Tongyeong Dongpirang Hotteok, a delicious 500‑won hotteok
Hello, this is CULT.
When you travel around Tongyeong you’ll often come across a surprising variety of street foods. Usually you’ll see seafood jwipo (dried filefish snack) or kkulppang (honey bread), but I’ll introduce those later — today I want to talk about Dongpirang Hotteok, my regular go-to hotteok shop.
Each hotteok costs 500 won; the price is very low and the taste is great, so I visit often. It’s not listed on Naver Maps or Google Maps, so I registered it myself. After sightseeing at the Dongpirang Mural Village, enjoy this easy, no-pressure snack on your way down. Foreign visitors and kids will also enjoy the taste.
Location and Summary
Occasionally closes at 6:00 PM.
For foreign visitors using public transport, there’s a bus stop nearby so it’s easily accessible, and domestic travelers usually bring cars, right? There are plenty of parking spaces in the alleyways and around Gangguan, so you shouldn’t have any problems with parking. The shop’s opening and closing times can be a bit random, but it typically operates every day between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM; the owner sometimes closes at 6:00 PM if they have other business.
It’s not listed on Naver Map, so just look for the paint shop. [Naver Map]
The shop looks like this. It’s a bit old and rundown, but it reminded me of the neighborhood I grew up in, so I personally found it very charming. By the way, this place is cash-only, so it’s a good idea to bring a few 1,000-won bills or one 5,000-won bill.
There’s a plastic barrel like this in front of the Dongpirang hotteok shop, so it’s easy to find. I looked up a bit of information and found that before the 2020 pandemic a hotteok was 300 won, but after the pandemic the price was raised to 500 won. Still, it’s very affordable, which is great.
Freshly Grilled Hotteok
If you order it there, they make it fresh on the spot. Koreans may take this for granted, but foreigners often don’t know, so you should explain it. It’s also very tasty for international tourists visiting Korea. It’s not spicy — it’s sweet.
They mix brown sugar and cinnamon into a flour batter and fry it in oil; think of it as a traditional Korean snack.
You can order just one and eat it on the spot, or buy several to take away. I find that the best option is four pieces for 2,000 won plus four pulppang for 1,000 won. Even so, it’s only 3,000 won total, so it’s no burden at all. There are many inexpensive shops, so personally I quite enjoy living in Tongyeong. Of course, when I have to go to other regions for shoots every week, it’s a bit tough because the driving time gets long.
Just enjoy the hoddeok once it’s golden-brown like this.
FYI, before I went to shoot I wrapped one to go and ate it in the car… The cinnamon smell soaked into the seats for about three days, which was a bit of a hassle. Please don’t eat hoddeok in the car.
Pulppang
This is Pulppang, and it’s 4 for 1,000 won. I used to visit almost every day, so they often gave me five. It isn’t heavy and is less sweet than Hotteok, making it a nice snack even for older people. Where in South Korea can you find a snack that’s 4 for 1,000 won? Living in Tongyeong, I’m still often surprised.
At Dongpirang Hotteok, when I eat it as a sort of half-meal, I eat it like this. It’s 3,000 won in total. When I eat it at home… I eat hotteok with chopsticks. That’s because if the sugar syrup inside drips, it becomes really sticky and you need to wipe it off carefully.
The hotteok is slightly bigger than a folded Samsung Z Flip7. Since it’s cheap, it’s a bit smaller than the 3,000-won hotteok in Myeongdong. This info is a bit old… are hotteok in Myeongdong about 4,000 won each these days?
Perfect for eating while sightseeing
They pack it in a paper bag plus a plastic bag like this, so you can carry it up to nearby Nammangsan, Yi Sun-sin Park, Dipirang, or the Dongpirang Mural Village and eat it there. They’re usually open until 7 PM, so picking some up around 6:30 and enjoying a snack while watching the sunset would be a nice idea.
The Dongpirang Mural Village and Tongyeong Jungang Market are nearby, so be sure to try the affordable, delicious Dongpirang hotteok before you go. I was going to pop out briefly while writing this, but the sun’s already set. I’ll probably go tomorrow. I’ll wrap this up here and be back with more travel tips 😀
- Dongpirang Hotteok costs only 500 won each, so it's very cheap.
- The Dongpirang Hotteok shop is near Dongpirang Mural Village — just look for the paint shop and you’ll find it easily.
- The Dongpirang Hotteok shop is usually open from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, though it sometimes closes at 6:00 PM depending on the owner's schedule.
- Dongpirang Hotteok is a fried snack made with dark brown sugar and cinnamon; it's sweet and not spicy.
- Dongpirang Hotteok accepts cash only, so it's a good idea to bring ₩1,000 or ₩5,000 bills.
