Daehangno Chinese restaurant for shumai and shrimp fried rice

A dim sum favorite in Daehangno — Taiwanese beef noodles at Cheonghwawon

Today I'm introducing 'Cheonghwawon,' a Chinese restaurant in Daehangno. Taiwanese-style beef noodles and dim sum are its signature dishes, and if you're into Chinese food lately, you may have heard of it! My husband tried the beef noodles and recommended it, so I've visited occasionally since. We happened to be out this weekend and thought of it, so we went again after a while. The interior had been renewed and looked even cleaner. So let me introduce the Cheonghwawon I visited last weekend! This is a genuine review including our own out-of-pocket meals over several visits.😊

Location and hours of Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch

• 📌 Location: 36 Daemyeong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (5-min walk from Hyehwa Station Exit 4)
• ⏰ Hours: Mon–Sun 11:30–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• Last order: 21:00

The renewed 1st and 2nd floors — how are the window seats?

🏡 Atmosphere — a clean, cozy space

1st & 2nd floor — the interior is decorated in a clean style, with lots of greenery giving it a warm feel.

Great view on the 2nd floor — there are window seats overlooking Daehangno street, so if you sit by the window you get the view too.

The ceiling and part of the interior seem to have been recently renewed — it looked even cleaner than last time!! Now with an exposed-ceiling look!!

A dim sum spot where the shumai shines

🍜 Taiwanese-style beef noodles and dim sum are the signature dishes!

My personal take — the shumai here is so good! This is a dim sum spot both kids and adults will love.

✔️ Dim sum — shumai, xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and more are all popular. The shrimp shumai in particular was so good.

On the way up to the 2nd floor, they were steaming dim sum — such an appetite-stirring sight.

How crispy is the guobaorou?

✔️ Guobaorou — crispy-fried pork with a sweet-and-sour sauce, a classic Chinese dish! It's not soft so much as crispy enough that you really have to chew — crispy all the way to the roof of your mouth. Very crispy and chewy. Be careful, it's so crispy you might scrape your palate!! Both my son and husband ate it up.

My son's pick: shrimp fried rice. My husband's pick: fish-fragrant pork over rice

My son's pick was shrimp fried rice, mine was shumai.

✔️ Fish-fragrant pork over rice — stir-fried pork and vegetables in a spicy yet savory fish-fragrant sauce over rice, perfect for polishing off a bowl of rice! I added an older photo of this too!! The spice aroma isn't overpowering, so it's a flavor almost everyone can enjoy without complaint!!

The taste of the signature beef knife-cut noodle broth

✔️ Beef knife-cut noodles — the signature dish here! The broth is clean and light, so it's easy to eat without feeling heavy. Chewy knife-cut noodles pair well with a deep beef broth. (This is my husband's review from an earlier visit — over the weekend we tried some new dishes.)

The broth isn't thick or heavy but feels clean! No gamey meat smell, just a clean flavor. The noodles are soft too, so they go down easily!

✔️ Yulinki (crispy fried chicken) — crispy chicken topped with a refreshing sauce, a great pairing with dim sum. (I saw the table next to us eating it — I'll have to try it next time!! We had the guobaorou instead.

Prices and overall thoughts

Prices — reasonable for Daehangno! Prices have gone up a bit but it's still good value.

• Beef knife-cut noodles: ₩10,500
• Dim sum: ₩9,500
• Guobaorou: ₩17,000
• Fish-fragrant pork over rice: ₩9,800

I think I've tried almost every dish on the menu at this point, and overall the quality is solid — it's a place I visit whenever it crosses my mind. If you want to enjoy Chinese food in a clean atmosphere at reasonable prices, this is worth a visit!