Yeouido Korean snack restaurant before fireworks: Hyeonseonine

Yeouido IFC Mall Korean snacks before the fireworks festival

The day we went to see the Yeouido fireworks festival, I was scavenging around like a hyena looking for somewhere nearby that was quick but tasty... and then I spotted Hyeonseonine!

I was craving bunsik (Korean snack food) that was quick yet let me try a few different things, so I went to this popular tteokbokki spot in Yeouido.

I had been curious because the Yeouido IFC directly operated branch of Hyeonseonine in Yongsan—famous as one of Korea's three major tteokbokki spots—had not been open long. But when I went myself, I was surprised by how many customers there were.

It was well after lunchtime, but there were lots of customers not only inside but at the outdoor tables too. There were enough people to have to wait in line.

I had heard that lots of office workers in Yeouido come here, but I think the fireworks festival made it especially busy that day.

I could see why it is popular as a Yeouido tteokbokki spot: it is conveniently located inside IFC Mall and has a wide variety of Korean snack dishes.

Inside this Yeouido tteokbokki spot, everything felt clean and tidy. I especially liked that it had an open kitchen, so you could see some of the cooking. Being able to watch the food being made was reassuring from a hygiene standpoint too.

The Hyeonseoni Set, from tteokbokki to sundae

At this Yeouido tteokbokki spot, you order from the kiosk at the entrance. We ordered the Hyeonseoni Set that day. Personally, I liked that I could eat several kinds of Korean snack food all at once.

With tteokbokki, sundae (Korean blood sausage), fried snacks, and mini gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) all in one set, it was perfect when we wanted a bit of everything. At a Yeouido tteokbokki spot, it feels a shame to eat only tteokbokki when you also want sundae or fried snacks; ordering a set like this made it easy to enjoy several dishes together.

Tteokbokki soaked in sweet-and-spicy sauce

Naturally, the tteokbokki was the first thing I reached for. The sauce had soaked nicely into the rice cakes, and one bite brought out that signature sweet-and-spicy tteokbokki flavor. Rather than being aggressively hot, it had both sweetness and heat, so I kept going back for more.

As you would expect from a place known as one of Korea's three major tteokbokki spots, it felt like they really paid attention to getting the fundamentals right.

You cannot leave out dipping fried snacks into the tteokbokki sauce, either. I lightly dipped the crisp gim-mari—seaweed rolls filled with glass noodles—into the sauce, and its sweet-and-spicy flavor went so well with the savory fried coating. It tasted much better alongside the tteokbokki than on its own.

The mini gimbap was also bite-sized, making it great with tteokbokki. The mild flavor of the gimbap paired well with the spicy tteokbokki, and having a piece here and there made for a nice balance.

Since sundae came with it too, it was nice to alternate among different flavors instead of eating just one dish the whole time. The Hyeonseoni Set at this Yeouido tteokbokki spot was also a good setup for sharing. I thought it would suit people like me who want to sample a little of several kinds of Korean snack food.

As we worked through the tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, and mini gimbap one by one, we were full before we knew it. It seemed like a menu that would work well for office workers looking for lunch at IFC in Yeouido too.

Tables that keep instant tteokbokki warm

When you are looking for lunch inside Yeouido IFC Mall, there are plenty of Korean, Western, and salad options, but some days you just crave Korean snack food like this, right? On those days, this is just the spot to choose for Yeouido tteokbokki.

Each table at this Yeouido tteokbokki spot has an induction cooktop, too. If you order instant tteokbokki, you can simmer it right there and keep it warm until the very end, which I thought was a great feature.

Besides the Hyeonseoni Set I had, Hyeonseonine has a variety of set menus. You can choose tteokbokki, mini gimbap, sundae, and fried snacks to suit your taste, and I heard the Hyeonseoni Beer Set, with instant tteokbokki and draft beer, is popular too. Next time, I would like to try the instant tteokbokki and draft beer combination that I missed this time.

I thought it would also be an easy place to visit on a day when you are craving Korean snack food around The Hyundai Seoul and IFC Mall. I had high expectations because it is the Yeouido IFC directly operated branch of Hyeonseonine in Yongsan, famous as one of Korea's three major tteokbokki spots, and in person its clean atmosphere and varied snack menu went very well together.

We filled up nicely at this Yeouido tteokbokki spot, then watched the fireworks festival perfectly.

I especially want to recommend the Hyeonseoni Set to anyone looking for lunch at IFC in Yeouido and wanting to enjoy tteokbokki, sundae, fried snacks, and mini gimbap all at once. I am planning to come back and try other menu items next time too.