Seoul Tteok Shops: Rice Cakes, Hangwa & Old Mills

Walk past a Korean tteok shop at six in the morning and you will smell it before you see it: steam pouring out of a back room, trays of rice cakes cooling on racks, someone tapping a bamboo steamer free of the last crumbs of red bean. By noon the shelves are full of small plastic packs, green with mugwort, white, rolled in roasted soybean flour or studded with nuts. By late afternoon, in the good shops, they are nearly empty. 떡 tteok, Korean rice cake, is still made the same day it is sold, in shops that open before the subway does. This guide covers what to buy, how to buy it, and eleven shops in Seoul worth crossing the city for.

What kinds of tteok are there?

Four families, sorted by how they are cooked. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture divides tteok into steamed, pounded, pan-fried and boiled cakes, plus a handful of others. Steamed cakes in a 시루 siru (earthenware steamer) are the oldest form; steamers turn up at Bronze and Iron Age sites and in the kitchen scenes of Goguryeo tomb murals. When the Cultural Heritage Administration designated tteok making as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021, it noted that historical texts record more than 200 kinds.

🍡 The four tteok families and what to look for in a Seoul shop

Family	Korean	How it’s made	Look for	Texture
Steamed	찌는 떡 (증병)	Rice flour steamed in a siru	Baekseolgi, sirutteok, songpyeon, duteop-tteok, jeungpyeon	Soft, crumbly to springy
Pounded	치는 떡 (도병)	Steamed rice pounded into a dough	Injeolmi, jeolpyeon, garaetteok, baramtteok	Chewy, stretchy
Pan-fried	지지는 떡 (유전병)	Glutinous dough fried in oil	Hwajeon (flower cakes), bukkumi, Gaeseong juak	Crisp outside, chewy inside
Boiled	삶는 떡 (단자·경단)	Dough balls boiled, then rolled in coatings	Gyeongdan, danja	Soft, coated

---

Nagwon-dong rice-cake alley: is it really from the palace?

That is the story, and Seoul city tells it, but it is a story rather than a documented fact. According to Seoul city’s long-running shop profiles, after the Joseon court was dissolved following the 1910 annexation, palace women and servants with nowhere to go settled near the palaces and made tteok to support themselves, which is how the Nagwon-dong rice-cake street began. Seoul’s tourism pages add an old saying, 남주북병 namju bukbyeong: the poor scholars of southern Seoul loved their liquor, while the wealthy families of northern Seoul loved their rice cakes.

The street has shrunk. Segye Ilbo reported in 2025 that about twenty tteok shops once lined it, and that only a handful now remain. Two shops still face each other across Samil-daero: Nagwon Tteokjip and Jongno Tteokjip.

Which tteok goes with which occasion?

Tteok is still the food Koreans share at turning points. When the Cultural Heritage Administration designated tteok making, it described the custom of sharing rice cakes with neighbors when moving house or opening a business as part of the heritage. The table below covers the occasions a traveler is most likely to see.

🎎 Occasion rice cakes you will see in Seoul shops

Occasion	Tteok	Why	Read more
Lunar New Year	Garaetteok, sliced for tteokguk	Eating a bowl means turning a year older	—
Chuseok	Songpyeon	Half-moon cakes steamed on pine needles	Chuseok food guide
Baby’s 100th day	Baekseolgi, susu-palddeok	White for purity; red sorghum and beans to ward off bad luck	Baegil guide
Moving house	Red-bean sirutteok	Shared with new neighbors; red beans are popularly said to keep misfortune away	—
Opening a shop	Sirutteok or boxed sets	Shared with neighbors and customers	—
Weddings	Pyebaek rice cakes	Part of the bride’s gift table	—

---

Eleven tteok shops worth the trip in Seoul

Selection criteria: tteok or hangwa is the main business; a mix of old shops, a working mill and modern tteok makers; a spread across Seoul; and a dated 2025–2026 sign the shop is open (Kakao Map, recent reviews or articles). Hours and prices are from public listings as of October 2026; tteok shops often close early when they sell out.

🏆 Tteok and hangwa shops in Seoul: 11 picks (as of October 2026)

#	Shop	Area	Best for	Typical price	Good to know
1	Nagwon Tteokjip	Nagwon-dong	Duteop-tteok, the alley’s history	₩2,000–4,000	See our Jongno 3-ga guide
2	Jongno Tteokjip	Nagwon-dong	Kkultteok, songpyeon	Packs from about ₩2,000	Opens 04:00 daily
3	Biwon Tteokjip	Anguk / Bukchon	Duteop-tteok, jat-seolgi	₩2,500–4,000	10:00–17:00, sells out
4	Dongyang Bangagan	Buam-dong	Black sesame injeolmi	₩2,000–2,500 (older menu)	Working mill, 09:00–17:00
5	Gyeonggi Tteokjip	Mangwon	ET-tteok, seolgi	₩2,800	Opens 07:00
6	Jeongae Matdam	Namseong Sagye Market, Isu	Ang-butter tteok	₩2,000 per pack / ₩4,000	Market shop, opens 06:00
7	Mannadang	Sinsa / Apgujeong	Yakgwa, juak (hangwa)	Yakgwa box of 12 ~₩13,000–17,000	Since 1963
8	Apgujeong Gongju Tteok	Apgujeong	Gift boxes, freezer-friendly	Boxes from ₩22,000	Sold by the box
9	Dongbyeong Sangryeon	Wonnam-dong, near Changgyeonggung	Sit-down tteok café	Kkultteok ₩6,500, teas ₩5,500–9,500	Seats inside
10	Obok Tteokjip	Seongsu	Ang-butter monaka, “tiramissuk”	3 packs ₩10,000	Modern tteok
11	Siru Cake	Hapjeong	Rice-cake layer cakes	Check in store	Cake-style seolgi

1. Nagwon Tteokjip (낙원떡집) — The alley’s anchor

Our Jongno 3-ga and Seosulla-gil guide covers this shop in detail. In short: Seoul city dates it to around 1920, lists it as a long-running “Oraegage” shop and a Seoul Future Heritage, and its duteop-tteok is the cake to try (₩3,000–4,000). Most single rice cakes cost ₩2,000–2,500. It sits right beside Nagwon Arcade, so it combines easily with Insadong and Tapgol Park. 438 Samil-daero, Jongno-gu · Jongno 3-ga Station, about 5 min · roughly 08:00–21:00 · duteop-tteok ₩3,000–4,000 / most cakes ₩2,000–2,500 📍 Open in Naver Map

2. Jongno Tteokjip (종로떡집) — The shop that opens at 4 a.m.

Directly across the road from Nagwon Tteokjip, Jongno Tteokjip is the other survivor of the old rice-cake street and is described in Korean press as a third-generation shop. It opens at 04:00 every day, and one Kakao Map reviewer remembers walking past at three or four in the morning during sleepless job-hunting years and seeing the owners already making rice cakes. Come for kkultteok (honey-filled rice balls), songpyeon and the colorful pyebaek wedding cakes. Small packs make it easy to buy just one or two kinds. 437 Samil-daero, Jongno-gu · Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 5, about 5 min · daily 04:00–20:00 · packs from about ₩2,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

3. Biwon Tteokjip (비원떡집) — Palace-style rice cakes since 1949

The most storied tteok shop in Seoul. Biwon Tteokjip opened near Changdeokgung in 1949 and is a designated Seoul Future Heritage and Seoul long-running shop. Its founder is described as having learned palace recipes from a court lady of the last royal kitchen, and the Korean Food Promotion Institute’s 2024 profile highlights its duteop-tteok (₩4,000), a royal-style cake once offered on court celebration days. The pine-nut jat-seolgi (₩2,500) and yaksik (₩3,000) are also worth it. Everything is made that day with Korean ingredients, which means the best items sell out early. Reviews say prices are high and the service brisk; this is about the cakes. 33-1 Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu · Anguk Station Exit 2, about 6 min · 10:00–17:00, closes early when sold out · duteop-tteok ₩4,000 / jat-seolgi ₩2,500 / yaksik ₩3,000 📍 Open in Naver Map

4. Dongyang Bangagan (동양방아간) — A working mill in Buam-dong

Up in Buam-dong, the hillside neighborhood behind Gyeongbokgung known for cafés and the Seoul City Wall, Dongyang Bangagan is the real thing: a neighborhood 방앗간 bangagan that still mills and makes rice cakes by hand. Local blogs say it has been here since 1974. The order is the black sesame injeolmi, which regulars describe as the best they know; mugwort cakes and rice-wine-leavened sultteok are also on the counter. Its posted menu is old (rice cakes at ₩2,000–2,500), so expect a little more now. It is a bus ride from Gyeongbokgung Station, and pairs perfectly with a walk on the Bugaksan section of the city wall or along the Baeksasil Valley. 77 Jahamun-ro 40-gil, Jongno-gu (Buam-dong) · bus from Gyeongbokgung Station · 09:00–17:00 · rice cakes ₩2,000–2,500 (older menu)

📍 Open in Naver Map

5. Gyeonggi Tteokjip (경기떡집) — Mangwon’s three-generation tteok house

A Seoul “Oraegage” (long-running shop) near Mangwon Market, run by a family whose founder started milling in Jongno in the 1960s and whose third generation includes one of Korea’s youngest certified tteok masters, according to Seoul city. The signature is the ET-tteok (₩2,800), a North Korean-style injeolmi that Seoul city describes as coated with a coffee-flavored red-bean crumb. It opens at 07:00, and the line before Chuseok is famous. If you cannot get to Mangwon, its cakes are also sold at Lotte Department Store’s main Myeongdong food hall. 24 Donggyo-ro 9-gil, Mapo-gu · Mangwon Station Exit 2, about 3 min · opens 07:00 · ET-tteok ₩2,800 / seolgi ₩2,800 / injeolmi 200g ₩5,500–6,000 📍 Open in Naver Map

6. Jeongae Matdam (정애맛담) — A market tteok shop with a modern twist

Inside Namseong Sagye Market near Isu Station, this is the classic market rice-cake stall, opening at 06:00 with stacks of packs at about ₩2,000, but it is known across Seoul for one new idea: ang-butter tteok (₩4,000), a slab of red-bean paste and butter sandwiched between soft rice cake. It is a good place to see how Koreans actually buy tteok: a pack or two for breakfast, picked out of a pile. You can reserve by KakaoTalk message before holidays. 10 Dongjak-daero 29na-gil, Dongjak-gu (Namseong Sagye Market) · Isu Station Exit 14, about 4 min · opens 06:00 · tteok pack ₩2,000 / ang-butter tteok ₩4,000 📍 Open in Naver Map

7. Mannadang (만나당) — Royal-style hangwa since 1963

For 한과 hangwa, Korean traditional confections, this is the address. Mannadang was founded in 1963 by a master confectioner, according to Gangnam-gu Office, and specializes in court-style sweets: yakgwa (honey-and-sesame-oil cookies soaked in syrup), Gaeseong juak (fried glutinous rice cakes glazed with syrup) and mandugwa. Boxes of twelve royal yakgwa cost roughly ₩13,000–17,000 depending on the listing, and duteop-tteok (₩4,000) is sold by the piece. Hangwa keeps far better than fresh tteok, which makes it the best gift on this list to take home. For the 2022 yakgwa craze, see our K-dessert trends timeline. 61 Nonhyeon-ro 175-gil, Gangnam-gu · Apgujeong Station Exit 4, about 7 min · 10:00–18:00, closed Sundays · royal yakgwa (12) ~₩13,000–17,000 / juak (6) ~₩6,000–9,500

📍 Open in Naver Map

8. Apgujeong Gongju Tteok (압구정공주떡) — Gangnam’s gift-box tteok

A Gangnam institution that Harper’s Bazaar Korea (2025) dates to 1965. Unlike the market shops, it sells by the box: nutrient-rich yeongyang-tteok and black sesame injeolmi start around ₩22,000 and go far higher for holiday sets. That makes it a shop for gifts and for travelers who plan to freeze rice cakes and take them home, which regulars say works well here. Buying a single small portion is not really the format. 10 Nonhyeon-ro 161-gil, Gangnam-gu · Apgujeong Station, about 10 min · boxes from about ₩22,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

9. Dongbyeong Sangryeon (동병상련) — Sit down with tea and rice cakes

Most tteok shops have nowhere to sit. Dongbyeong Sangryeon is the exception: a tteok café between Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, started in 1999 in a tiny shop near Ewha Womans University, according to a 2026 Herald Business interview with its owner. Order kkultteok (₩6,500) with a pot of jujube-ginseng or ginger tea (₩5,500–9,500), or a bowl of red-bean or chestnut porridge. Reviewers recommend it after a palace visit with friends from abroad. Note: the restroom is outside, in the building. 154 Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu (Wonnam-dong) · near Changgyeonggung’s main gate; nearest subway about 15 min · opens 10:00 · kkultteok ₩6,500 / teas ₩5,500–9,500 / red-bean porridge ₩12,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

10. Obok Tteokjip (오복떡집) — Seongsu’s new-generation rice cakes

A Seoul Forest neighborhood shop that shows where tteok is heading: ang-butter monaka (rice-cake, red bean and butter in a crisp wafer), mugwort-and-cocoa “tiramissuk” and Earl Grey chocolate rice cakes, alongside the classics. Three packs cost ₩10,000. It opens at 08:00 and is popular with visitors from abroad, who appear regularly in recent reviews. Do not confuse it with the Jeju shop of the same name. 32 Seongdeokjeong-gil, Seongdong-gu · Seoul Forest Station Exit 3, about 11 min · opens 08:00 · 3 packs ₩10,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

11. Siru Cake (시루케이크) — Rice cake as a layer cake

Steamed 설기 seolgi rice cake is soft and crumbly, a lot like a sponge, and Siru Cake in Hapjeong builds it into whole cakes: black sesame roll tteok, pumpkin seolgi and yuzu seolgi cakes, featured in Esquire Korea’s 2025 roundup of new tteok shops. It is the most “café dessert” of the eleven and an easy add-on to a Hongdae or Hapjeong afternoon. 18 Eoulmadang-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu · Hapjeong or Sangsu Station, about 5–7 min · prices and hours: check in store

📍 Open in Naver Map

---

How long does tteok keep, and can I take it home?

Fresh tteok is best the same day; frozen, it lasts much longer. Rice cakes made from regular rice, such as baekseolgi, jeolpyeon and garaetteok, start to firm up within a day as the starch sets. Glutinous rice cakes like injeolmi and yaksik stay soft a little longer. If you are not eating it that day, freeze it in the shop’s individual packs and thaw at room temperature, or warm it in a steamer or microwave for a few seconds. Hangwa such as yakgwa keeps for days at room temperature, which is why it is the safer souvenir.

Taking rice cakes abroad depends on your destination’s rules, especially for anything containing beans, nuts or meat. Factory-sealed hangwa and vacuum-packed tteok travel best. Check our guide to taking Korean food home through customs before you pack.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Where should a first-time visitor buy tteok? Start in Jongno: Biwon Tteokjip near Anguk Station for palace-style cakes, then Nagwon-dong for Nagwon Tteokjip and Jongno Tteokjip. All three are within a short walk of Insadong. For a modern take, add Obok Tteokjip in Seongsu.

Q. Can I eat tteok in the shop? Usually not. Traditional tteok shops are takeout counters. For a seat, tea and rice cakes together, go to a tteok café such as Dongbyeong Sangryeon, or to one of the traditional tea houses that serve hangwa with tea.

Q. Is tteok gluten-free or vegan? Most tteok is made from rice and contains no wheat, and many plain rice cakes are vegan. But fillings and coatings vary: some use wheat flour, butter, honey or dairy, and shops rarely label allergens in English. Ask about the specific cake: 밀가루 들어가요? milgaru deureogayo? (does it contain wheat flour?).