super convenient to just grab whatever you like. The broth is self-serve too, so make sure to enjoy it hot alongside your meal!

How does the Bubuduri Set taste? Tteokbokki, chewy sundae, fried snacks and fish cakes

Finally, the set arrives... First of all, the plate alone passes the test — it really brought back memories, ugh. Isn't the lineup great? Nothing's missing here, haha.

The tteokbokki is exactly the umami-rich, sweet-and-spicy sauce style you'd buy in front of school as a kid! The seasoning soaks all the way into the rice cake, keeping it chewy without going mushy, and it's the kind of sauce flavor that's hard for anyone to dislike.

The chewy sundae (blood sausage) has zero gamey smell, and it's great either dipped lightly in salt or dunked straight into the rich tteokbokki sauce.

Dipping fried snacks into the tteokbokki sauce is basically a national rule at this point. The mixed fried snacks looked to be fried squid, dumplings, sweet potato, and gimmari (fried seaweed roll), haha. Since they're fried to order, there's no sogginess — crispy on the outside, piping hot, and clean without any stale oil smell, so they were really easy to eat. I seriously craved a beer so bad, lol.

The fish cake was skewered and rolled up, which made it easy to eat. The regular fish cake tasted exactly as you'd expect, haha — I dipped it in soy sauce from the self-serve bar. I was worried the spicy fish cake would be too hot, but it turned out milder than expected, so even people who can't handle spice should be fine with it!

Is Bubuduri Tteokbokki worth it for a late-night bite in Bongmyeong-dong?

I finished every last bite... lol. Unlike overly intense franchise tteokbokki, this is a sauce built on 20 years of experience — comforting rather than overwhelming, so I never got tired of it and cleaned the plate to the very last piece!

If you're in Bongmyeong-dong, Cheongju and craving that nostalgic, comforting saucy tteokbokki or a hearty spread of Korean snack food, or looking for a Bongmyeong-dong spot for a light late-night bite with a beer, Bubuduri Tteokbokki is worth a visit. Next time, I'm definitely coming back for the fried snacks with beer combo!!