Sinchon Chinese restaurant at opening: cream shrimp and shrimp fried

Today I went to Cheonghwaweon (청화원), a well-known spot in Sinchon, for cream shrimp!

Where is Cheonghwaweon in Sinchon, and what are its hours and parking?

Cheonghwaweon is located at 10 Myeongmul-gil, 1F, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, just 260m from Exit 3 of Sinchon Station (Line 2), so it's quick to get to when you're looking for good food near Sinchon Station.

I did an opening rush visit, but there was already someone ahead of me. Little by little, more people started showing up even though it was right around 11am.

Parking is not available at Cheonghwaweon.

Hours are daily 11am to 10:20pm, with last order at 10pm.

Cheonghwaweon's menu and signature dish prices

The menu is divided into noodles, dim sum, rice dishes, fried dishes, stir-fries, and cold dishes.

Cheonghwaweon's signature menu — beef knife-cut noodles ₩10,500 / cream shrimp ₩19,800 / shumai ₩9,500 / mala tofu ₩10,500

You pay after confirming your order. If card doesn't work or you're paying cash, that's handled at the counter by the entrance. I was torn between cream shrimp and yurinki, but shrimp won out haha.

Next time I'm curious about the tomato egg stir-fry too. Since I had noodles last time, this time I picked fried rice. I also ordered coconut milk for ₩3,000. My order ended up being shumai, shrimp fried rice, and cream shrimp haha.

Inside Cheonghwaweon: the room and how long the wait is

Before the food arrived, a small plate of peanuts appeared haha — gone in a flash. I twisted the cap off the water bottle myself.

Here's the food being made by hand. Ah! It looks like it'd be nice to sit and watch. Even seated toward the back, I could still see outside, which was nice.

The shrimp fried rice came out first, then the xiaolongbao. Ah~ I did consider ordering shumai. But since I'd already ordered cream shrimp haha — it gets coated in batter right when you order and fried in fresh oil, so there's a bit of a wait, but thinking about the taste made it worth it. When it's crowded the wait is longer, but mine came out fairly quickly.

Seeing the table full like this made me smile lol. I was torn over what to eat first, but I reached for the xiaolongbao and shrimp since they're best eaten warm.

Cream shrimp, 19,800 won: too big for one bite

The cream shrimp is not small at all. The batter has that corn-dog-like exterior feel, crisp, and the shrimp is delicious as always — this is the dish I order every time I come.

I took a big bite but there was still shrimp left, so it took two bites to finish. You shouldn't force the whole thing into one bite.

Xiaolongbao at Cheonghwaweon: eat it with a spoon, mind the broth

Chopsticks just won't cut it here, right? Spoons were in the drawer next to the table. I sipped the broth right from the opening haha, and even after that there was still dim sum filling inside — that's a proper xiaolongbao.

I ate it with ginger sauce. Of course, it's also delicious plain.

Shrimp fried rice: fluffy grains, just-right seasoning

I couldn't believe how cutely the shrimp were tucked in there haha. The rice was fluffy — a proper shrimp fried rice.

I ate it with a spoonful of rice alongside the soup-like broth that came with it. You know that particular texture, right? Haha, I like that slightly chewy quality.

The rice was packed with vegetables too, so it was delicious, and the seasoning was just right. I'm not a huge fan of green onion, but eating it together was fine.

There was so much that I got the leftover cream shrimp packed to go. Wow! They even gave fresh cabbage and peanuts for the road. In my heart, Cheonghwaweon is a cream shrimp destination.

Is Cheonghwaweon worth the trip to Sinchon?

Cheonghwaweon was a great place to pick and choose Chinese dishes. This time I ordered cream shrimp, shrimp fried rice, and xiaolongbao, and the cream shrimp had big chunks of shrimp with crispy batter — a dish I'd want to order again on my next visit. The shrimp fried rice had fluffy grains packed with vegetables and shrimp. The xiaolongbao has hot broth inside, so be careful when you eat it hahaha.

It's close to Sinchon Station, so it's easy to get to, and the menu ranges from noodles to dim sum, stir-fries, and fried dishes, so it'd also be great for a group where everyone picks something different to share. If you're looking for Chinese food in Sinchon, Cheonghwaweon, a well-known Chinese restaurant in Sinchon, is worth trying with cream shrimp and a round of dim sum.