# Mala beef noodles at Cheonghwawon, a Daehangno Taiwanese restaurant

- By Nayoung Suh (https://superchart.com/en/@seongsu-mug-hours/)
- Written Sep 13, 2026
- Local places › Restaurants › Jongno, Seoul
- Sponsored: This post was written as a sponsored store visit.
- English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seongsu-mug-hours/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/
- Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seongsu-mug-hours/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/index.md)

## In short

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a Taiwanese and Chinese restaurant a 2-minute walk from Exit 4 of Hyehwa Station in Jongno, Seoul. Visiting with a baby, the writer took a first-floor sofa seat and ordered at the table kiosk: beef stir-fried noodles in mala sauce for 12,800 won, beef knife-cut noodles for 10,500 won, crystal moon dumplings for 9,500 won and shrimp fried rice for 9,500 won. The mala beef stir-fried noodles were the top pick, and all four dishes tasted clean rather than heavy, making Cheonghwawon an easy lunch before or after a play in Daehangno.

## Good to know

- **Location**: 1st and 2nd floor, 36 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (2-minute walk from Hyehwa Station Exit 4)
- **Beef stir-fried noodles**: 12,800 won
- **Beef knife-cut noodles**: 10,500 won
- **Crystal moon dumplings**: 9,500 won (6 pieces)
- **Shrimp fried rice**: 9,500 won
- **How to order**: Kiosk at every table
- **Seating**: Two floors with a range of seats, including first-floor sofa seating
- **Parking**: Hard to park, as the restaurant is inside the Street of Youth; easy to reach by public transit
- **Price reference**: ₩12,800 ≈ $9.5 · ₩10,500 ≈ $7.8 · ₩9,500 ≈ $7 (2026-09-15)

*as written by the visitor on Sep 13, 2026*

![Representative lunch photo of Chinese dishes at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-01-1l7jx-1200.webp)

Lots of you must be stuck on what to eat for lunch in Daehangno, right? While looking for somewhere to eat before or after a play near Hyehwa Station, I ended up at Cheonghwawon, known for good dim sum and beef stir-fried noodles among other Chinese dishes haha.

![Exterior of Cheonghwawon in Daehangno near Hyehwa Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-02-67zkh-900.webp)

## How to walk to Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch from Hyehwa Station, and where to park

Cheonghwawon, a Daehangno Chinese restaurant, sits about a 2-minute walk from Exit 4 of Hyehwa Station, and it's mostly Taiwanese/Chinese food. It's on a busy nightlife street so parking is difficult, but access by bus or subway is good.

![First-floor interior seating at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-03-7fdwb-m-900.webp)

![Spacious two-floor hall at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-04-r62sj-900.webp)

## The first-floor sofa seat we took with a baby

It's a spacious two-floor restaurant, and since we came with a baby, they seated us at a comfortable first-floor sofa spot. There were lots of different seat types, so it seemed good for solo dining as well as groups.

![First-floor sofa seat where we sat with the baby](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-05-i3v66-900.webp)

## Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch menu and kiosk ordering

Here's the menu for Cheonghwawon, a good spot for lunch in Daehangno. Lots of dishes had great value for money, and since each table orders through a kiosk, you could browse comfortably. Noodles, dim sum, rice bowls, stir-fries — so many kinds it was hard to decide haha.

![Menu board and kiosk at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-06-do5jx-m-900.webp)

On one side, dim sum was being steamed nonstop haha.

![Kitchen area with dim sum steaming nonstop](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-07-1p5j8-900.webp)

![Dim sum steamers on one side of Cheonghwawon's kitchen](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-08-e204v-900.webp)

That day we ordered four dishes: beef stir-fried noodles (₩12,800), beef knife-cut noodles (₩10,500), crystal moon dumplings (₩9,500), and shrimp fried rice (₩9,500). We wanted to try guobaorou (sweet and sour pork) or fried eggplant too, but none of the three of us were that hungry, so we kept it simple.

![A table spread with beef stir-fried noodles, beef knife-cut noodles, crystal moon dumplings, and shrimp fried rice](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-09-1h8qq-900.webp)

## Beef knife-cut noodles, the signature dish: is the aroma strong?

Cheonghwawon's signature beef knife-cut noodles (₩10,500) are all about the thick noodle strands. I usually can't handle beef noodles because the aroma is too strong, but this Daehangno Chinese restaurant's version wasn't overpowering and tasted great.

![A bowl of beef knife-cut noodles with thick noodle strands](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-10-dubae-900.webp)

The noodles were thick but chewy — really appealing. I polished off a whole bowl in no time 🤣

![Lifting up a strand of beef knife-cut noodles](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-11-1cvi3-900.webp)

## Top pick: beef stir-fried noodles in mala sauce, 12,800 won

My favorite at Cheonghwawon was the beef stir-fried noodles (₩12,800) 💖 I was expecting soy-sauce noodles, but it came out stir-fried in a red sauce — turns out it was mala sauce! They stir-fried thick noodles with wood ear mushroom, bell pepper, chives, and onion, and the crunchy texture really came through.

![Beef stir-fried noodles cooked in mala sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-12-1pwy8-900.webp)

I can't really handle spicy food or mala flavors well, but this had just a slight numbing mala kick that made it delicious. My husband, who dislikes mala, kept eating it too, saying it was good! If you come for Chinese food in Daehangno, you have to order this!! I'm craving it again just writing this hahaha.

![Close-up of beef stir-fried noodles with wood ear mushroom and vegetables](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-13-25tmq-900.webp)

## Crystal moon dumplings: six pieces of dim sum for 9,500 won

The crystal moon dumplings (₩9,500) are half-moon-shaped dim sum with plump shrimp and chives inside. Isn't the translucent dumpling skin kind of fascinating?

![Half-moon-shaped crystal moon dumplings with translucent skin](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-14-1fbb2-900.webp)

![Cross-section of a crystal moon dumpling showing shrimp and chives](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-15-xpygv-900.webp)

The shrimp and chives paired well together and I ate these happily. Dim sum can be pretty pricey at restaurants, but at Cheonghwawon you get 6 pieces for around ₩9,000 — quite reasonable 👍🏼

![A plate of six crystal moon dumplings](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-16-8zv3e-966.webp)

## Shrimp fried rice, my husband's favorite dish at Cheonghwawon

The shrimp fried rice (₩9,500) had springy shrimp, green onion, and egg stir-fried until fluffy — and I wondered if it would even taste good without a sauce...? But my husband kept saying it was one of the best fried rices he's ever had, asking 'what is this?' over and over lol. It was clean and light without feeling greasy.

![Shrimp fried rice with green onion and egg](https://img.superchart.com/images/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon/daehangno-lunch-mala-beef-noodles-cheonghwawon-17-7ul8i-900.webp)

The crunchy bite and aroma of the green onion were great too — it tasted like the textbook version of Chinese fried rice. A bite of shrimp fried rice, then a bite of beef stir-fried noodles — that combo was pretty great lol.

## Is Cheonghwawon a good lunch before or after a Daehangno play?

All four dishes were clean and mild, not overpowering, so it made for an easy lunch in Daehangno. The beef stir-fried noodles, beef knife-cut noodles, crystal moon dumplings, and shrimp fried rice were all delicious, so next time I'd like to try dish-style items like guobaorou or fried eggplant along with more dim sum.

If you want a light lunch before or after seeing a play, give Cheonghwawon a try :) The prices were kind relative to the quality, so it felt fine to order several things at once!

## Where it is

- Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch (청화원 대학로점)
- 36 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1F & 2F)
- 서울특별시 종로구 대명길 36 1층, 2층 청화원 대학로점
- 37.5831141, 126.9995958
- Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%B2%AD%ED%99%94%EC%9B%90%20%EB%8C%80%ED%95%99%EB%A1%9C%EC%A0%90/@37.5831141,126.9995958,17z

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