A signature snack of the Chungjang-ro lanes. Squid fritters are placed on lettuce, dabbed with sauce, and eaten with tteokbokki. The point: the lettuce is not fried.
“The lettuce is not fried — it is the plate that lets hot fritters rest.”
This is a snack bar carried forward from the Chungjang-ro meeting-spot generation. The keeper began at a cart near a high school and now works from a small shop, slicing squid into long strips and mixing fresh batter four times a day. As she says, “The lettuce is not fried — it is the plate that lets hot fritters rest,” the fritters take a short bath in 170-degree oil while lettuce is shaken completely dry. The tteokbokki pan is reddest around 3 p.m., and the dipping sauce blends soy, chili flakes, and minced onion. She adds, “Gwangju people remember the fun of wrapping more than the crunch.” Because students once split one order three ways after exams, she still places small tongs on the table before forks.
Philosophy
What this place protects
Fresh lettuce, quick-fried batter. Diners tune each bite between tteokbokki sauce and soy-chili dip.
Signature Menu
Order this first
Sangchu-twigim
상추튀김SignatureGwangju's lettuce-wrapped squid fritters.
₩5,000
Instant Tteokbokki
즉석 떡볶이Pro tipSweet-spicy pan tteokbokki for dipping fritters.
₩6,000
Assorted Fritters
모둠튀김Seaweed rolls and vegetable fritters together.
₩7,000
Behind the Signature
The name sounds like fried lettuce, but the Gwangju snack wraps squid fritters in raw lettuce. The signature is the contrast between hot batter and cool greens.
Gallery
Look around
Practical
How to Order
- 1Order sangchu-twigim with tteokbokki and dip the fritters in sauce.
- 2Lettuce, fritter, a little onion-soy dip; wrap into one bite.
Good as a snack break while shopping Chungjang-ro. Seats fill after school hours.
The lettuce is raw. The sauce is more sweet snack-bar spicy than fiery.
Lettuce is crispest in spring and summer; tteokbokki broth sells harder in winter.
