Jung-gu Chinese izakaya with Taiwanese apple cider: Huhugwan

Today I visited Huhugwan (후후관), a Chinese izakaya near City Hall Station known for its crispy yurinchi.

Huhugwan Address: 2F, 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea Hours: Weekdays 11:00–23:00

Where is Huhugwan? A 2-minute walk from City Hall Station Exit 10

Get off at City Hall Station (Line 1 or 2), take Exit 10, walk straight ahead, and turn into the alley by the Menzuru City Hall building. Follow the stairs up to the second floor. It took about 2 minutes from the station. With such easy access by public transit, it's a great spot for group meetups or dates near City Hall.

Huhugwan, the Chinese izakaya near City Hall Station famous for its crispy yurinchi, newly opened this summer and has become a popular meetup spot in the area.

Saturday evening at Huhugwan: why reservations are a must

There are chairs near the entrance so you can wait comfortably. Naver Reservation is also available, so I'd recommend booking ahead for group gatherings or company dinners. They're running a reservation event too — a free heotgae stick for 2+ guests, heotgae stick plus fried eggplant or yurinchi for 6+ guests, and heotgae stick plus cumin lamb ribs or braised pork belly for 10+ guests.

The inside is spacious with tables divided into separate sections, making it a great atmosphere for group gatherings. We visited on a Saturday evening and the place was completely full — if we hadn't booked ahead, we would have had to wait. The table in the photo on the right also belonged to a reserved party, so I'd really recommend booking ahead if you're visiting during weekday dinner peak hours.

The kitchen was a partially open kitchen, visible from the dining area.

Huhugwan menu and prices

You order by scanning a QR code and placing your order on your phone.

I captured photos of the entire menu board.

• Eggplant rice bowl ₩13,000
• Mapo tofu rice / Pepper stir-fry rice ₩12,000
• Garlic scape fried rice / Tomato egg rice bowl ₩11,000
• Peanut noodles / Beef shank noodles ₩15,000
• Cumin lamb ribs ₩36,000
• Fried eggplant ₩18,000
• Yurinchi ₩23,000
• Gusugye ₩19,000
• Huhuchuan (mala hot pot) ₩32,000
• Braised pork belly ₩28,000
• Pepper stir-fry ₩22,000

We ordered the yurinchi for ₩23,000 and the eggplant rice bowl for ₩13,000.

They're running a Naver review event — post a photo review and get a free drink or Chinese-style water dumplings at lunch (11:00–14:00), or draft Tsingtao or mini shrimp toast at dinner (16:00–22:30). There's also a Naver Map event giving out crispy-outside-tender-inside spring rolls and fried dumpling coupons.

While waiting for our food, roasted peanuts came out. They were sprinkled with both sugar and salt, so they were sweet, salty, and nutty — I kept reaching for more haha.

Our eggplant rice bowl and yurinchi arrived. Both looked delicious and I couldn't wait to dig in!

Eggplant rice bowl, 13,000 won

The eggplant rice bowl came topped with crispy fried eggplant, and the rice underneath was drizzled with Huhugwan's signature sauce.

The fried eggplant had a soft, tender inside with a crispy exterior — genuinely delicious! The sauce on the rice was savory with a soy-sauce flavor that paired perfectly with the fried eggplant.

Squid-ink battered yurinchi, 23,000 won

The yurinchi had a great combination of crispy squid-ink batter and juicy chicken thigh meat.

Eating it wrapped together with tomato, lettuce, and chili peppers gave it a fresh, savory taste that was really delicious!

Taiwanese apple cider and the coupon fried dumplings

I was curious about the Taiwanese apple cider I'd heard was famous, so I tried it — it cut through the richness of the fried dishes and had a refreshing taste, so I'd recommend it for anyone who doesn't drink alcohol.

We also took part in the Naver coupon event and got fried dumplings. They were fried perfectly crispy, and we dipped them in the soy sauce underneath. If you're near City Hall Station, definitely give Huhugwan a try for its famous crispy yurinchi!