Jongno Korean restaurant for a yukhoe party with draft beer: Sunhuine

If you're looking for a Korean restaurant in Seoul's Dongdaemun Market area within walking distance of Gwangjang Market, there's one street you have to visit: the Dongdaemun Market dak hanmari (whole chicken hot pot) alley! The smell of grilled fish drifts out from the entrance of this cozy alley, and that's where you'll find Sunhuine Bindaetteok Dak Hanmari Dongdaemun (순희네빈대떡 닭한마리 동대문본점).

Where is Sunhuine Dongdaemun and what's the atmosphere like?

Sunhuine Bindaetteok Dak Hanmari Dongdaemun sits in the Dongdaemun Market chicken hot pot alley. It's a perfect spot to eat and then wander the market, and the red sign makes it stand out right away!

The restaurant is much bigger inside than the entrance suggests. Besides its signature dak hanmari, you can find all kinds of Korean dishes here, like yukhoe, yukhoe bibimbap and bindaetteok.

The walls are covered with traces of past visitors! Not many places let you scribble on the walls these days, so it felt nostalgic.

Does Sunhuine Dongdaemun have draft beer?

Yes, the menu has draft beer, so I ordered it right away! Draft beer is the first thing I think of when summer approaches. I'm not really a beer person, but if a restaurant has draft beer, I always order it. I just like it so much more than regular bottled beer!

Once we ordered, the owner or a staff member set out the side dishes quickly!

How are the portion and taste of the ₩20,000-range yukhoe?

The yukhoe at Sunhuine Dongdaemun is in the ₩20,000 range, and the portion is seriously huge. Is this really what ₩20,000 yukhoe looks like?! I originally came for dak hanmari to restore some energy, but having come all this way, I felt I couldn't skip the yukhoe, so I ordered it~

The yukhoe here isn't just plentiful, it's fresh and tasty too! I guess this is why you have to eat yukhoe whenever you come to Jongno.

I ate so much that I probably don't need yukhoe for a while!

Regular or large yukhoe bibimbap: which should you pick?

The yukhoe bibimbap (rice bowl mixed with beef tartare) comes in two sizes, regular and large~ If you love yukhoe and eat a lot of it, the large size is probably the way to go! Since I was throwing a yukhoe party today, I ordered the bibimbap too~

The amount of yukhoe in the bibimbap is amazing too. I had ordered extra yukhoe separately in case the bibimbap didn't have enough, but there was no need! It's a proper yukhoe bibimbap. Add as much gochujang (red chili paste) as you like, mix it up, and you're done.

Maybe because cucumbers are in season right now, the crunchy cucumber was a highlight of the yukhoe bibimbap at Sunhuine Dongdaemun.

How thick is the meat patty jeon?

I ordered the default 2 pieces of meat patty jeon (pan-fried meat patties), and they were so thick it was on another level. Sunhuine Dongdaemun feels like a place that wins on portions and flavor. Personally I like the meat patty jeon better than the bindaetteok. Can you see how thick it is? The owner here seems to give generously with everything!

The freshly pan-fried, warm meat patty jeon is so thick that the texture is great, but it also fills you up fast, haha. Eaten with the onion sauce, it isn't greasy at all, and even at that thickness it's crispy outside and juicy inside.

Is it a good stop after Dongdaemun or Gwangjang Market?

Sunhuine Dongdaemun is a good Dongdaemun Market restaurant to stop by after browsing Dongdaemun or Gwangjang Market. It was my first time in the chicken hot pot alley, and the grilled fish smell pulled me in, so I'll definitely have to come back! Korea really seems to have so many hidden sights and foods.

• Address: 20 Jongno 40ga-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea (Dongdaemun Market chicken hot pot alley)
• Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.