Chinese restaurant near Seoul Arts Center for pre-concert lunch

Today I want to introduce a Seoul Arts Center favorite, Seongung. Last Sunday I went to see the National Symphony Orchestra perform Schumann's Symphony No. 2 at Seoul Arts Center's Concert Hall. Since it was a 5pm show, I met a friend beforehand to grab lunch near the venue.

I go to Seoul Arts Center pretty often, and especially for weekend shows, I like to eat somewhere nearby and enjoy the concert at a relaxed pace. Seongung is one of those places I can drop into without any pressure before a show — the food is good and the atmosphere is nice, so I always leave satisfied whenever I go. So let's get into my review of Seongung, a Chinese restaurant near Seoul Arts Center!

Where is Seongung, and where do you park?

• Address: 22 Banpo-daero, Seocho Peace Building B1, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Subway: Nambu Bus Terminal Station Exit 5
• Hours: Mon-Fri 11:20 - 21:30, Sat-Sun 11:20 - 21:00
• Break time: Daily 15:00 - 17:00
• Last order: Mon-Fri 20:30, Sat-Sun 20:00
• Parking available

Seongung, a well-known Chinese restaurant in Seocho, sits right at Nambu Bus Terminal Station Exit 5. If you walk down from Seoul Arts Center toward Seocho Station, you'll spot the Woori Bank building — Seongung is on the basement level of that building, so it's easy to find! Free parking is also available, so even if you're driving, you can visit without any worries.

Seongung parking info — free parking, 2 hours at lunch, 3 hours at dinner. If you search your navigation for 'Woori Bank Seocho Nam Branch,' it's easy to find your way.

Inside Seongung: the room and who eats here

Here's a look inside Seongung, a favorite Chinese restaurant near Nambu Bus Terminal. It has an atmosphere that feels upscale yet comfortable at the same time. The space is spacious and well kept overall, giving it a clean, pleasant feel. The tables are wide and spaced generously, so you can enjoy your meal without worrying about the next table over.

We visited early for lunch, so I had time to take photos of the interior while it was still quiet. But by around 1:30, both reservation guests and walk-ins started pouring in one after another. Maybe because it was the weekend, I was honestly surprised at how many people kept coming in — like there was a church or cathedral nearby letting out. True to its reputation as a Seoul Arts Center favorite, this place really draws a crowd.

How many people fit in Seongung's private rooms and group seating?

Seongung also has private rooms, which looked great for company dinners or family events. Rooms hold a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 40 people, while group seating accommodates 12 to 100 people. Full venue rental is available starting from 60 people! The day we visited, there were plenty of families eating together too. If you're looking for a spot for a family gathering or group meal near Nambu Bus Terminal Station, I'd recommend Seongung.

Seongung's menu and lunch course prices

Here's the menu at Seongung, a favorite Chinese restaurant near Seoul Arts Center. The lunch course pricing and composition looked pretty good. Course A is ₩29,000 per person, and it's quite a full spread. I checked out what other tables were eating, and plenty of people were having the lunch course, while others, like us, ordered à la carte. After some deliberation, we ordered Shandong xiaoji, eoyang eggplant with shrimp, paljin tangmyeon, and chadol jjamppong.

Shandong shoji: the top pick among the four dishes

Here's my review of Seongung, a favorite Chinese restaurant near Nambu Bus Terminal. The basic side dishes were pickled radish and jjajangmyeon-style pickled cabbage (jasai).

Shandong xiaoji — chilled chicken braised in Cantonese-style soy sauce, finished with a garlic sauce and chili oil

This was my first time trying Shandong xiaoji — my friend wanted it, so we ordered it. And wow, it was delicious. Of the four dishes we ordered this time, this was my personal top pick! I'm usually not a big fan of cold dishes, but this one was genuinely so good I kept going back for more, haha. The harmony between the meat and the sauce was great — the sauce wasn't too sharp, with a savory depth that was perfect for whetting the appetite before the main meal.

There was also a sesame sauce (jimajang) served alongside, which you can drizzle on to your own taste — I added the sesame sauce and it brought out an extra nutty flavor that made it even better, hehe.

And since Shandong xiaoji is meant to be eaten cold from the start, the flavor didn't change even as time passed. I liked that I could enjoy it right up to the end of the meal.

Eoyanggaji shrimp: the one dish to order at Seongung

Eoyang eggplant with shrimp — eggplant stuffed with minced shrimp, stir-fried in a spicy eoyang sauce

Wow, this was genuinely delicious. You have to order this............... To be fair, eggplant plus shrimp is a combination that's hard to make bad, but the eoyang sauce in particular was really good. It wasn't overly sharp, but had a sweet-and-savory balance, and you could see all sorts of ingredients generously mixed in. If you look closely at the photo, you'll see mushrooms, carrots, chili, and more packed into the sauce. The sauce itself was so good that piling it onto the eggplant and shrimp made every bite delicious. True to its reputation as a favorite near Nambu Bus Terminal, this place really puts its heart into its sauces.

The eggplant was packed full of shrimp inside, and with every bite you could feel the plump, springy texture of the shrimp, which made me pretty happy. Oh man, so delicious.

Paljin tangmyeon (12,000 won) and chadol jjamppong: how good are the noodle mains?

Paljin tangmyeon and chadol jjamppong.

Paljin tangmyeon is a Chinese noodle dish made with eight kinds of prized ingredients. It really was loaded with seafood, and the broth was warm, so eating just one bowl felt almost like a restorative meal, energizing on its own.

Seongung's paljin tangmyeon, a favorite near Nambu Bus Terminal, costs ₩12,000 — you can't really see the seafood in the photo, but there's plenty packed underneath the broth too. At this price for this quality, the value was excellent. In these inflated times when a single bowl of naengmyeon (cold noodles) costs ₩13,000... getting a paljin tangmyeon this generous for ₩12,000 — I get why Seongung is always packed with customers.

Chadol jjamppong — my friend prefers white broth, so she got the paljin tangmyeon, while I'm a red broth person, so I ordered the chadol jjamppong. By the end, we were both stuffed.

Seongung's chadol jjamppong, a favorite near Seoul Arts Center, is loaded with thin-sliced beef brisket and vegetables, giving the broth a really deep flavor. The noodles soaked up the broth well too, so every bite of noodle came with a strong hit of that broth flavor. The meal was satisfying from start to finish, and it made me think, 'Wow, this place isn't just good at cold dishes — the noodle mains are excellent too.'

Is Seongung worth it for lunch before a Seoul Arts Center show?

That wraps up my review of Seongung, a favorite spot near Seoul Arts Center. It's definitely nicer to come with someone rather than alone, since you get to try a wider range of dishes. Once again, I left having thoroughly enjoyed the meal. If you're looking for somewhere to eat before or after a show at Seoul Arts Center like we were, or if you want to try a lunch course with great value and composition, I'd recommend giving Seongung a visit!