In Busan, thick, chewy rice cakes are fundamentally used when making tteokbokki, rather than wheat cakes. Located in Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu, Darijip is a garaetteokbokki restaurant where you can taste the essence of rice tteokbokki, and it is one of Busan's top three tteokbokki establishments. Darijip's tteokbokki features garaetteok soaked in a rich, bright red gochujang sauce served on yellow plates. The sweet and sour flavors linger in the mouth, followed by a touch of spiciness at the end; its clean finish ensures that you can enjoy it deliciously without getting tired of it, even if you eat it often. The decisive element dominating this flavor is the homemade gochujang, which has been made using a unique recipe for many years. The flavor of the paste, made by generously adding chili powder, is essentially the secret to Darijip's tteokbokki. The long, deep-fried squid, resembling palms joined together, is also a delicacy. It is a strict rule to prepare the squid while it is still slightly frozen to maintain its chewy texture and freshness as much as possible. There is also an interesting story passed down regarding Darijip. When it first started as a makeshift food stall over 30 years ago, word of mouth spread among the students of Busan Dong Girls' High School for the garaetteokbokki developed by the mother, Kim Cheon-ja, using homemade gochujang. The current name, 'Darijip,' was given because all one could see under the stall's tent were the legs of high school girls eating tteokbokki. The restaurant has maintained the legacy of garaetteokbokki in Busan for so long that teachers at Busan Dong Girls' High School used to say, "You must not go to a place where you can see legs during class."

Type: Snack food

70, Namcheonbada-ro 10beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan

Tel 051-625-0130

Opening Hours 11:30-21:00

Edit Danbee Bae

Photograph Kihun Jung