Hyehwa Chinese spot, sizzling mala tofu after a play: Cheonghwawon

Dinner after a Daehangno play at Cheonghwawon, a Chinese restaurant near Hyehwa Station

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch (청화원 대학로점) is a Chinese restaurant on Daemyeong-gil, near Hyehwa Station. After a fun play in Daehangno, I was wondering "What should we have for dinner tonight? 🤔" and found this Chinese spot, so I went! 🏮✨

The restaurant even has a second floor, so it's really spacious and comfortable! 👏👏

There was plenty of room between seats, so we could eat comfortably 😊

What did we order at Cheonghwawon?

At Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch we ordered beef noodles, mala tofu, guobaorou, steamed rice and Zero Coke! 🥢🥤 I'll walk you through each one honestly, from looks to taste 💕

1. Beef noodles with a rich broth 🍜

The beef noodles come with big chunks of beef and plenty of green chives on top of a deep, rich broth 🥩🌿 It was the first dish I tried, and the wide, springy noodles had soaked up so much of that rich broth that I was gushing from the first bite 🤤✨

The meat wasn't tough at all, really tender, and I slurped it down with the broth and it was gone in no time 👍💛

And that rich, deep broth is the real star! 🍜✨ The moment you take a spoonful, the flavor spreads through your whole mouth, so you're gushing from the very first spoon 🤤 The thick broth soaks right into the noodles too, so you keep slurping away. It's a bewitching broth 💖

2. Mala tofu on a sizzling iron plate, a rice thief 🔥

The mala tofu arrives on a sizzling hot iron plate, so it stays warm the whole meal 🍳♨️ If you love mala, you can't skip this one!

Soft, jiggly tofu is coated in a glossy, spicy, numbing mala sauce, and the addictive flavor fills your mouth 😍🌶️

You absolutely need a bowl of steamed rice with the mala tofu!! 🍚 Pile plenty of it onto hot white rice and mix it up, and it's a perfect "rice thief" (a dish so good you keep eating more rice) 💯👏

3. Guobaorou, the textbook crispy-outside, chewy-inside 🍖✨

The guobaorou (Chinese sweet-and-sour fried pork) comes as big, golden-fried pieces of meat glazed in a moist sweet-and-sour sauce. It's not a Chinese meal without guobaorou, right? 😋 The radish sprouts and shredded carrots on top made it look so pretty too 🥗💛

Bite in and it's crispy outside and chewy inside, the perfect texture! 🤤 The sweet-and-sour sauce cuts any greasiness, so I enjoyed it right to the last piece without getting tired of it 💕

Is Cheonghwawon a good spot for a Daehangno date or group meal?

The place is roomy and clean, and every single dish we ordered was a success, so it was a really satisfying meal 🥰🎉 If you want good Chinese food after a play in Daehangno, or you're looking for a date spot or a place for friends to get together, I sincerely recommend Cheonghwawon! 🫶✨ Full and happy again today~ 🍽️💖

💬 Overall verdict

This is a Chinese restaurant you can walk into without a second thought when you're hungry after a play in Daehangno! 🎭🥢 Best of all, with a second floor the space is roomy and comfortable, so it isn't rowdy and you can eat at a relaxed pace ✨ I think it works as a date course or a spot for a friends' get-together 👫💛

From the rich, deep beef noodles to the addictive mala tofu that begs for white rice and the textbook crispy-and-chewy guobaorou, every dish we ordered was delicious with no misses, and I was really satisfied 🤤💯 If you're looking for a clean, tasty Chinese restaurant near Daehangno, I recommend stopping by Cheonghwawon at least once! 🫶💕