Located in the heart of Seoul is a restaurant that takes Tteokbokki to the next level: TOBOKI! This trendy place that offers “Korean Premium Tteokbokki” doesn’t just have fun photo spots but also food that is absolutely delicious and unique. In this article, I’ll introduce you to what might be the “trendiest” Tteokbokki restaurant in Sindang and let you know why you should put TOBOKI on your list for your next Seoul trip.
TOBOKI is a Tteokbokki restaurant located in Sindang, close to Sindang Subway station exit 12 (Exact location below). And that location is by no means random. Sindang is an area in Seoul that is famous for Tteokbokki. Some of the very first Tteokbokki restaurants ever were opened in Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town (신당동떡볶이골목), dating back as early as the 1950s. And some of those restaurants are still running to this day! Nowadays, the district is always busy with locals and tourists alike who come to enjoy the lively atmosphere and delicious food.
TOBOKI wants to continue this legacy while putting a new spin on the classic spicy rice cake dish.
Trendy interior, photo spots, and delicious food
To be very honest, when I first went to TOBOKI, I didn’t expect much from the food. From my experience, trendy restaurants or cafes often offer overpriced food of mediocre quality. That’s not the case here!
Just like every corner of this restaurant, the menu was super fun to look at and made with lots of attention to detail.
We also got to learn a little bit about the “origin story” of TOBOKI through a look inside the menu. Even though it’s fictional, the story about Toboki, the space rabbit, is cute to read and really ties the whole concept together. If you’re interested, take a peek at this excerpt of the menu below:
Tteokbokki Fusion – done right
TOBOKI offers mostly fusion Tteokbokki dishes, such as Pizza Tteokbokki – Rice cakes that are served with spaghetti, mozzarella, and pepperoni. We ordered the “Mara Rosé Tteokbokki”, which comes with rice cakes, beef, fish cakes, quail eggs, and glass noodles. The sauce was rich and creamy and contained mala spice. Mala is a spicy and numbing seasoning made from Sichuan peppercorn and chili. So if you’re not great with spicy food, I’d not necessarily recommend this one. But I love spice, so this dish was perfect and maybe one of the best Tteokbokki I’ve ever had – Definitely the most unique one! The Mara Tteokbokki was 16,000 WON (~12 USD)
On the side, we ordered “Fried Japchae”, which seemed to be a crossover of Korean stir-fried glass noodles (Japchae), and Fried Seaweed Rolls (Gimmari). This went extremely well with the main dish we ordered. Especially when dipped in the spicy Tteokbokki sauce! The fried japchae was 4,800 WON (~3,60 USD).
A little detail I loved was that the pickled radish (Danmuji) was served together with canned pineapple in small, customized tin bowls. A combination that I never knew I needed.
After we ate, it was time to explore the restaurant! Each floor represents a different decade. Starting from the 1970s on the ground floor to the 2020s on the top floor. There were tons of photo spots for cool Instagram pictures and even a full DJ set.
If you’re planning your trip to Seoul and you want to try one-of-a-kind Tteokbokki, don’t forget to check out TOBOKI!
TOBOKI | 토보키
Seoul Jungu 411 Toegye-ro
서울 중구 퇴계로 411 1층 토보키 (핑크건물)
Opening Hours: Wed – Sun, 11:30 am – 9 pm (3-5 Breaktime)
Feeling hungry? Here are some Korean recipes you might like: