삼청동 궁물떡볶이: Great Tteokbokki in Seoul

Falling in line with my recent infatuation with the Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을), I’ve been indulging in in all the deliciousness Samcheong-dong (삼청동) has to offer. Samcheong-dong has a charming blend of traditional and modern Korea. There are many quiet little cafes, flower shops and boutiques nestled in (what used to be) a traditional hanok. It’s also a great place to get some delicious Korean food.

I found that Samcheong-dong is particularly big on tteokbokki (떡볶이). There are dozens of restaurants that specialize in this tasty spicy rice cake dish littered throughout the area. 삼청동 궁물떡볶이 is currently one of my favourite go-to lunch spots. They specialize in 궁물떡볶이, which has a soupier consistency to it.

While they offer a variety of typical Korean “snack” foods, they are probably most popular for their soup tteokbokki and gorgonzola pizza set menu (₩13,000). This comes with one serving of the tteokbokki served over a candle and a medium thin crust gorgonzola pizza. The pizza comes with a honey dipping sauce, but you are actually encouraged to dip it in the spicy soup instead. It may sound a bit strange, but it is a surprisingly delicious combo!

The tteokbokki is well made and has a nice spicy (though not overly spicy) flavour. The soup isn’t watered down and comes with plenty of soft chewy rice cakes and tasty fish cakes. The pizza, is surprisingly good too! The crust is a bit flimsy, but only because it’s supposed to be folded into a sort of scoop for the sauce. Other than that, it tastes exactly as a gorgonzola pizza should and comes in a generous portion.

Aside from their set menu, they also have a few other types of pizza, salads, bibimbap and a variety of fried foods. Their 왕관오징어튀김(fried squid) is absolutely not to be missed! The boyfriend and I order it every time we go. For ₩6,900, you get an entire squid that’s been deep fried in their special batter. We haven’t been able to figure out what makes this particular list so tasty, but cheese is definitely involved.

If you aren’t into spicy food then you have to try their (soy sauce tteokbokki with bulgogi). This version of tteokbokki has been around for quite some time and is sometimes referred to as “royal palace tteokbokki.” Unfortunately since it’s not as popular as it’s spicy counterpart, it is often harder to find. On the upside, the place totally gets my seal of approval. The serving size is more than enough for two and comes with LOTS of rice cakes, chunks of beef (bulgogi) and glass noodles. It comes served a savoury soy sauce mixed with onions and garnished with green onions. It’s one of the more simpler versions I’ve tried, but still good!

So if you’re ever in the Samcheong-dong area and craving some tteokbokki, stop by 삼청동 궁물떡볶이 for a bite. Your tastebuds will thank you for it.   

• Address
  • 서울특별시 종로구 삼청로 101
  • 101 Samcheong-ro Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Phone
  • 02-737-0153
• Website
  • http://www.samgungbok.com