Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town

Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Town is a place where tteokbokki restaurants line both sides of the alley. The alley began to form in the late 1970s, and as it entered the 1980s, Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Alley reached its golden age. What newly appeared in the 1980s was the DJ booth found in every tteokbokki restaurant. The so-called stylish DJ oppa, who played music along with stories, emerged as a symbol of Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Alley. Also, this period was the heyday of high school baseball. On days when Deoksu Commercial High School and Sunrin Commercial High School faced off at the nearby Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium, the alley would be overflowing with students after the game ended. This alley is where those who were students back then come as middle-aged adults. They have become regulars for over twenty years, and because it is a traditional alley, it has been designated as a Seoul Future Heritage. In fact, the history of Tteokbokki Alley goes back much further than the 1970s, to the 1950s. In Tteokbokki Alley, there is Ma Bok-rim Grandmother's House. According to the grandmother, she started selling tteokbokki in 1953. At first, she made tteokbokki with just gochujang, and the Sindang-dong tteokbokki that started that way has, over decades, become a dish substantial enough for a full meal rather than just a light snack. These days, tteokbokki comes with eggs, dangmyeon, fish cakes, jjolmyeon, and ramen noodles as basics, and even includes squid, shrimp, and cheese, capturing new tastes.