Jonggak beef noodle shop with no break time, 2 p.m. lunch: Cheonghwa

A Gwanghwamun and Jonggak lunch with no break time at Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon (청화 우육도삭면) is a beef noodle shop in Le Meilleur Jongno Town, and it was open late on a weekday afternoon, so we could get in. I had errands near Gwanghwamun and couldn't decide where to eat lunch. I wanted something good, but the timing was awkward, and every place I had in mind was on break time ㅜㅜㅜ Then I found Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon and went.

It's in Le Meilleur Jongno Town, between Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station. Basically a Gwanghwamun / Jonggak foodie spot, haha.

• Parking available (2 hours free at Le Meilleur Jongno Town)
• Takeout and group seating available

I visited around 2 p.m. on a weekday and it was still packed. No break time means office workers who missed mealtime can come whenever, lol. Anyway, the food photos on the signboard out front looked so good that I walked in with pretty high expectations.

What's on the Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon menu, and how much?

Noodles are around ₩11,000, and the menu is wide: dim sum, rice bowls, and dishes like mala tofu and youlinji (crispy fried chicken in sauce). There's a 1st-floor dining room and a 2nd-floor one, and we sat upstairs. We came just for the knife-cut noodles, but there turned out to be a lot more, from dim sum to mapo tofu to youlinji, hahaha.

Noodles

• Beef knife-cut noodles ₩11,000
• Sichuan-style beef noodles ₩11,000
• Yubal knife-cut noodles ₩11,000

The yubal knife-cut noodles looked unusual and I almost ordered them, but since the place is known for beef noodles, I went with the regular beef knife-cut noodles. Next time I'll come back for the yubal ones, haha.

Dim sum

The dim sum list is decent too, from xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) to shumai to sweet dumplings.

Rice dishes

There are also rice dishes like eggplant in garlic sauce over rice and shredded pork in garlic sauce over rice. So many options = very good for an office lunch...

Rice and main dishes

There's a good range of Chinese dishes, from fried eggplant to mala tofu, jingjiang shredded pork and youlinji. There are also cold dishes, cucumber salad and chicken that look great as side dishes. This would be perfect for easy drinking snacks at a company dinner, right?

Three dishes for two: beef knife-cut noodles, xiaolongbao and mala tofu

In the end we ordered three things!

• Beef knife-cut noodles ₩11,000
• Xiaolongbao ₩9,800
• Mala tofu ₩10,800

I was surprised at how cheap it was. With Seoul prices these days, everything would normally be ₩13,000, so this is a bargain, haha.

Even at an awkward hour it was crowded, so it must be a pretty good place. I also saw lots of office workers there for lunch-slash-group dinner, haha. The place is clean too, and if I lived nearby I'd probably come often.

Free side dishes: peanuts and seasoned zha cai

The complimentary sides are simple: peanuts and zha cai (pickled mustard stem) salad, the kind you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. I really love zha cai, and this one is good, haha.

The food finally arrived! Lots of other tables ordered the mala tofu too. It must be famous, haha.

The xiaolongbao are well seasoned even without soy sauce

The xiaolongbao came out full of juice(?). The taste was pretty good too. They're seasoned enough that you don't need to dip them in soy sauce.

Mala tofu: more doubanjiang flavor than numbing heat

The mala tofu also came on a hot iron plate, so it stayed warm. Since it was mala, I worried about that strong numbing tingle, but it was a tasty mapo tofu with a strong doubanjiang (chili bean paste) flavor, haha. With rice, you'll finish a bowl in no time.

How do the beef knife-cut noodles at Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon taste?

The beef was really tender and the noodles really chewy. There was no gamey smell in the meat, and the broth was good. I'd happily call it a great beef noodle place, haha.

There were also bits in it that looked like gat kimchi (mustard leaf kimchi), which made it taste a little unusual. Anyway, I finished the whole bowl, lolololol.

Who is Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon best for?

If you work near Gwanghwamun or Jonggak, Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is worth trying at lunchtime. The menu is surprisingly varied and the place is fairly spacious, so it seems fine for an evening group dinner too.