IFC Mall snack restaurant, crispy mixed fried snacks: Hyeonseonine

I heard that Hyeonseonine, one of Seoul's three great tteokbokki (rice cake) spots, had a branch in Yeouido, so I had to check it out! It's near Yeouido Station, so it's super accessible, and you can get all kinds of Korean snack food here — instant tteokbokki, regular tteokbokki, sundae (blood sausage), fried snacks, you name it. Here's my visit to Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch, a tteokbokki spot near The Hyundai Seoul.

Hyeonseonine Premium IFC Mall Branch Basement 2, IFC Mall, 10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea Mon–Fri 11:00–21:00 / Sat–Sun 12:00–21:00

How to walk from Yeouido Station to IFC Mall

This Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant sits along the underground passage that connects Yeouido Station to IFC Mall and The Hyundai. Just follow the escalator and you'll run right into it.

Hyeonseonine has seating for two, seating for four, and outdoor seats too, so it works whether you're eating solo, with friends, or in a group. Some tables even have induction stoves, so you can order instant tteokbokki cooked right at the table.

Ordering is easy through the kiosk, and you can switch the language, so international visitors shouldn't have any trouble ordering here either.

Hyeonseonine Premium menu, from tteokbokki to rice bowls

The menu at this Korean snack restaurant near Yeouido Station covers tteokbokki, sundae, mini gimbap (seaweed rice roll), rice balls, fried snacks, ramyeon, fish cake, instant tteokbokki, and more. There are also proper Korean rice bowls like tuna mayo rice bowl and chicken mayo rice bowl, so you can make a real meal of it. Beer is on the menu too, which makes it a nice spot to grab snacks and a drink in the evening.

I ordered the Hyeonseonine set, which comes with tteokbokki, fried snacks, sundae, and gimbap. Mini gimbap was sold out, so it got swapped for a rice ball instead — honestly, even better! There's an origin label posted on one wall, so you can order with peace of mind.

The self-serve bar has everything you need — pickled radish, cutlery, water — so you just grab it and bring it to your table. Even though I came a bit after the lunch rush, quite a few people were eating solo, which tells you this is a genuine local favorite in Yeouido.

What comes in the Hyeonseonine set at medium spice

My Hyeonseonine combo arrived.

Tteokbokki comes in mild, medium, and spicy — I went with medium. Everything came out within 5 minutes of ordering. The portion was genuinely huge, so it was a very filling meal.

The tteokbokki here uses chewy wheat rice cakes that soaked up the sauce really well. Even at medium, it wasn't very spicy, so if you like heat, I'd recommend going spicy instead. I can't handle spicy food well (I can eat Shin Ramyeon but not Buldak), so medium was just right for me. The fish cake was cooked perfectly too.

There was warm broth to go with it, which made it feel like a proper full meal. It had a nice kick, and I bet it would go great with the fish cake too.

Mixed fried snacks: the sweet potato was the standout

The mixed fried snacks came with fried kimmari (seaweed noodle rolls), dumplings, sweet potato, and vegetable fritters — all made with fresh ingredients and good oil, since everything was clean and crispy. The sweet potato was sweet and delicious, my personal favorite of the bunch!! I heard they also just added fried peppers to the menu, which sounds like it'd be great too.

The sundae was chewy and plump too. They included lung and liver as well, so I got to try the offal too. Even the liver wasn't dry at all — really tasty. It's not just the tteokbokki that's good here; the whole spread is high quality at this Yeouido tteokbokki restaurant.

Tuna mayo rice ball, the best match for the tteokbokki

Last up was the tuna mayo rice ball! It paired perfectly with the tteokbokki. I was too lazy to shape it into a proper ball so I just scooped it up with a spoon — still delicious. The rice itself was so good that I bet the mini gimbap would be great too. If you're looking for a clean, tasty Korean snack restaurant in Yeouido, I'd recommend stopping by Hyeonseonine. Next time I want to come back and try the instant tteokbokki on my own dime!