Chinese restaurant near Gangnam-gu Office Station: sharing cold

Last weekend, I went for lunch with my sister, who lives in Nonhyeon-dong, at Junghwa Gaekjansu, a popular Chinese restaurant near Gangnam-gu Office Station. It's loved by office workers all over Gangnam as well as local residents, and with its clean flavors that suit Korean palates, a spacious and comfortable hall, and private rooms, it's also perfect for gatherings and work dinners.

Location and parking at Junghwa Gaekjansu Gangnam-gu Office Branch

This Chinese restaurant near Gangnam-gu Office Station is within about 10 minutes' walk of both Gangnam-gu Office Station and Hakdong Station, and there's a small lot in front for 3–4 cars, so it's easy to reach whether you're coming by transit or driving. Valet parking is also available for ₩5,000, and if the lot is full, Nonhyeon 3 Parking Lot (paid) is nearby, just FYI!

Junghwa Gaekjansu used to operate under the name Junghwa Baekban and only changed its business name — the food and service I'd loved before are still just as good.

Interior & atmosphere

The interior is cozy and clean, done in wood tones with soft, calm lighting. The whole hall is spacious and comfortable, with plenty of 4-person tables and group seating.

There's also a window-side bar and 2-person tables for solo diners, so it felt comfortable to eat alone too.

Can the private rooms be connected?

Further inside there are private rooms, and if you open the partitions, the rooms can be connected to fit larger groups — that's part of why this Chinese restaurant near Gangnam-gu Office Station is popular for work dinners too! For group visits, I'd recommend booking ahead — reservations are possible via Naver, Catch Table, or phone.

My sister, who lives in Nonhyeon-dong, has already visited so many times she loves this place, so she quickly picked our order from the recommended dishes.

What we ordered and the prices

• Jungwa Naengmyeon / Chinese-style cold noodles (₩12,000)
• Japchaebap / stir-fried glass noodles over rice (₩12,000)
• Korean pork tenderloin sweet and sour pork (₩30,000)

While we caught up on all the gossip, the dishes came out one by one until the table was completely full.

Japchaebap — a rice bowl with chewy glass noodles

I went back and forth between the jungwa gukbap (also highly recommended by Napoli Mafia, a well-known Korean YouTuber) and japchaebap, and ended up choosing japchaebap. It's a rice bowl topped with japchae — crunchy vegetables, chewy glass noodles, and tender pork stir-fried in soy sauce — and it was so generously portioned and delicious that I was glad I picked it.

Japchae is easy to get wrong — the noodles can turn bloated and overly greasy — but this japchaebap kept the noodles pleasantly chewy, wasn't greasy at all, and had just the right balance of savory and salty seasoning. A perfectly well-rounded dish.

Even my sister, who's picky and insists on always having rice with her meal, happily finished the whole bowl! With such a generous portion for just over ₩10,000, it was great value for a Gangnam-gu Office Station lunch.

Jungwa Naengmyeon — peanut sauce served on the side

It was still muggy during the day, so I wanted something cold and chose the jungwa naengmyeon. I'd had plenty of regular mul-naengmyeon and bibim-naengmyeon this summer, but it had been a while since I'd had the Chinese-style version, so I had high expectations.

The peanut sauce came served separately, so I could try it plain first and add it to taste.

Shrimp, carrot, cucumber, jellyfish, and other generous toppings, chewy noodles, and a cold broth with floating shaved ice all came together in harmony — the broth especially stood out, with just the right tanginess and a refreshing, clean finish.

Ordering one rice dish and one noodle dish to share meant we got to enjoy more flavors and more food, which made the meal even more satisfying!

Korean pork tenderloin sweet and sour pork — with green onion strips

Sweet and sour pork is one of the most basic dishes, but also one of the hardest to get right. This restaurant's version, made with good-quality Korean pork tenderloin coated in a thin batter and fried crisp, was a textbook example of crispy-outside, tender-inside done well.

It came piled high with shredded green onion on top, and eating them together really cut through any greasiness — I loved that.

It's a flavor that anyone, young or old, would like, and perfect for picking at piece by piece between other dishes.

The sauce came served separately, so there was no need to fight over dip-it versus pour-it-on — total peace between both camps. Honestly, it's delicious either way, so instead of arguing over dipping or pouring, let's just eat one more piece, haha.

Final thoughts

Junghwa Gaekjansu near Gangnam-gu Office Station gave us a clean, light Chinese lunch. There's a strong perception that Chinese food is always greasy, but this restaurant completely broke that stereotype — the japchaebap was a rich feast of savory umami, the jungwa naengmyeon was refreshingly cool with a pleasant tang, and the sweet and sour pork was crispy outside and tender inside. Everything was satisfying. With its spacious hall and private rooms, I'd also recommend it for gatherings or work dinners.