Ganpunggi late lunch at Cheonghwawon, a Daehangno Chinese restaurant

While looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Daehangno, I stopped by Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch near Hyehwa Station Exit 4. Here's my rundown of the three dishes I tried — beef knife-cut noodles, xiaolongbao, and ganpunggi — plus what the space felt like.

Last week a friend and I headed to Daehangno to see a play, and stopped for lunch at Cheonghwawon near Hyehwa Station. I got there around 2pm, a bit later than the usual lunch rush. When we walked in there were still quite a few customers, but a batch of diners who'd just finished cleared out right as we arrived, so we got to eat in comfort. We ordered beef knife-cut noodles, xiaolongbao, and ganpunggi — everything came out fast and tasted great across the board. Worth a visit if you're craving Chinese food for lunch in Daehangno.

Where is Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch, and what are its hours?

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is at 36 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, about 166m from Hyehwa Station Exit 4. That's roughly a 2-minute walk, making it convenient if you're catching a play or meeting someone in Daehangno. It's also close to Sungkyunkwan University, so it looked pretty accessible for anyone hunting for a Daehangno lunch spot.

It's open daily from 11am to 10:20pm, with last order at 9:50pm. There's no separate reservation system, and no dedicated parking for the restaurant, so if you're driving, it's worth checking a nearby paid parking lot.

Inside Cheonghwawon: solo seats on the first floor, wide tables on the second

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is spread across the first and second floors.

When I looked around the first floor, quite a few people were eating alone — it felt like a totally normal place for solo dining. But since we wanted a bit more table space, we headed upstairs to the second floor.

Upstairs was way more spacious than I expected. It seemed great for two people eating comfortably, and also for bigger lunch groups in Daehangno. When we walked in around 2pm it was still fairly busy at first, but once a wave of customers left at once, it got really relaxed.

Each table has a tablet, so you can order straight from the screen without flagging down staff — a nice convenience.

What we ordered at Cheonghwawon: 39,800 won for two

We ordered xiaolongbao for ₩9,500, beef knife-cut noodles for ₩10,500, and ganpunggi for ₩19,800 — ₩39,800 total. Between the two of us we had noodles, dim sum, and a proper cooked dish, so it was a pretty hearty meal.

After ordering, two banchan (side dishes) came out first. One was nutty, almost like peanuts, and the other had a crunchy texture — both good for picking at before the food arrived. Being a Chinese restaurant, the food came out fast too. The beef knife-cut noodles arrived first, and the xiaolongbao and ganpunggi weren't far behind, so we got to lay everything out and eat together.

How do the beef knife-cut noodles, xiaolongbao and ganpunggi taste?

The beef knife-cut noodles I ate first were satisfying — warm broth with noodles, hearty and delicious.

Ordering the xiaolongbao alongside it was a good call. Biting in, the broth inside was still there, and eating it while hot made it even better. Just the noodles alone might have felt a little plain, but adding dim sum made the whole spread feel much more rounded.

And honestly, the dish I enjoyed the most that day was the ganpunggi!

Eating it piping hot right when it arrived made it even better, and it had such a different character from the noodles and xiaolongbao that it paired well as a third dish.

Verdict: go to Cheonghwawon for a late lunch and it stays quiet

My friend told me she'd been to Cheonghwawon before during regular lunch hours. Back then it was so busy that the dishes she ordered came out one at a time instead of together. She'd liked the food so much that time that she wanted to come back with me. This time, going later around 2pm meant the restaurant emptied out and the food came out almost back to back — she said it was much more relaxed than her last visit.

After eating it myself, I understood why she wanted to come back. All three dishes were solidly good with nothing to complain about, and the staff were friendly the whole time, which kept the mood upbeat throughout the meal. It can get crowded during peak lunch hours, so if you want a more relaxed meal, going for a later lunch like we did might be the move.

It's not far from Hyehwa Station and the space is spacious, so this is definitely one I'll think of again next time I'm setting up a lunch date in Daehangno!