City Hall Station Chinese restaurant for squid ink yurinchi: Huhugwan

After work on a Wednesday, I heard there was a new Chinese restaurant near City Hall Station, so I went to check it out. This time I visited Huhugwan (후후관).

There are plenty of good restaurants near City Hall Station these days, but a place that does proper Chinese cooking is still something I have to seek out separately. Huhugwan is close to the station, so it's a solid spot to swing by for dinner after work.

Huhugwan location, hours and parking

• 📍Location: 2 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor
• ⏰Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–23:00 / Sat 11:00–21:30 / closed Sundays
• 🚗Parking: Not available

Wednesday evening atmosphere and seating

I visited on a Wednesday evening, and I was surprised at how many customers were already there the moment I walked in.

The space isn't huge, but the seating is varied — a bar table, seats for couples, and tables that fit several people.

There's also a group table that seats up to 8, so it seemed easy to pick a spot depending on party size.

There were so many customers that I couldn't take many interior photos, but the overall vibe is clean and modern. Still, it felt a bit different from your typical tidy Chinese restaurant.

Bold primary colors like red and green are used a lot in the interior, so the first impression is pretty striking, and there are Chinese movie posters and props scattered around that really cement the Chinese-restaurant mood.

There's also a separate waiting area near the entrance, and when I was there a movie was playing silently on a screen there.

Maybe because of details like that, even the little waiting area had an exotic feel, which I liked.

Is it better to reserve ahead?

We booked ahead, so we got seated right away without waiting. By the time we finished eating, though, there were customers waiting. If you're planning to visit, I'd recommend making a reservation.

We sat down and found barley tea instead of plain water! As someone who isn't great with plain water, a restaurant that serves barley tea is pure happiness..💛

Spring rolls, dumplings and mianbaoxia from a QR event

Huhugwan also runs quite a few promotions.

From a QR code event on the table to a review event, there was a lot going on — and even though we only ordered two dishes, spring rolls, dumplings and mianbaoxia (fried shrimp toast) kept coming out as freebies, to the point where it got a little overwhelming, haha.

I figured food from an event would just be a small taste, but the portions were pretty generous and tasty too, which was satisfying. So if you visit, I'd definitely recommend checking what events are running.

Dishes kept arriving one after another, almost like being at grandma's house on a holiday, until the table was completely full 😚

What we ordered and the prices

That day we ordered two dishes: yurinchi for ₩23,000 and beef noodle soup for ₩15,000. Huhugwan's lunch and dinner menus differ slightly — dishes like braised pork belly, yurinchi and mala hot pot are only available in the evening.

Taiwanese beef noodle soup with a mild, non-spicy broth

I have good memories of beef noodle soup from Taiwan, so I ordered it again after a while. Visually the broth looks quite rich, but the first thing you notice when you taste it is how clean and mild it actually is.

Huhugwan's version is described as Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup, made with a broth simmered from beef tenderloin and topped with tender beef shank.

Taking a sip, there's a deep beefy umami without the spices ever punching too hard, which I liked.

The broth soaked into the noodles well, so every slurp brought the broth's flavor along with it, finishing with a subtle lingering spiciness.

How spicy is it?

I like spicy food, so I fished out the peppers in the broth and ate them too — that added a nice kick that suited my taste perfectly. My boyfriend already thought it was a bit spicy, but I actually wished it were spicier 😚

I liked the beef shank too. Instead of chewy meat, it fell apart tenderly while still keeping the meat's natural grain, and it paired well with the rich broth.

Overall, this wasn't a beef noodle soup where the spices dominate — it's more about a balance between the deep beef broth flavor and a gentle spiciness.

I ordered it because it reminded me of the beef noodle soup I had in Taiwan, and it turned out exactly the way I hoped. And surprisingly, the dish I enjoyed most that day was the yurinchi.

Squid ink yurinchi — the highlight of the meal

The color was unusual the moment it arrived. Most yurinchi I've had before has a golden-brown batter, but Huhugwan's batter is almost black.

It's made with squid ink, so the color really sets it apart. But what actually surprised me was the texture.

Wow... how do you even fry something to make it this crispy — the batter was seriously crunchy.

And it's not thick or hard enough to hurt the roof of your mouth — it's thin and lightly crisp, so I kept reaching for more.

Bite into the batter and it shatters crisply and cheerfully, revealing tender chicken thigh meat inside. Crispy outside, moist inside — the exact texture of a really good fried dish.

The sauce, which matters so much in yurinchi, was also genuinely delicious. The sweet-and-sour sauce cuts through the richness of the fried batter nicely, and piled on top with tomato, lettuce and chili, I just kept eating.

The chicken itself was seasoned enough to have clear umami too. I usually think yurinchi is above average wherever you get it, so honestly I went in thinking 'it's yurinchi, of course it'll be good' — but it ended up a notch better than I expected.

The combination of crispy batter, tender chicken thigh, and sweet-and-sour sauce was really great.

Does it work as a drinking snack?

Looking at nearby tables, quite a few people were drinking, and once I tasted the dish, I understood why.

Salty, sweet-and-sour and crispy — yurinchi like this would pair really well with drinks. We held off on alcohol because of plans the next day, but it was more than satisfying as a standalone meal too.

And the mianbaoxia, spring rolls and dumplings we got as complimentary extras were all delicious too, with crispy fried textures across the board.

At this point I was wondering if Huhugwan is basically a fried-food specialist, haha. We only ordered two dishes, but with all the complimentary food piling up, we ended up stuffed.

The staff were also really kind, which made the meal even more pleasant. It seemed like office workers near City Hall Station come for lunch, while dinner draws groups and drinking parties.

In particular there's a limited-quantity braised pork belly dish only sold in the evening, which I didn't get to try this time — I definitely want to order it on my next visit.

To sum up

Overall, Huhugwan was a fun place not just for the food but for the atmosphere too.

The clean, modern space combined with Chinese-style colors and posters gave it a mood that felt a bit different from a typical Chinese restaurant, and above all, the food was far more satisfying than I expected.

The yurinchi in particular really stuck with me, and the beef noodle soup was nice too since it brought back memories of the version I had in Taiwan.

For office workers near City Hall Station looking for a lunch spot, the variety of meal options makes this a good choice, and in the evening you can pair dishes with drinks, making it a solid option for a get-together or work dinner after hours. Next time I want to try the evening-only braised pork belly.

If you're looking for restaurants near City Hall Station and want something a bit different from the usual Chinese restaurant, along with properly made Chinese dishes, Huhugwan is worth a visit :)