Saturday seaweed soup at a Gwacheon Korean restaurant: Haenon Miyeok

A Busan-style seaweed soup favorite newly open in Gwacheon

A Busan-style seaweed soup favorite, Haenon Miyeok, has opened in Gwacheon too, so I went to check it out.

It is on the first floor at 67 Araetbaeraengi-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, and is open daily from 11:00 to 21:00. Break time is 15:00–17:00, except on weekends; parking is available, and you can also reserve through Naver.

Saturday lunch parking and reservations

When we arrived at lunchtime on Saturday, there were already quite a few cars parked, right? But there is a large dedicated lot directly in front of the restaurant, so parking was incredibly easy!

We reserved ahead through Naver because it was the most popular day and time slot. There are lots of events on weekends, so I definitely recommend making a reservation! I often saw walk-in guests waiting. I had no idea this place would be this popular :)

A restaurant that is easy to visit with a baby

First of all, the interior is unexpectedly modern. It is spacious with none of that stuffy feeling, so coming with a very young baby did not feel daunting at all... haha. The ceilings are high and the air conditioning was blasting; it was so comfortable that I was almost shivering in this hot weather. Haha.

I carefully read Haenon Miyeok's brand philosophy of cooking each order as it comes in, then placed our order with an excited heart.

Seaweed soup set menu and prices

• Beef seaweed soup set ₩20,000
• Scallop seaweed soup set ₩19,000
• Flounder seaweed soup set ₩19,000
• Abalone flounder seaweed soup set ₩26,000

There were also many other varieties depending on the main ingredient in the seaweed soup, including mussels, abalone, flounder, and oysters. Just choose what suits your taste. At first, I thought the price might seem a little high for seaweed soup? But once you see the spread, you will think differently haha.

Complimentary abalone for pregnant and birthday guests

And pregnant guests and birthday guests, make sure you get this! A complimentary whole abalone—your birthday would feel twice as good.

Free-refill self-service side-dish bar

Another thing that caught my eye was the self-service bar for extra side-dish refills. All the neat side dishes you might expect only at a Korean set-menu restaurant could be refilled for free.

Doesn't the fried eggplant look crispy, hot, and delicious too?

These are the basic side dishes that come out before the seaweed soup. The seasoned grilled flounder was really delicious too. With japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), dressed acorn jelly, seasoned vegetables, salad, and more, it truly felt like being treated to a wonderful meal.

Rich seaweed soup in a huge earthenware pot

And Haenon Miyeok's main attraction, the seaweed soup, comes simmering in a huge earthenware pot for each serving. The portion of soup alone is enormous.

It was simmered so richly that the moment I took a spoonful, I automatically thought, “This is restorative food.” The beef seaweed soup was packed with beef, and the scallop seaweed soup was packed with scallops, so it did not feel expensive at all.

A family meal for every generation

It is a menu that young babies, older family members, and all kinds of generations can enjoy, so I like it even more as a place for families to eat together! :)

For reference, our baby is still too young, so they warmed up the baby food we had brought and we fed it to our little one. But the day when we can all eat seaweed soup together will come soon!! We should visit again as a family before long.

I officially approve of this as a great Korean restaurant in Gwacheon~~~