Hyehwa dim sum restaurant, roe shumai after a play: Cheonghwawon

Let me introduce a great Chinese restaurant in Daehangno, perfect for after a play.

The location is spot on for stopping by after a play or a movie in Daehangno, so here's my review of the Chinese restaurant 🔥 Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch (청화원 대학로점)!

You really get that authentic local flavor, and I kept saying "this is good~~" the whole meal! It reminded me of the exact local taste I had in Taiwan 5 years ago, and the travel mood came right back~

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch hours and how to get there from Hyehwa Station

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 22:20, with last order at 21:50. It's open year-round and closes only on Lunar New Year's Day. Takeout and group visits are possible, and they say the food is cooked by a chef from China.

• 2-minute walk from Hyehwa Station Exit 4 (inside the alley toward CGV Sungkyunkwan University, on the left)
• Bus: 1-minute walk from the Seongdae-ipgu stop or the Myeongnyun 2-ga.Sungkyunkwan University Entrance stop
• There's no parking at the restaurant! You'll need to use a nearby paid lot

It's right by the subway, so public transport works well. And after a play, it's the perfect weather for a walk to Naksan Park or Marronnier Park~☺️

The exterior is clean, and even from far away it feels like it's announcing itself as a beef noodle place. It sits right in the middle of the Hyehwa street, so it's very easy to reach.

Is there a wait at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch, and what is the seating like?

They don't take reservations; you're seated in order of arrival, so keep that in mind! The 1st floor had lots of counter seats and looked able to hold bigger groups. It's clearly a popular place, so there were plenty of customers, but turnover was fast.

Inside, it's as spacious and comfortable as the outside suggests. The tables are spaced generously so it doesn't feel cramped, and with so many seats you can eat at a relaxed pace.

There are also tables for two for a cozy date, so choosing a seat was easy! My phone battery was dead, and they have a charging service, which was great.

Cheonghwawon menu and how to order at the kiosk

You order easily at a kiosk. There's a wide range of dishes, so picking is half the fun.

Since it's a Chinese restaurant where a chef from China cooks, the menu is wide and varied. Fried eggplant, chili shrimp, cream shrimp, shuizhu beef (수주어펀), cumin beef, shredded pork in sweet bean sauce (jingjiangrousi), Sichuan-style chicken and more: so many things I wanted to try.

Free sides at Cheonghwawon: zha cai and roasted peanuts

These are the basic sides that come when you order~ Zha cai (pickled mustard stem) and roasted peanuts, the must-haves with knife-cut noodles!! You all know how good they are, right~? Honestly, zha cai as a side at home would get you through a whole bowl of rice. And the roasted peanuts are so addictive, you just keep reaching for them.

What we ordered this day: two bowls of beef knife-cut noodles, xiaolongbao and shumai.

How do Cheonghwawon's knife-cut beef noodles taste?

They say the broth for the beef knife-cut noodles (우육도삭면) is simmered for over 24 hours with Korean beef bone and tender beef shank! From the first sip it's light yet deeply savory! Ah... this is it. I'd been craving knife-cut noodles for days, and they were so good, just perfect.🤤

I'm also crazy about noodle dishes, and the noodles were so chewy that I told my husband they seemed house-made, and they really do pull them by hand in the restaurant. Of course, that's me~~ a true food connoisseur. I'm so proud of my taste..🤭

The texture is definitely great, and the broth is rich with real depth. Eating it with the tender meat on top reminded me of the beef noodles I had in Taiwan!

How juicy are Cheonghwawon's xiaolongbao?

The xiaolongbao 🥟 was my husband's pick. The best part is gently tearing the thin, chewy wrapper with chopsticks and having the warm, rich juice fill your mouth!

The mild, nutty meat filling and the deep juice together gave me the delicate flavor I remember from traveling. If you add a little of the sharp shredded ginger on top, it tastes even better without feeling greasy~

Must-order at Cheonghwawon: shumai topped with flying fish roe

⭐Recommended!⭐ The shumai was Gotori's pick (my own pick)! Cheonghwawon's shumai combines shrimp, pork and flying fish roe.

The wrapper is thin and chewy, and inside it's packed with bouncy shrimp and juicy pork filling. On top, the flying fish roe pops in your mouth for extra savoriness. The three go really well together, so it's delicious.

If you go to Cheonghwawon, the shumai is my recommendation!!! Try it~~

I love food, and at home I hate eating the same soup, stew or side dishes for more than 2 days, so I'm picky about always eating different ones... but the knife-cut noodles and dim sum today suited my taste so well that, honestly, I think I could eat them again tomorrow, back to back.

Who Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is best for

• Anyone looking for a Daehangno play date course (it's near the CGV at Hyehwa Station, so it fits perfectly after a movie or play!)
• Anyone missing the deep, rich Hong Kong or Taiwan style dim sum and beef noodles they had while traveling
• Anyone who wants a spacious, comfortable two-floor restaurant, from solo meals to group gatherings~

I ate light today, but there are so many proper meal dishes like guobaorou (crispy sweet and sour pork), eggplant in garlic sauce over rice, yuringi (fried chicken in sauce) and lajiji (spicy chicken) that I want to try them!

If you love dim sum, I think you'll finish a satisfying meal in no time~ My husband and I enjoyed the play and said "the play was a success!!" and the food that day made it a full-course success too.🩷

It has easy access from Hyehwa Station, a clean two-floor space, and waits that prove the taste, so I think it's a good place when you want a guaranteed meal~ After a play or a movie in Daehangno, it's a perfect spot for a filling, satisfying meal!

A Daehangno date: a play, then dinner at Cheonghwawon

Have tasty Taiwanese-style food at Cheonghwawon~~🥣🥟 Daehangno is all about plays, after all! The CGV is close too, so squeeze in a movie, then stroll Marronnier Park where there's lots of busking, listen to the buskers to lift your mood, and with that lifted mood head up to Naksan Park. The night view from Naksan Park is amazing too~ A Daehangno date course, done!!