Sinyongsan tteokbokki spot with seaweed odeng soup: Hyeonseonine

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch's famous tteokbokki restaurant, the Hyeonseon-i combo set for ₩26,000.

Hi, it's Jjeong-i unni and her guy. Today we finally visited the tteokbokki restaurant we'd been craving for so long!! Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, a famous Yongsan tteokbokki spot. Wow, it's been forever!!! A famous place really is famous for a reason. Just know you'll need to wait a bit on weekends.

How long is the early-lunch wait at Hyeonseonine?

When we arrived for an early lunch, our waiting number was, luckily (?), 9th!!! We got in after about 15 minutes. That's a totally manageable wait, we think. Even after we finished eating, people kept streaming in nonstop.

As expected of a true tteokbokki restaurant, the classic flavor at Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch never changes!!

How spicy is the spicy level at Hyeonseonine?

Why medium spice is the safe pick for a first visit

Hyeonseonine's tteokbokki comes in mild, medium, and spicy. The spicy level is this Yongsan tteokbokki restaurant's own signature, but it's extremely hot, so we went with medium.

It's the most popular choice, so if you're a first-timer, go with medium without hesitation!!!

Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch has a long history going back to its street-cart days. It's a tteokbokki you can trust, still on an upward trend as the leading name in the game. Hahahaha.

What's in the 26,000 won Hyeonseon-i combo set

Today we ordered the Hyeonseon-i combo set instead of the instant tteokbokki. It's a menu where you can try a little of everything — gimbap, odeng, fried snacks, sundae, the ultimate lineup of Korean snack food — which is probably why this combo set is so popular. Tteokbokki as the main, plus fried snacks, sundae, and odeng soup!! The lineup is packed and there's nothing unnecessary about it — a perfect combination!!!

Pickled radish and fry batter powder set out in advance! Plus salt to dip the sundae in!! Ahh!!! Dipping the tteokbokki in that fry batter powder was seriously delicious haha. If you love dipping sauces, this combo is probably your thing!!

Long time no see, sundae and mini gimbap haha. These are popular items that are hard to find at snack shops these days. Here at Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, the sundae, gimbap, and odeng are all delicious — it's not just 'good at tteokbokki,' everything across the board was tasty.

How does the medium-spice tteokbokki taste?

And here comes the star of the show — Hyeonseonine's tteokbokki at medium spice!!! The rice cakes were cooked just soft enough to be perfectly easy to eat, the sauce soaked in evenly, and above all, the broth hit that exact sweet spot — not too thin, not too thick. If you're someone who seeks out Hyeonseonine's tteokbokki, this is probably a flavor you really won't easily find elsewhere. Hahaha (personal opinion...).

Fried snacks: kimmari, vegetable, mandu and sweet potato

A freshly fried lineup haha. Kimmari (seaweed noodle roll), vegetable, mandu, sweet potato!! Piping hot and crunchy — even just one bite of the fried snacks was so good!!

The tteokbokki cuts through any greasiness! No matter how much of these fried snacks you eat, there's zero heaviness, and they pair perfectly with the tteokbokki.

Sundae (blood sausage) and mini gimbap

I'll take the gimbap, you take the sundae — cheers with a cute little bite of each!!! Nothing lacking about either the sundae or the gimbap at Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch. Especially the gimbap! Mini-sized, so it pops right into your mouth in one bite — perfect for when the tteokbokki gets too spicy, popping one in brings a happy burst of gimbap flavor right back!!

Hyeonseonine's tteokbokki, wow... soft rice cakes! Sauce soaked in evenly for that spicy, addictive, keep-craving-it flavor! Deliciously spicy! That's exactly the flavor of this place's tteokbokki. Looking at the photos again now, I'm actually drooling... ha hahaha.

Dipping in fry batter and the odeng soup with seaweed

Coating the tteokbokki with fry batter powder tames the spiciness a bit and makes each bite even better! Hahaha there's a reason people gain weight! Eating like this, when you start craving some broth, what do you do?

Odeng (fish cake) soup, of course! Cutting up the odeng and eating it is so satisfying haha. There's seaweed in it too, so you get that refreshing odeng broth flavor. Hehe haha. By the time we finished, we'd eaten about 2–3 servings' worth, and the two of us left completely full and happy haha.

Oh right! Can't forget these fried snacks!!! Squid fritters too—

How good are the squid fritters, you ask? Remember this: fried snacks and tteokbokki are an eternal set at Hyeonseonine's tteokbokki. Promise..!!!!

A wonderfully nostalgic meal after a long time, at Hyeonseonine Yongsan Main Branch, our famous Yongsan tteokbokki restaurant! Now we're curious about the instant tteokbokki next time. Just thinking about eating it with fried rice on the side is already making me drool!!!!