Korea’s super-popular snack shop: Must-try “thin dumplings,” only available in Daegu!

Text and photos byLittle Dot Paine

In front of Daegu’s 2.28 Memorial Park (note: this is not the same as Taiwan’s 2.28 Memorial Park), there’s a wildly popular snack shop. Just seeing photos of the long lines will draw you in. The shop is called Jungang Tteokbokki (Central Spicy Rice Cakes), and it basically sells common Korean street foods — spicy rice cakes, blood sausage, and fish cakes — plus a unique Daegu specialty: “thin dumplings with scallions.”

Luckily, there was no line when we arrived, but the shop was almost fully packed inside — still a strong sign of its popularity!

The menu is simple: scallion thin dumplings (not the steamed dumplings common in other cities, but the thin ones), a set of spicy rice cakes with thin dumplings for 3,000 KRW, blood sausage also for 3,000 KRW, rice rolls for 1,500 KRW, and drinks. Just a few simple snacks have made this place hugely famous!

This pot of spicy rice cakes is truly amazing~

Scallion thin dumplings — only available in Daegu. “Gwon” means “flat” or “thin.”

I ordered a set of spicy rice cakes with thin dumplings, asking for less rice cakes and more thin dumplings. Plus one blood sausage. Total cost: 6,000 KRW and I was completely full!

This place’s spicy rice cakes are absolutely top-notch — definitely among my favorite versions of the dish. The sauce is incredibly delicious. The rice cakes themselves are also great — thick and chewy, offering a really satisfying texture. Delicious!

It also comes with thick fish cakes, which are tasty too!

Thin dumplings cooked in the spicy rice cake sauce are absolutely divine~

These thin dumplings don’t have much filling — just a few glass noodles — the highlight is the flavor of the crispy, pan-fried dumpling wrappers!

Blood sausage — locals in Daegu eat it just like this, plain and white. I’m not a fan!

So I just added some of the spicy rice cake sauce myself~

Verdict: If you’re like me and not usually a big fan of spicy rice cakes, I recommend giving this place a try. For some reason, the rice cakes here have an especially great texture, and the sauce is rich, fragrant, and perfectly balanced between sweet and spicy to suit my taste. I’m also a carb lover who adores pan-fried flour-based snacks — these thin dumplings really hit the spot. They’re one of the foods I miss most after leaving Daegu!

Related Info
Shop Name:Jungang Tteokbokki & Gwon Mandu
Address: ???彭萝 ?? 迟帘杠2? 81
Korean Map
Latitude/Longitude: 35.869513, 128.597007

Little Dot’s World ★ Traveling Around Korea
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