Jung-gu Chinese restaurant for a solo bar-seat dinner: Huhugwan

There are days when it's just too much hassle to go home and cook dinner after work. Honestly, that's every day for me. I headed toward City Hall Station for a simple dinner before heading home.

The place I visited was Huhugwan. I'd heard a new Chinese restaurant worth trying had opened near Deoksugung Palace, and this was it. I wanted something a bit different from my usual go-to dishes, and the result was satisfying! Let me introduce it.

Huhugwan hours and parking

Huhugwan is located on the 2nd floor of 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul. It's open weekdays 11:00-23:00, with a break from 16:00-17:00, last order at 22:30, and closed Saturdays and Sundays.

• ⏰ Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-23:00 / break 16:00-17:00 / last order 22:30 / closed Sat-Sun
• 🚗 Parking: not available

How to walk to Huhugwan from City Hall Station Exit 10

Huhugwan is a 1-minute walk from City Hall Station Line 2 Exit 10, right across from Goryeo Samgyetang. If you're looking for a good restaurant near City Hall Station, this is a prime spot!

It's also close to Deoksugung Palace, so it's a good option to keep in mind when looking for somewhere to eat around the palace.

It's on the 2nd floor of the Menchiru building, so it stands out even from a distance. There's a waitlist sign at the entrance, showing how popular it is with office workers at lunchtime. I'd made a reservation ahead of time, so I got in without waiting. If you're planning to visit for dinner, booking ahead seems like a good idea too.

Inside Huhugwan: atmosphere and seating for one

Inside Huhugwan, the seating is varied — from bar seating to couple seats, 4-person tables, and group seating for up to 8. I visited on a Tuesday evening, and there were more customers than I expected, from people having a meal to those having a drink.

There's also a waiting area, so you can wait comfortably if it's busy.

From bar seating to couple seats to 4-person tables, the seating options are varied. There's also group seating for up to 8 people, which looked great for a work dinner or gathering near City Hall Station.

The interior of Huhugwan had a strong exotic vibe. It's a clean, casual atmosphere that works well for a drink after work or a date.

I took a seat at the bar table. It's solo seating, so it was perfect for eating alone. There were quite a few solo diners even during after-work hours, so it felt like a comfortable place to visit by yourself.

What to order at Huhugwan: majangmyeon 13,000 won, fried eggplant 18,000 won

What I ordered at Huhugwan that day was majangmyeon (peanut sauce noodles) for ₩13,000 and fried eggplant for ₩18,000. Each table came set with the basics — pickled radish, water, and tissues. Even the water wasn't bottled water but barley tea.

You could order using the QR code on the table. They're running both a QR event and a review event, so join in and try everything from spring rolls to dumplings to menbosha (shrimp toast).🤍

Neither dish is something I usually order, so this time I went with the feeling of trying something new. Huhugwan has different lunch and dinner menus, and dishes great with drinks like braised pork belly and mala hot pot are only available in the evening.

The peanuts that come out as a default side were a real find. I kept popping them one by one — nutty and sweet, so good.

What does majangmyeon taste like?

Majangmyeon is a mixed noodle dish where the nutty peanut sauce is the kicker. It's topped generously with braised beef shank, wood ear mushrooms, and cucumber. The sauce comes pre-mixed with the noodles, so it's easy to eat. Nutty and salty at once — the kind of taste that kept me reaching for more.

The tender beef shank and wood ear mushroom texture were great, and the freshness of the cucumber on top made it an excellent dish overall.

Is Huhugwan's fried eggplant too plain on its own?

The fried eggplant 🍆 looked delicious. The eggplant's naturally soft texture combined with the crispy batter made it fun to eat. I thought a dish with just eggplant might be a bit plain, but of course it's fried, so it was delicious haha — needless worry. The batter was thin and the eggplant was moist, so it worked well both as a drinking snack and as a side dish with a meal.

With that crispy-outside, tender-inside texture and sweet chili sauce, it's a dish worth trying at least once if you like eggplant. Above all, it paired really well with the majangmyeon.

Final verdict on Huhugwan

Huhugwan, a restaurant near City Hall Station I visited after work. It was nice to try something different, like fried eggplant and majangmyeon, instead of my usual go-to dishes.

Since these aren't common menu items, I worried they might not suit my taste, but they were flavors that fit Korean palates well and were broadly likable. If you're looking for somewhere to eat after work near City Hall Station, or a good Chinese restaurant near Deoksugung Palace, give Huhugwan a try.