Gwacheon Munwon-dong seaweed soup restaurant for a birthday: Haenon

Around Chuseok is my older sister's birthday. When we were kids I used to be jealous that she got both Chuseok and birthday gifts at once, but as adults we don't see each other or keep in touch as much. So for her birthday we headed to Haenon Miyeok. It's the original boyangsik (health-boosting food) seaweed soup set-meal specialist that started in Busan in 2015, and with its tidy Korean-restaurant feel it was a good pick for a family gathering in Munwon-dong, Gwacheon.

The weather's been insane lately. I drove from Anyang, and since Gwacheon is so small it was only 10km away. We took the scenic route, chatted the whole way, missed a turn a few times and circled around haha, but we made it in the end.

Where is Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch, and where do you park?

Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch is a standalone building at 67 Araetbaeraengi-ro, Gwacheon, and there's parking right in front like a yard. I visited around noon on a weekday and nearly couldn't park — there was one spot left, luckily. They said to ask staff if the lot's full.

Free abalone for birthdays and pregnant guests at Haenon Miyeok

At Haenon Miyeok, pregnant guests or birthday guests can get one free abalone after ID verification. You've got to eat seaweed soup on your birthday, right? Doesn't matter if it's hot or cold out, that tradition holds.

Weekday noon at Haenon Miyeok: the room and the ordering rules

When I visited at noon it was nearly full. Only one seat was left, right in front of the restroom, and it turned out there was a group that had come by tour bus! Since this place is really only reachable by car, the crowd was impressive. By 1pm when we finished, it had thinned out a bit, so 1pm might be a good time if you want to eat more leisurely.

One menu item per person is required for ages 8 and up! Rice refills are free, but for kids 7 and under or if you don't order a menu item, there's a ₩2,000 rice charge — worth noting. Leftovers can only be packed for the soup, either in your own container or a ₩1,000 container from the restaurant. If you pack soup only (no banchan), you get ₩4,000 off.

The signature dishes are seaweed soups — sea urchin roe, haesin (sea god), Tongyeong oyster, and many more varieties. There are also side dishes like beef bulgogi, butter-grilled abalone, and flounder.

What comes with the basic table setting

• 1-person table: 6 basic banchan + salad
• 2-person table: 6 basic banchan + salad + 1 seasoned flounder + chicken breast salad
• 3-person table: 2 pieces of flounder

Gotta eat that pre-meal salad. The banchan came out fast after ordering. The seasoned flounder was dressed almost like gobalbi (spicy grilled mackerel) — the banchan definitely made me crave a bowl of makgeolli.

My personal favorites came with the 6 banchan: mung bean jelly salad, seasoned flounder, chicken breast salad, fried eggplant, namul (seasoned vegetables), and kimchi. There's also a self-serve bar for extra banchan.

What's on the self-serve banchan bar

At the Haenon Miyeok self-serve bar there was a different yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi) from the 6 basic banchan, plus fried eggplant and japchae (glass noodle stir-fry). Feels like this kind of self-serve banchan bar is trending lately — I keep seeing it around.

Most people refill with japchae or eggplant. I skipped everything else and just went back for a second helping of eggplant.

Beef seaweed soup set vs dried pollack seaweed soup set

• Beef seaweed soup set: ₩20,000
• Dried pollack seaweed soup set: ₩19,000

The portion of seaweed soup is seriously huge. This isn't your average sundaeguk (blood sausage soup) stone bowl! It looked like almost two servings — I wondered if I could even finish it. In exchange, the rice portion is small. It seemed to have tot (a type of seaweed) mixed in, which might explain why rice refills are offered — but honestly, even with the tiny rice serving, the soup was so plentiful I didn't need a refill.

The broth was truly rich — that deep, savory flavor made me understand why they call it boyangsik.

It wasn't just a lot of broth — there was plenty of actual seaweed and main ingredients too. The beef wasn't greasy at all, just clean and light.

I picked the dried pollack version. Growing up, my mom always made the beef kind at home, but since dried pollack is high in protein and often eaten as a hangover soup, I found it even richer and more savory.

If you'd had drinks the night before, I bet this would cure a hangover instantly. With the temperature swings of this changing season, it was a filling, warming meal to have :)