Koreans’ Favorite Snack, Tteokbokki Venues in Jeonju: Modurang and Sangsan Tteokbokki

The most popular street food (also ‘school food’) is tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cakes). The most common tteokbokki is the spicy gochujang (red chilli paste) sauce one. However, there are different variations according to the sauce such as black bean sauce, rosé sauce (cream and tomato sauce), sweet soy sauce, etc. The variations can also be according to the rice cake: wheat, rice, cheese inside, etc. Today, I’ll introduce decades-old tteokbokki venues in Jeonju.

Modurang

Modurang is about 30 years old tteokbokki venue near Jeonbuk National University. They serve a stew-style tteokbokki. It’s served over the portable gas stove on the table.

Inside Modurang is wider than it seems from the outside.

I can order extra ingredients for my tteokbokki-stew, such as sausages, brisket slices, mozzarella cheese, sweet potato noodles, ramyun noodles, a boiled egg, and etc. I do recommend ordering some of the extras.

I can also add some mozzarella cheese over my fried rice.

​Modurang

Address: Myeongryun 4gil 21-6, Deokjingu, Jeonju

Contact: 063-909-5201

Opening hours: 10:00 – 21:00 every day

Sangsan Tteokbokki

In Korea, tteokbokki is also an ‘after school food’ for students. When I feel nostalgic, I visit Sangsan Tteokbokki, a 25-year-old tteokbokki venue.

Sangsan Tteokbokki started as a small roadside food cart in front of Sangsan High School in Jeonju. Now it has a proper venue near the high school.

As I enter, I see the rice cakes and fish cakes boiling in the beautiful red spicy sauce. The smell is very mouth-watering. The menu is as follows:

Tteokbokki 4,500 won

Hot dog (Corn dog) 1,500 won

Tuigim (Deep fried squid/Deep fried glass noodle roll/Both) 4,500 won

Omook (Fish cake) 500 won

I ordered tteokbokki and both deep fried squid and glass noodle roll. The fries go very well with the tteokbokki sauce.

The fries are deep fried again upon order. I love crunchy the sound of slicing the fries.

My tteokbokki and fries are served. The food here is old school, travelling back in time. I loved the chewy and firm texture of the tteokbokki (wheat cakes are more soft). The fries go perfectly well with the tteokbokki broth.

Sangsan Tteokbokki

Hyojacheonbyeon 2gil 13, Wansangu, Jeonju

Contact: 063-225-8981

Opening hours: 11:30 – 22:00, closed on the first and the third Saturdays and every Sunday.