Shinchon Chinese restaurant with standout guobaorou: Cheonghwaweon

Lately I’ve been a little obsessed with Chinese food, and I wanted dim sum and knife-cut noodles sooo badly!! I couldn’t stop picturing dim sum bursting with juices, so while hanging out in Shinchon, I went looking for a Chinese restaurant. I ended up at this Shinchon and Yonsei University favorite that apparently everyone in the know already knows! It’s Cheonghwaweon.

Cheonghwaweon location and visitor information

It sits right about halfway between Sinchon Station and Yonsei University’s main gate, so the accessibility is honestly unbeatable. Now I see why it comes up first when you search for Chinese restaurants near Yonsei.

The moment you walk in, there’s this wonderfully exotic, on-location Taiwan-like atmosphere drifting through the place.

What is the interior like for dining alone?

I was surprised by how clean and spacious it was as soon as I stepped in. When I think of an exotic Chinese restaurant in Shinchon, I usually picture somewhere a little cramped and noisy, but Cheonghwaweon has stylish décor and a very well-kept interior.

The tables are generously spaced, so it’s great for chatting over a meal with friends, and there were actually lots of Yonsei students dining alone too. It’s such a good spot for Yonsei students to grab a solo meal after class.

You can catch a glimpse of the dim sum being steamed near the window. Hearing that a specialist dim sum chef from Guangdong and skilled local chefs make it themselves definitely raised my confidence before I even ate.

Cheonghwaweon menu and our order

Here’s the Cheonghwaweon menu! As you’d expect from a Shinchon specialist in beef noodle soup, it starts with its signature beef knife-cut noodles and has all kinds of Hong Kong-style dim sum, rice bowls, and main dishes too. We arrived absolutely starving, so we ordered this place’s signature trio.

We ordered beef knife-cut noodles, guobaorou (sweet-and-sour fried pork), and xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)!

Things got a little rich in the middle and we really needed rice, but here’s the amazing part... steamed rice is free here!!!

Cheonghwaweon beef knife-cut noodles

These are Cheonghwaweon’s beef knife-cut noodles! When you go out for beef noodles, the noodles can often be bland or the broth can taste overwhelmingly of spices.

Here, they say they use knife-cut noodles made by kneading the dough four times and aging it for a day.

Maybe that’s why, but the noodles are thick, wonderfully chewy and springy, with that fabulous bite distinctive to knife-cut noodles. The broth tastes refreshing yet deep too, presumably because it is simmered intensely with beef bones and vegetables.

A lightly spicy mala flavor lingers throughout, so you can eat it to the end without getting tired of it or feeling greasy! There are also big chunks of shank meat braised in a special sauce for four hours, and they literally melt as soon as they hit your mouth. Maybe because they trim away the fat and use only lean cuts, the meat isn’t tough at all—it’s incredibly tender. If you’re looking for great beef noodles in Shinchon, you have to order the beef knife-cut noodles haha.

The best guobaorou of my life

Honestly, the highlight of today’s review starts now. Please pay attention. I’m writing this in the most serious font possible, okay? The guobaorou here was seriously le-ge-en-dary... No lie, it is genuinely the number-one guobaorou I’ve had in my life.

Top of the top—pure freshly fried guobaorou ㅠㅠㅠ They apparently coat and fry it as soon as you order, and the first bite made this huge crunch. I think I said “wow, this is so good” about a hundred times?

The outside is even crispier than you could imagine, while the inside is very chewy and tender. The pork inside is nicely thick too, which makes the texture even better.

I’d only had guobaorou before when ordering malatang, but this is on a whole different dollar-level. Seriously (um... though I guess that’s only natural?.. haha). Anyway, the guobaorou is ridiculously good, so you absolutely have to order it.

And the most important thing: the sauce! When guobaorou sauce is too sweet, you get sick of it quickly; otherwise it can be so sour that you cough after one bite, right? But this sauce is neither overly sweet nor sour, and its savory depth is no joke.

The sweet-salty sauce has a totally golden ratio, so it goes unbelievably well with the crispy fried guobaorou ㅠㅠ Looking at the photos again while writing this is making me drool, I can’t take it haha.

And when things started to feel a little rich, we ordered the free steamed rice. I thought they would give a tiny portion since it was free, but it came as a generously heaped bowl. So happy... haha.

Juice-exploding xiaolongbao

Next up were the xiaolongbao in a bamboo steamer. I ordered them after hearing that a specialist dim sum chef from Guangdong hand-chops and hand-shapes them, and just look at that glistening appearance... can you see it???

You know if you just pop dim sum straight into your mouth, you’ll strip the roof of it and literally glimpse hell, right?? hahahaha

Gently pick one up with your chopsticks, place it on a spoon, then lightly tear the wrapper with the chopsticks. The hot, concentrated juices trapped inside come gushing out and wobbling around; slurp those juices first, add a little shredded ginger, then pop the whole thing into your mouth... ah, it’s so good. Are these juices insane or what??

The meat inside the dumpling is packed full with zero gaminess, and the filling’s flavor bursts all over your mouth. It’s hard to find Chinese restaurants around Shinchon that do dim sum this properly, so if you come, I strongly recommend ordering at least one kind of dim sum.

Cheonghwaweon recommended-menu roundup

I really hope you order all three dishes I had: the beef knife-cut noodles, dim sum, and guobaorou!

First, the beef knife-cut noodles are not ordinary Chinese noodles but wide, kalguksu-like noodles shaved from dough with a knife, so the texture is unreal. The spicy, deep beef-bone broth and special shank meat are an absolutely perfect pairing too!

Please order the guobaorou. This is truly legendary... the best guobaorou of my life, aaah.

The xiaolongbao are a full-on juice party. They show the essence of handmade dim sum, totally worthy of Cheonghwaweon’s Shinchon-favorite title.

Cheonghwaweon roundup: great for solo dining near Yonsei

Now I understand why word has spread so widely that this is a Shinchon and Yonsei University favorite.

• Authentic handmade cooking: Veteran local chefs shave the noodles and shape the dim sum by hand, so the depth of flavor is simply different.
• Incredible value and portions: Prices are wild these days, but the value here is excellent, portions are so generous, and steamed rice is free too!!!
• The perfect menu combination: The spicy, chewy beef knife-cut noodles, crisp-sweet guobaorou, and moist dim sum make an insane trio ㅠㅠ

Even while busy, the staff were so kind, and the restaurant was spacious and clean, so we had a really pleasant meal. Anyone wanting truly delicious Chinese food near Shinchon! Anyone who loves Shinchon beef noodles or knife-cut noodles! Anyone who wants to experience life-changing guobaorou!!! And everyone looking for a Yonsei-area date spot or a great place to dine alone! Please stop by Cheonghwaweon, a Shinchon favorite, at least once! You absolutely won’t regret it haha.