Hongdae Chinese restaurant with bar seats and peanut tantanmen: Surim

Who is Surim Sikdang Hongdae for?

Surim Sikdang Hongdae is a Chinese restaurant in the Hongdae–Sangsu area that I'd recommend to anyone who wants original dishes rather than the usual Chinese fare, or who wants a tidy setting for a date or a small get-together. If you're looking around Hongdae and Sangsu for a place that nails both flavor and atmosphere at a good price, go!

Surim Sikdang Hongdae location, hours and parking

The address of Surim Sikdang (수림식당) Hongdae is 19-19 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Hours are Mon–Fri 11:00–15:00 / 17:00–21:00 and Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00, with no break time on weekends.

• Parking: available (on weekends, the lot next to the restaurant can be used)
• Takeout and delivery offered
• Groups welcome (room and group seating for 6 to 12 people)
• Solo (counter) seats available
• Wi-Fi and baby chairs provided
• Payment: easy-pay options such as Zero Pay and Naver Pay

What is the seating like at Surim Sikdang between Hongdae and Sangsu?

Surim Sikdang Hongdae has a generous mix of seating, from private rooms at the back to window bar tables for solo meals or dates. I ended up visiting while looking for a place with good atmosphere around Hongdae and Sangsu

Surim Sikdang Hongdae exceeded my expectations. The interior is very clean and comfortable, from the private room area at the back

to the window bar table for solo diners or dates. The seating really is well thought out.

When I visited, the stylish space made the meal feel extra special. One caveat: it's a popular spot, so there may be a wait. Do check before you go!

Surim Sikdang's take on "the temperature of tantanmen"

The restaurant has a note about the temperature of its tantanmen, which reads roughly as follows.

• The ingredients: Surim Sikdang's tantanmen is a noodle dish flavored with tantan sauce made from fresh paprika, peanuts and other nuts.
• Why temperature matters: if tantanmen is cooked at 70℃ or above, the sauce loses its characteristic aroma and flavor.
• The principle: so Surim Sikdang cooks and serves its tantanmen at the optimal temperature, so customers can enjoy it at its best.

How does Surim Sikdang's peanut tantanmen taste?

Surim Sikdang's tantanmen combines pork bone broth, a paprika sauce and house-made aromatic oil into a noodle dish that's nutty without being greasy. It wasn't boxed in by the usual idea of Chinese food; it was full of the restaurant's own personality.

The pork bone broth is simmered for a long time, and with the paprika sauce added, the flavor is clean and mellow, and really excellent.

In particular, the house-made aromatic oil balances the nutty peanut sauce so it never gets greasy.

The moment I took a bite, that deep flavor filled my mouth and I couldn't help exclaiming in delight!

Above all, I could feel the thoughtfulness in cooking it at the optimal temperature (the 70℃ mentioned above) so you can enjoy the true taste and aroma of tantanmen, and that made it even more enjoyable.

Surim Sikdang fried eggplant dumplings: price and taste

The eggplant mandu (fried dumplings) is ₩8,000 for 5 pieces and ₩15,000 for 10, and it's the signature dish you absolutely have to order when you come to Surim Sikdang. Fresh eggplant is packed tightly with a meat dumpling filling, and then

it's fried the moment you order, so you eat it piping hot.

Bite in and you get a cheerful crunch, then the juices of the eggplant and the meat flood your mouth. It's the textbook "gyeotbasokchok" (crispy outside, moist inside).

Thanks to Surim Sikdang's original cooking method, which you won't easily find anywhere else in Hongdae, even people who don't usually like eggplant could be won over after one bite.

At ₩8,000 for 5 and ₩15,000 for 10, the quality and value are almost unbelievable. It's a top-notch signature dish.

Surim Sikdang Hongdae: final verdict

If you're hunting for a must-visit restaurant in Hongdae and Sangsu, Surim Sikdang Hongdae isn't optional, it's essential. The creatively reinterpreted tantanmen has a rich, nutty flavor, and the eggplant mandu fried to order is the textbook crispy-outside, moist-inside. With comfortable rooms and bar seats, it's perfect for dates and group gatherings alike, so do pay a visit!