Korean restaurant in Jongno for gopchang stew: Hyehwahwa

Not long ago, I went to Hyehwahwa (혜화화) near Hyehwa Station after seeing a play in Daehangno! Since Hyehwa has Daehangno, lots of people come for plays, and there are plenty of schools around too!! So I think there must be lots of people looking for somewhere nice to have dinner and a drink while hanging out with friends, or on a date after a show~ Hyehwahwa was exactly that kind of place, so I wanted to introduce it haha.

Hyehwahwa had a wide variety of Korean dishes for drinks, from soups and hot pots to boiled pork and yukhoe (Korean beef tartare). Looking at the menu, it seemed good whether you came for dinner or just for a drink~

A dark, wood-toned mood and seating for drinks in Daehangno

The whole interior had a dark, wood-toned feel. Rather than a bright, casual restaurant, it felt like the kind of place that is nice for chatting with a friend over drinks in the evening? That was the vibe.

There were various tables for two and four, plus long seating along the wall, so it seemed like it would be fine even with more people than I expected. It looked good for a date for two after a Daehangno play, or for dinner and drinks with friends too!

The restroom was right next to the restaurant,

and aprons were hanging by the drinks refrigerator, so you could just take one to use.

You order using the QR code at each table, and the spoons, tissues, and small plates were already set out. However, there was chili powder on one of the small plates, so I asked for it to be changed—but the replacement plate had some on it too,, Since the food and atmosphere were nice, I did think they should pay a little more attention to the tableware...

Hyehwahwa's Korean dishes for drinks and what I ordered

The menu included hot pots with signature charcoal-grilled gopchang (beef intestines), tteok-gop-dori-tang, boiled pork, yukhoe, sweet-and-spicy fried shrimp, and fried peppers. There were soups and hot pots too, so if several people visit, it seemed nice to add side dishes to a main dish!

I ordered their signature spicy charcoal-grilled gopchang bomb jjageuli, a half portion of premium chilled yukhoe, and seaweed-flake rice.

I also ordered soju and the daily welcome drink from the menu, just to try it haha.

Before the food came out, they gave us white kimchi and tofu as the basic accompaniment, which I really liked. At bars, the usual basic snacks are often puffed rice crackers or shrimp chips, but Hyehwahwa serves tofu and white kimchi, so they were nice to eat before a spicy dish like gopchang jjageuli—and they went surprisingly well together!

Spicy charcoal-grilled gopchang bomb jjageuli simmered at the table

Then out came the spicy charcoal-grilled gopchang bomb jjageuli! It came with a burner and was meant to be simmered at the table, and first of all, there was seriously so much gopchang haha.

The gopchang came in long pieces, so I cut it with the scissors and tongs that came with it, and there was way more than I expected..! It also had glass noodles, which made it even better haha. The broth was spicy and slightly sweet—the perfect flavor with soju.

The gopchang was tasty on its own, but it was so good with the seaweed-flake rice I ordered too ㅠ Eating rice with that spicy-sweet broth, then topping it with gopchang and glass noodles—ah, writing this is making me want it again...haha. It was great with drinks, but also a perfectly good dinner dish!

Tender chilled yukhoe and the daily welcome drink

And the half portion of premium chilled yukhoe that I ordered with it! The yukhoe was very soft and tender, with a lovely texture. At first, the seasoning on the yukhoe itself did not seem very strong, but when I dipped it in the salt, pepper, and sesame-oil sauce that came with it, the seasoning was just right.

Rather than yukhoe being heavily seasoned, I liked that it was seasoned just right when dipped in the sauce. It was topped with scallions too, and they made a nice combination~~ Taking a bite of yukhoe after the spicy gopchang jjageuli worked so well in a different way haha.

And then there was the daily welcome drink, which I ordered because I was curious. It was sweet and did not have an intensely alcoholic taste; it even reminded me a little of cheongju (clear rice wine). It was somehow more fun trying another drink like this instead of having only soju haha.

For dinner and drinks after a Daehangno play

If you are looking for somewhere to have dinner and a drink after seeing a play in Daehangno, I recommend Hyehwahwa!