Gwacheon seaweed soup restaurant, sea urchin roe set: Haenon Miyeok

Some days you crave not spicy delivery food but hearty Korean cooking that warms and settles your stomach.

On one of those days, when I needed the comfort of neat side dishes and a spoonful of deeply simmered broth, I heard there was a really good seaweed soup (miyeokguk) restaurant in Gwacheon — so I went to check it out.

From the clean, upscale atmosphere to a depth of broth flavor on a whole other level, I want to strongly recommend Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch (해논미역 과천직영점) as a family gathering spot. Here's my honest review.

Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch: hours, parking and the dining room

Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch is at 67 Araetbaeraengi-ro, 1st floor, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, open Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00 with a break time of 15:00–17:00. Parking was really convenient, so I could walk in without any hassle.

When a restaurant has awkward parking, you're worn out before you even sit down — but Haenon Miyeok gave me none of that worry.

Walking inside, the space was so spacious and clean that it gave off a real upscale Korean restaurant vibe.

There were baby chairs ready, and the tables were spaced wide apart, so it's great to bring kids along too. The screen playing footage almost made me feel like I was in Jeju Island. I visited for an early lunch and it was already packed!

A sign on the wall read "This is not seaweed soup that was pre-boiled and ladled out" — seeing that, I already got excited about the care that would go into each stone-pot bowl. There was also an eye-catching event notice right at the entrance!

Free abalone for pregnant guests and birthday celebrants

If you verify that you're pregnant or celebrating a birthday, they give you a whole abalone free of charge, apparently. Wouldn't that be such a thoughtful touch if you brought your parents here for their birthday?

Instead of wearing yourself out preparing an elaborate birthday spread at home, treating them to a proper meal out here felt like a great idea.

One menu per person and adding rice for kids: check before you order

At Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch, one menu per person is required starting from age 8 (elementary school). But for kids 7 and under, you don't have to order a full menu — you can just add rice for ₩2,000.

You can order easily using the tablet at the table. Here's a tip worth checking before you order!

Once you order, they keep refilling the rice. Such a reasonable, family-friendly system for feeding kids.

Since I wanted to try a variety, I ordered the sea urchin seaweed soup set, the beef seaweed soup set, and the boneless flounder seaweed soup set all together.

Tidy banchan and a self-serve bar you can refill freely

Before the main dishes arrived, a full table of neat, tasty banchan (side dishes) was laid out, including a hefty grilled flounder. My chopsticks never stopped moving.

Each side dish was mild rather than intense, and honestly, they were the kind of banchan that make you eat way more rice than you planned.

The sauce on the grilled flounder is about as spicy as seasoned fried chicken sauce — sweet and delicious. I prefer places that serve fewer, neater dishes in just the right amount rather than tons of dishes, and this place nailed exactly that.

Plus, there's a clean self-serve bar set up to one side, so if any side dish runs low, you can help yourself to as much as you want without feeling awkward about it. It was the perfect setup for filling up warm and satisfied.

Sea urchin roe, beef or flounder: how do the seaweed soup broths differ?

Of the three seaweed soups at Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch, my personal favorite was the boneless flounder seaweed soup. The beef version has a rich, savory meat-based broth, while the flounder version has a clear, clean seafood umami — completely different character.

And finally, the seaweed soup bubbling away in the stone pot arrives!

What you see in the photo is the beef seaweed soup, with its rich, savory meat-based broth.

The seaweed was really tender and the broth was amazingly rich.

But personally, the one I really want to recommend to you all is the boneless flounder seaweed soup! Its broth character is completely different from the beef version — clear and clean with no heaviness, while the deep umami from the flounder fills your mouth. Since it's boneless, you don't have to pick out any bones, just scoop it up with a spoon and eat — truly the best 🤍

There wasn't anywhere nearby that did a good sea urchin seaweed soup, but this place exceeded expectations. It's a bit pricier, but there's plenty of sea urchin roe in it, so I'd recommend it for anyone looking for an upscale seaweed soup.

It was so interesting how, even though it's the same seaweed soup base, the flavor of the broth changes completely depending on what's added in. Ordering a variety and comparing them as I ate was actually a lot of fun.

Packing leftover seaweed soup home for 1,000 won

At Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch, you can neatly pack up leftover soup for just a ₩1,000 container fee. The stone pots are quite large and the portions are so generous that I ended up pleasantly full before finishing.

It felt like such a waste to leave the leftover soup behind, but checking the tablet, there was a takeout service! I asked a staff member right away and packed it up, and even after reheating it the next morning, the broth was still rich and delicious — great for takeout too.

If you want to fill both body and soul in a clean, upscale space with a bowl of seaweed soup made with real care, be sure to visit Haenon Miyeok in Gwacheon.

I strongly recommend it as a restaurant to bring your parents to 🤍