Daehangno pub with hanok roof views: yuk-jeon beef pancake, Hyehwahwa

Last week a friend and I watched a comic play and then went hunting for dinner, which led us to this Daehangno restaurant-bar I'd been wanting to try for a while — the menu looked great. Let's get into it.

Where is Hyehwahwa, and what are its hours?

Hyehwahwa is a Hyehwa spot with a red sign tucked into an alley. The address is 29-3 Daemyeong-gil, 2nd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

• Address: 29-3 Daemyeong-gil, 2nd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Tue–Sun 17:00–01:00 (last order 00:00)
• Closed: every Monday
• No parking — please use a nearby public parking lot
• Reservations available

What does a straw-fire fusion Korean pub serve?

Good fire plus good ingredients makes the best food, and the most delicious food is the most primal food. Here, a young chef born in '96 who trained at a Michelin 3-star Korean restaurant teamed up with his mother, born in '66, a former owner of a restaurant people used to line up for — thirty years of generational recipes coming together into a one-of-a-kind straw-fire fusion Korean pub full of rich aroma and flavor.

Special bar snacks that make the night.

I thought it looked messy at first, but it's actually the whole interior concept.

It's a straw-fire Korean pub, and you can even spot the straw fire near the entrance.

The soft lighting felt upscale and the interior was really nice — I'd recommend this for a date.

The restroom inside was clean, so no issues using it.

The hanok tiled-roof view from Hyehwahwa's window seats

We sat at a table further inside Hyehwahwa.

We went in the evening, so the sunset in the sky was romantic. The hanok roof view (the tiled roofs looked amazing) and the open window made it feel breezy, almost like a terrace. Sitting side by side at this Hyehwa restaurant-bar felt romantic, and the photos turned out great too.

The basic side dishes were white kimchi and savory oil-drizzled tofu — nice that they're on the healthier side.

Ordering was easy — just scan the QR code at the table.

The interior was spacious and comfortable, with an open kitchen. The staff were kind too.

Even on an early weekday evening, there were plenty of customers.

With this much care going into the cooking, the drinks just kept flowing. If you're looking for a Daehangno pub or a great Hyehwa bar-snack spot, this is it. Check out the fire show from the kitchen.

Hyehwahwa's signature charcoal-grilled gopchang bomb spicy stew

With the tasty snacks out, I had a drink of Saero (soju).

The (signature) charcoal-grilled gopchang (beef/pork intestine) bomb spicy stew came loaded with 500g of charcoal-grilled gopchang — the signature dish! Spicy and sharp, soju is basically required with this one. Inside is pork gopchang, served in long pieces you cut yourself as you eat.

It paired really well with the yuk-jeon (pan-seared beef). The perilla leaves on top of the gopchang stew also added great aroma.

My hand just kept reaching for the soju. Ahh — even without drinking, this would be great to come for as a meal too.

There were chewy glass noodles in there too. The broth in this snack was so spicy and delicious I almost ordered another bottle.

I've never had gopchang stew like this before. The visuals are wild too — should've mixed it with rice.

Yuk-jeon thick as a burger patty

The portion of beef in the yuk-jeon (pan-seared beef) was enormous — genuinely felt like eating a burger patty, and I mean that in the best way. A fantastic combo of generous beef, savory-salty egg, and fragrant perilla-leaf scallion salad.

It's just delicious even without any sauce — go ahead and tear off pieces to eat.

The sauce had this vinegared-gochujang kind of vibe — a fresh touch.

Every so often, top it with tofu or crunchy kimchi in between bites. It's refillable.

My friend who came along was eating so well — and she wasn't even drinking, haha. Getting drunk on the food alone.

We finished it off down to the very last bite, with perilla leaves.

Why we would return to Hyehwahwa without a play

Hyehwahwa is the kind of place I want to return to just for the quality of the bar snacks. I'm curious about the knife-cut octopus and other dishes, so I'll be back even without a play to see. It was also a great spot for conversation — a satisfying pub overall.

How to walk to Hyehwahwa from Hyehwa Station exit 4

Come out of Hyehwa Station exit 4 and walk straight toward CGV for about 2 minutes. There's a small alley across from CGV — go into that alley, and it's on the 2nd floor of the Jeongtongjip building.