Gwanghwamun Chinese restaurant with a baby: window seats at Cheonghwa

I was recently out and about near Jongno and ended up at a restaurant tucked inside the Piyatgol alley — Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon, a beef noodle spot near Gwanghwamun. My family went for lunch with our baby, and we fully enjoyed the rough-cut dosakmyeon (knife-cut noodles) texture along with dim sum and guobaorou. Today I'll walk through the location, menu, and things to know if you're visiting with a little one.

Where is Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon, and how far is it from Jonggak Station?

Cheonghwa Uyuk Dosakmyeon is located at 19 Jongno, 118-1, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

It's on the 1st floor of Lemeilleur Jongno Town, in the Piyatgol alley near the Olive Young store, so just follow the alley signs and you'll find it easily. By subway, it's a 3-minute walk (235m) from Exit 1 of Jonggak Station, and by bus, it's a 1-minute walk from the Jongno 1-ga stop. Parking is available in the basement lot of the Lemeilleur building — the first 120 minutes are free, then ₩6,000 per hour after that (up to ₩100,000).

It's open daily from 10:30 to 22:00, with last order at 21:40. Since it's a traditional Chinese restaurant open 365 days a year, you can drop in without worry for weekday lunch, dinner, or even weekends.

Can you bring a baby? Baby chairs and first- vs second-floor seating

Unfortunately, there was no baby chair available. So if you're bringing a young baby, it's a good idea to plan on carrying them or seating them on an adult chair. The restaurant is split between the 1st and 2nd floors, and the 2nd floor has a fairly low ceiling, worth keeping in mind.

It's not a no-kids-zone, and when we visited during weekend lunch, we were seated right away without waiting. But the crowd picked up fast right after us, so timing matters! Every table has a tablet for ordering and paying directly.

What we ordered: beef knife-cut noodles, xiaolongbao and guobaorou

The beef dosakmyeon and lamb dosakmyeon are made with traditional knife-cut noodles — dough rested for a day, then hand-shaved right into a rich bone broth.

If you're dining with others, I'd recommend ordering the beef dosakmyeon along with some dim sum. The noodles weren't the smooth, machine-cut kind — they had that rough, handmade texture while still staying bouncy and chewy, giving a real bite. The broth was rich with that distinct Sichuan tingling, numbing spice, so even the soup left you feeling refreshed.

For dim sum, I'd recommend the xiaolongbao. The wrapper is on the thicker side, but that means it holds plenty of hot broth inside — pop it gently with your chopsticks and the juice floods your mouth. If you're after something sweet and tangy, the guobaorou is also great — the seasoning was a bit strong, but the outside was crispy and the sauce sweet, working well as a side dish or drinking snack.

We ordered guobaorou (₩19,000), xiaolongbao (₩9,800), and beef dosakmyeon (₩11,000) for a total of ₩39,800. Just these three dishes were plenty to fill up two adults.

As soon as we sat down, salty stir-fried peanuts and crunchy, tangy pickled cabbage came out as a side dish. A perfect combo to get the appetite going.

The xiaolongbao came out six to a bamboo steamer, and the wrappers looked taut enough that you could tell they were packed with juice.

The beef dosakmyeon had wide, rough-cut noodles piled generously over a deep brown broth, topped with meat and scallions.

The guobaorou kept its crispy batter, with the sweet and sour sauce coated evenly across the surface.

The noodle texture was genuinely good. Instead of smooth machine-cut noodles, the rough-cut dosakmyeon edges stayed intact, and the more I chewed, the more I could taste the wheat flavor and springiness. The dim sum wrappers weren't thin, but they were packed with enough juice to satisfy, and having a tablet order and call bell at every table made ordering hassle-free too.

Coming with a baby: the second-floor window seat and what fell short

Our 2nd floor window seat had a great view outside, so our baby was busy watching the street and actually sat still and ate well, for once.

The one thing I really wished for was a baby chair.

The 2nd floor window seats have a clear view outside, so if you're visiting with a baby, I'd recommend asking for a window seat. You can eat at a relaxed pace while your baby stays entertained watching outside.

• No baby chair — plan to carry your baby or seat them on an adult chair
• No microwave — pre-warm baby food or use a nearby convenience store
• 2nd floor has a low ceiling — worth noting if you're tall
• 2nd floor is stairs only, no elevator

Verdict: authentic Chinese food in Gwanghwamun with a baby in tow

Overall, both the noodles and the dim sum were tasty and reasonably priced. The rough yet bouncy texture of the dosakmyeon noodles was especially appealing. That said, the lack of a baby chair is something families with young children absolutely need to check before visiting. If your baby is a bit older and enjoys watching the world go by, the 2nd floor window seat makes for a comfortable meal. If you're craving authentic Chinese food around Gwanghwamun or Jongno, this place is worth a visit.