Jongno Chinese restaurant for dim sum: Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon

When I’m walking around Jongno and Gwanghwamun, there are moments when I suddenly crave a warm, filling Chinese meal. Especially on a chilly day or after being on the go all day, soup and noodle dishes sound even more tempting.

This time, I visited Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon (청화 우육도삭면), a Chinese restaurant near Jonggak Station where you can get a real taste of China.

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is a place I’d recommend to anyone looking for great beef noodles around Gwanghwamun, restaurants in Jongno, or Chinese food near Jonggak Station. Along with beef knife-cut noodles, it offers a range of authentic Chinese dishes and dim sum. I ordered the beef knife-cut noodles, crystal dumplings, and fish-fragrant eggplant rice for a generous meal.

How to get to Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon from Jonggak Station

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is about 235 m from Exit 1 of Jonggak Station, so it was easy to reach by public transit. It takes around three minutes on foot from the exit, and the restaurant is on the first floor of Le Meilleur Jongno Town.

Head into the Pimatgol alley and look behind Olive Young to find it. It is reportedly about a one-minute walk from the Jongno 1-ga bus stop, too, so getting there by bus is convenient as well.

If you are driving, you can use the underground parking at Le Meilleur Building, with up to two hours of free parking reportedly available. With such easy access, I thought it would be a good lunch option for office workers around Jonggak Station and Gwanghwamun.

Hours are 10:30 to 22:00 daily, with last orders at 21:40. It is reportedly open 365 days a year, so it seems like an easy place to visit on weekends and public holidays as well.

Beef knife-cut noodles shaved with a blade

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon’s signature is, of course, its beef knife-cut noodles. Dosakmyeon are made a little differently from ordinary noodles: after the dough is rested, it is shaved directly with a blade in the traditional method.

I heard there is a lively sound as the dough is shaved into noodles in the kitchen. Perhaps because they are made this way, the noodles’ shape and texture felt a little different from a typical noodle dish.

Rich broth with a tingly Sichuan-style flavor

This was the dish I was most looking forward to, so I started with the beef knife-cut noodles—and they were really good. The deeply simmered broth and chewy noodles worked so well together that I kept going back for the soup.

The noodles were not simply soft; they had a pleasant chew that made every bite enjoyable. A generous serving of noodles in the hot broth felt warming right through, and one bowl alone was filling enough.

It also had Sichuan’s characteristic fragrant, tingly heat, giving it an appeal beyond a straightforward, mild beef noodle soup. If you enjoy the spice and aromatics of Chinese cuisine, I think you will especially like it.

Chive and shrimp crystal dumplings alongside the noodles

It felt like a shame to order only the beef knife-cut noodles, so I added crystal dumplings. The ones I ordered were chive and shrimp dim sum.

Shrimp and chives sat inside the thin, translucent wrappers, making them a nice accompaniment to the noodles. Having a dumpling between bites of noodles made the meal feel even more abundant.

The springy shrimp and fragrant chives went nicely together, with a clean, subtle savory flavor that kept me reaching for more. If you like dim sum, I recommend ordering these with the beef knife-cut noodles. I thought this was a great place for when you want both noodles and dim sum while exploring Jongno restaurants.

Fish-fragrant eggplant rice for a filling rice dish

Another memorable order that day was the fish-fragrant eggplant rice. Eggplant can taste very different depending on how it is cooked, and here its naturally soft texture went well with the rich fish-fragrant sauce.

With rice, it made for a filling meal in a completely different way from the noodle dish. The beef knife-cut noodles center on broth and noodles, while the eggplant rice offers something to have with rice, so it would be great for a group to order a variety of dishes and share.

I ordered the beef knife-cut noodles, crystal dumplings, and fish-fragrant eggplant rice, and the three different styles of dishes were even better together.

From solo meals to office lunch groups

Because Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is so close to Jonggak Station, I thought it would suit anyone looking for a restaurant popular with office workers near the station.

When you want a substantial noodle lunch, one bowl of beef knife-cut noodles is enough to fill you up. If you come with colleagues, you could add dishes such as dim sum or fish-fragrant eggplant rice to share.

It works well to come alone for a bowl of beef knife-cut noodles, and I also recommend coming with a group to order a variety of Chinese dishes. Its location near Exit 1 of Jonggak Station also makes it easy for office workers to get to at lunchtime. It is well placed for when Chinese food is calling your name in Gwanghwamun or Jongno.

Next time, more authentic Chinese dishes

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon reportedly has a range of authentic Chinese dishes beyond what I ate that day, including guobaorou, laziji, and shuizhu rou pian.

So rather than being a place to visit just once, it made me want to come back and try something else. Having the beef knife-cut noodles with dim sum gave me at least a little of the feeling of eating in China, and it had a different charm from the Korean-style Chinese food I know so well.

If you want a slightly different kind of Chinese meal in Jongno, or are looking for good beef noodles around Gwanghwamun, it is worth a visit.

A satisfying meal of noodles, dim sum, and rice

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon gave me exactly the satisfying meal I wanted that day: something warm and filling. I ordered beef knife-cut noodles, crystal dumplings with chives and shrimp, and fish-fragrant eggplant rice, and enjoyed all three dishes.

The signature beef knife-cut noodles were especially good, combining rich broth with chewy shaved noodles and Sichuan-style tingly flavor, right down to the last sip of soup.

The crystal dumplings had a simple but delicious chive-and-shrimp combination, while the fish-fragrant eggplant rice was hearty, with soft eggplant and rich sauce that paired well with the rice.

Most of all, ordering all three meant I could enjoy a nice variety of noodles, dim sum, and rice, which made the meal even more satisfying. It is about a three-minute walk from Exit 1 of Jonggak Station and on the first floor of Le Meilleur Jongno Town, so it is easy to find too.

I would recommend it to anyone seeking good beef noodles near Gwanghwamun, office workers wanting a hearty lunch near Jonggak Station, or people who want to enjoy dim sum and authentic Chinese food together in Jongno. On a day when you are craving hot broth and chewy noodles, try a bowl of beef knife-cut noodles at Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon. I enjoyed my meal so much that next time I want to try the guobaorou or another authentic Chinese dish.