Hotteok is a Korean sweet pancake made with glutinous rice flour and filled with a mixture of sugar, peanuts and cinnamon. The round, fluffy pancakes are lightly fried in oil. It is considered as one of the most popular Korean winter street food among foreigners and locals as well. Seoul Hotteok is a small shop that sells premium quality hotteoks with different variety of flavors. The store became very popular after its hot-selling heart-shaped hotteok went viral on social media. Read on to learn more about this one-of-a-kind hotteok shop.
I went to the Sinchon Main Branch which is just a stone’s throw away from Sinchon Station. You can have your It is easily accessible by subway. First, take a subway ride to Sinchon Station (Line 2) and walk out from exit 5. Then, walk straight from the exit for about 4 minutes and you will reach the store.
Note that there are a few other retail stores as well at Ahyeon, Beomgye and Nonhyeon. Feel free to visit any of them that is close to your place.
Since its establishment in Seoul, it quickly became well-known not just among the natives, but also with foreign Instagrammers and café-hoppers. The exterior gives off vintage vibes with the carved wooden signboard and the red bricks design. However, the interior design is simple and just nice. The interior is quite small and fits around 12 people only.
It has an open kitchen design, so you can see how the chef fries the hotteok. Only the dough is pre-made, but the hotteok is fried on the spot right after you made your order.
You must pay through the kiosk as there are no cashiers at all. Do not worry if you can’t read Korean because you can change the language to English at the kiosk.
Seoul Hotteok offers only five menus of hotteok which include cinnamon, cream cheese, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables), mugwort and sarang hotteok (heart-shaped). The most popular menu is undoubtedly the heart-shaped hotteok because of its unique and attractive shape.
I went there just to try the heart-shaped hotteok, but the owner told me that they will not sell it for the time being because they want to refine the recipe. So, I tried the second best-selling menu, the cinnamon hotteok.
It was mouth-watering and satisfying! I would give it a 10 out of 10! When I put the hotteok into my mouth, the warm cinnamon syrup immediately melts on my tongue, making me crave for more. The crispy skin and the sweet fillings are a match made in heaven!
The price ranges from 2000 to 2500 won which is a bit pricier than the hotteoks sold by the street. I can assure you that it is not overrated and will definitely meet your expectations. Note that the japchae hotteok is a little spicy.
Personally, hotteok is my favorite Korean winter snacks because I have a sweet tooth and my cravings for sweet food tend to intensify especially after I had my meal. Seoul Hotteok has indeed caught my attention and I will certainly pay a second visit again this winter. Not to mention, I think I will be a regular customer to this shop too! Click here to check out more pictures from other Instagrammers. Also, find out more about other finger-licking good Korean winter street food here.
