Shrimp fried rice, guobaorou after a play in Daehangno: Cheonghwawon

Location and hours of Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is a Taiwanese-style Chinese restaurant occupying the 1st and 2nd floors at 36 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:50, and there's no parking available.

Lunch after a play in Daehangno: what are the seats like?

I went to see a play in Daehangno and stopped by for lunch afterward — a well-known Taiwanese-style Chinese spot, Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch! It's a chain, so I'd seen it around before, but this was finally my first visit :) Cheonghwawon serves Taiwanese-style beef knife-cut noodles and dim sum along with a range of other Chinese dishes~

The 1st floor of Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch has lots of 1–2 person tables, which suits solo dining or a light meal, while the 2nd floor is a bit more spacious and looked good for meals or gatherings with friends! I sat on the 1st floor.

Four dishes ordered at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch

This time at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch I ordered four dishes total! I went for a good mix — noodles, rice, fried food, and dumplings.

• Beef knife-cut noodles (우육도삭면)
• Shrimp fried rice
• Guobaorou (꿔바로우, sweet and sour pork)
• Crystal dumplings (수정달만두)

Eating several dishes together made for a hearty spread, and the combination worked really well!

The basic side dishes came out too.

Cheonghwawon's beef knife-cut noodles: not spicy, rich broth

Beef knife-cut noodles are one of Cheonghwawon's signature dishes~ Authentic Taiwanese-style knife-cut noodles, with a distinctive chewy texture unlike regular noodles — that's the appeal of this dish!

It wasn't very spicy, and the broth had a rich, deep flavor!

The knife-cut noodles are wide yet chewy, which paired well with the broth, and the beef inside was tender and enjoyable too.

Why I picked crystal dumplings from the dim sum menu

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch also has a wide variety of dim sum on offer, and after much deliberation, I decided to order the crystal dumplings this time.

The crystal dumplings caught my eye first with their translucent wrapper. The wrapper was chewy and the filling was plump, giving it great texture!! So good...

Should you order the guobaorou at Cheonghwawon?

Cheonghwawon's guobaorou is a combo of crispy batter and sweet-and-sour sauce! It looked like it would be a big portion, but I can never resist guobaorou.

It's cut into bite-sized pieces that are easy to eat, and it was great to alternate between it and the fried rice or beef knife-cut noodles.

Especially compared to just eating the noodle and rice dishes, adding the guobaorou made the combination of all four dishes really shine.

It's super crispy and the sauce is delicious, so definitely order it if you can.

Shrimp fried rice: fluffy and light

Cheonghwawon's shrimp fried rice is stir-fried with shrimp and egg together with the rice! The rice grains stayed nice and fluffy, giving it great texture, and with the shrimp mixed in, it was light and enjoyable to eat.

The clean flavor kept me coming back for more. There were also several small shrimp piled generously on top of the rice.

Shrimp fried rice pairs well with soupy dishes like the beef knife-cut noodles, and it also goes nicely alongside the guobaorou or dumplings.

The shrimp and chives came together nicely, and the flavor of the ingredients came through more with each bite — it went great alongside the dumplings too.

Would I recommend Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch for lunch in Daehangno?

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch let me enjoy a variety of Chinese dishes in one sitting — from beef knife-cut noodles to shrimp fried rice, guobaorou, and crystal dumplings.

The prices were reasonable and the menu was solidly good across the board, so if you're heading to Daehangno, I'd recommend giving it a visit!