Daehangno Chinese restaurant, 9 pm dinner under ₩10,000: Cheonghwawon

I went to Cheonghwawon (청화원), where you can get high-quality, authentic Taiwanese beef noodles in Daehangno for under ₩10,000!

I had a ₩9,800 tiger rice bowl, Taiwanese beef noodles and xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and every single one was delicious! That day I'd made friendship rings with a friend in Daehangno, and since this is one of the well-known Chinese restaurants in the area that has held its spot for quite a long time, we chose it for dinner ˆ̑՝̮ˆ̑❤︎ The food really satisfied me, so here's my honest review!

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch Hours: daily 11 am – 10 pm Location: 3 minutes from Hyehwa Station Exit 4

Cheonghwawon Daehangno seating on the 1st and 2nd floors

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is 3 minutes from Hyehwa Station Exit 4 and is split over two floors. The moment you walk in, a xiaolongbao steamer greets you. There were already-folded dumplings in it that looked so, so good that I decided I had to order them, hahaha. Is this some kind of marketing?? If so, it's a huge success..

Cheonghwawon is a Daehangno restaurant on two floors. The lower floor seemed good for eating alone, and the 1st floor has a wood-and-green look, so I thought it would also be nice for a date for two.

Maybe because it's a Daehangno spot that stays open late, it was still busy around 9 pm. I liked the warm-feeling interior. Many people looked like couples on dates or nearby college students!!

Both floors have big windows, so the space feels open. The chairs were comfortable, which was great for long chats, and the staff were so kind that I was really touched!! My friend and I moved up to the 2nd floor to eat.

Cheonghwawon menu and prices: ₩9,800 tiger rice bowl

At Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch the rice bowls were ₩9,800 and the beef noodles about ₩11,000, and there were plenty of dishes too, including mapo tofu. If you're looking for a Daehangno place to drink yeontae gaoliang (Yantai kaoliang liquor), this would be just right!! The prices aren't expensive but reasonable, so even better 💕

The complimentary side dishes were pickled cabbage and roasted peanuts. Perfect as drinking snacks.

I was bewitched by the xiaolongbao on the way in... I wavered between guobaorou (crispy sweet-and-sour pork) and xiaolongbao, but I couldn't forget how those dumplings looked in the steamer, so I ordered them in the end!!

And the tiger rice bowl, which I personally found sooo good!! There were other rice bowls too, but I wanted stir-fried pork, so I ordered this one. The portion was big; I gave half to my friend and ate only the other half, and I was still so, so, so full that I took a walk around Daehangno afterward ㅠ

How do Cheonghwawon's Taiwanese beef noodles and xiaolongbao taste?

Authentic Taiwanese beef noodles!! It has several big chunks of meat, which makes it tasty, and it's a Korean-patched Daehangno Chinese dish with no spice flavor. The broth has something like crumbled seaweed in it, so instead of Chinese spices it had the deep flavor of sesame oil and seaweed that Koreans love. And lastly, the xiaolongbao you must try when you come to Cheonghwawon.

They cost about ₩8,000 and the quality is excellent. I once went to a famous xiaolongbao place in Konkuk University area, and I felt the quality was almost the same. I burst the juicy dumpling and tried the soup first, and it was pure happiness,,, a perfect way to finish a Daehangno date.

The tiger rice bowl is generously stir-fried with meat, egg and vegetables, so I recommend it to anyone who wants to eat their fill. I believe the main Cheonghwawon branch is in the Sinchon area, and since it's a Korean beef noodle franchise, there's no Chinese spice smell, just a tasty Chinese-food feel. Oh, and since it's Chinese food, it is definitely oily!!

The Taiwanese beef noodles are a must-order. The thickness and chewiness of the knife-cut noodles were great, and the meat was stewed so long that it melted softly in my mouth.

A Daehangno dinner under ₩10,000: would I go back to Cheonghwawon?

This mild broth tastes almost like gukbap (Korean rice soup) broth, hahaha, and I finished every drop of what my friend shared with me. I'd go back and order it again. Especially since you can eat a filling rice bowl for under ₩10,000, I recommend it if you want yeontae gaoliang or a beer with Chinese food in Daehangno, as neither the atmosphere nor the food falls short.