Happy Cheese Smile (해피치즈스마일) – Samdeok-dong/Jung-gu

Tteokbokki has got to be one of the most famous Korean snack foods and admittedly Daegu has so many good places to eat it. What sets Happy Cheese Smile apart though is not just delicious tteokbokki, but the melt in your mouth donkasu pork cutlet. This plus the trendy cafe style seating has made this a popular 핫플 (hot place!) in Daegu!

The only issue with this place being so popular is the long wait times to get a seat. I’ve been to the Samdeok branch twice and on both occassions had to wait over an hour for a table. This was on weekends though so weekdays might be a safer bet for seats. Also they now have several branches across Daegu so you might be able to find a closer one to you. Search Happy Cheese Smile to find their branches in downtown, Buk-gu, Chil-gok, several locations across Suseong-gu, and two in Dalseo-gu.

Tteokbokki starts at 4,500 for the basic menu but they offer a variety of types including ramen, udon, or other added ingredients with prices averaging 7,000 for the more exciting combos. Cheese topping is 1000 and well worth it in my opinion. You can choose the spicy level from no spice, regular, or spicy. The donkasu is 13,000 and a must try if you’re visiting, I feel this is their signature dish and it tastes amazing. It comes with rice, side salad, and deep fried mozarella cheese cubes. Yummy! They also have a huge sides menu, we got the mandu (3,500) and fried vegetables (4,000) but they offer much more including potato, hash browns, and shrimp. They also do a set menu starting from 24,00 for the rosebokki, donkasu, and a drink. We got a peach drink which is a perfect match for spicy food!

Even though we had to wait for seats I thought it was worth it as the food was so delicious and super filling, we didn’t need to eat again that day! Be careful with ordering the sides as the portions are big for the price and on both occassions we struggled to eat everything as we got carried away with ordering! While probably not the cheapest tteokbokki place it’s perfect for a date or lunch out with friends.