Sinchon Chinese restaurant tiger rice bowl, no wait: Cheonghwaweon

Where is Cheonghwaweon in Sinchon, and what are its hours?

• Address: 10 Myeongmul-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor (4-minute walk from Sinchon Station Exit 3)
• Hours: Daily 11:00 ~ 22:20 (last order 22:00)
• Parking: Not available (use Changcheon public parking lot or Hyundai Department Store U-Plex parking)

Today I went to meet family at the Sinchon festival, and heard there's a genuinely authentic Chinese restaurant nearby, Cheonghwaweon, where a local chef makes Taiwanese-style food himself, so I checked it out!! I'm posting an honest review that should help with menu choices before your visit, so read it and go!!

It's right on the right as soon as you come out of Sinchon U-Plex, so super easy to access!! The interior was clean and hygienic, which I liked.

Can you eat alone at Cheonghwaweon? Seating and wait times

Cheonghwaweon has both 2-person and 4-person tables, so eating alone is totally fine, no awkwardness at all!! (There really were a lot of solo diners.) The place was full of locals and foreign customers too, which made me think this must be the real deal.

When I visited around 3pm on a weekend, I got seated right away with no wait!

There's a tablet at every table, so you can order and pay all from your seat, and you can also just order and pay later!!

Every table has tissues, bowls, utensils, cups, and everything else set up!

The basic side dishes were peanuts and jjasai (pickled mustard stem)!!! They were so good I went back for seconds twice before the main dishes even arrived (I hadn't eaten all day, ㅜㅜ). True to a Chinese restaurant, the menu was really extensive, so I got greedy and wanted to try a bunch, ordering three dishes.

Tiger rice bowl, 9,800 won: spicy with a smoky wok finish

Tiger rice bowl (₩9,800) — this was totally a winner!! Cheap too, and perfectly balanced in carbs, protein and fat. It's a rice bowl with chili peppers and egg stir-fried in a spicy Chinese sauce, served over rice!! The wok-hei smokiness is strong, so I'd recommend it to anyone who loves spicy food.

The spicy seasoning pairs really well with the fluffy rice, making it a great spicy-savory single meal. I'd order this again 10000%.

Guobaorou, 17,000 won: does it pass the crunch test?

Guobaorou (₩17,000) — I really love guobaorou, so whenever I get mala tang or lamb skewers, I always order it too. So when I run into a bad one it really bums me out, but this place's guobaorou passes the test.

The outside needs to be so crispy and tangy it makes you cough to pass — and this one does

This place's guobaorou is super crispy on the outside with chewy glutinous rice inside, and it's so so good!!!!!! It's a great menu to pair with noodles or fried rice, so everyone should order it too!!!!

Beef knife-cut noodles, 10,500 won: the signature a third-grader finished

Beef knife-cut noodles (₩10,500) — this is Cheonghwaweon's signature dish!! The distinctively rough yet chewy knife-cut noodle strands really capture the authentic Taiwanese feel, ㅠㅠ. And I love sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), so this had that same long, torn-dough texture!

The broth is rich and packed with hearty chunks of beef, super filling!! It's not spicy at all, a classic-style beef noodle dish, so even my 3rd-grade nephew ate it happily haha. If you want something spicier and bolder, I'd recommend the Sichuan-style beef knife-cut noodles!!

What to order at Cheonghwaweon: the best combination for two

It was a really satisfying meal!! I'd strongly recommend ordering guobaorou, a rice bowl, and beef noodles together as a set — you get soup and noodles, rice, and fried food, all three notes hit perfectly!!! If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant around the Sinchon university area, go check it out~~!!