Seocho Korean restaurant with tray-set chicken stew: Seocho Jeonggye

With this refreshing rain lately, I want to tell you all about my visit to Seocho Jeonggye (서초정계), a real rice-joint that office workers around Seocho Station are already raving about. I wanted a hearty, clean Korean meal with my mom a little while ago and headed over without a second thought. The flavor and the friendliness were even more moving than I expected, so I'm sharing it honestly, with all that fresh energy.

Seocho Station office workers!!!! If you're stuck on what to have for lunch, listen up!

What's the atmosphere at Seocho Jeonggye like?

Seocho Jeonggye is a Korean restaurant near Seocho Station with a clean wooden interior, and at weekday lunch peak it fills up with office workers from the area. I went right at the weekday lunch rush, and the clean wooden exterior gave a cool, fresh impression. When I opened the door, just as I'd heard, the place was packed with the necktie crowd from nearby offices. "Wow, I've really found the real neighborhood favorite!" I thought right away.

Neat and comfortable space: even with so many guests bustling around, the inside of Seocho Jeonggye was kept really tidy and pleasant, so I felt comfortable the whole time.

Friendliness that makes you smile: even in the busiest hours, the staff greeted every single guest so kindly that I felt recharged with energy before the meal even began.

Seocho Jeonggye menu and how to order

At Seocho Jeonggye you order on the tablet at each table, and the signature dish is the dakdoritang (boneless chicken stew) set. The charm here is, above all, the neat and generous menu. Ordering by tablet is easy and convenient. We placed our order to try the signature dakdoritang set.

Wow, but the kimchi was so good???

They say Seocho Jeonggye uses only domestic kimchi!!!

Chicken stew set price and what we ordered

That day at Seocho Jeonggye, my mom and I chose two servings of the boneless chicken stew set, two Jeonggye fritters, and a chicken kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup).

• Set boneless chicken stew (original flavor): ₩17,000 per person (₩34,000 for 2)
• Jeonggye fritter add-on: ₩1,000 (₩2,000 for 2)
• Chicken kalguksu (with free mini rice bowl): ₩11,000

It comes as a neat set on an individual tray for each person, so it's a great choice for an office lunch or for treating a guest.

And finally, the main dishes we'd been waiting for arrived at the table in all their glory! The sight alone made my mouth water, and I couldn't help gasping.

Dakdoritang: rich, spicy broth with tender boneless chicken

The boneless dakdoritang at Seocho Jeonggye comes bubbling in an earthenware pot, topped with plenty of fragrant perilla leaves, so it passed on looks alone. I tried the broth first, and it was spicy with deep savory flavor and no muddiness, spreading fresh through my whole mouth! The seasoning soaked right into the meat and the chicken was so tender. My mom is a picky eater, but she said, "This seasoning is the real deal, it's so good!" and was really happy.

Mash up the big chunks of potato and mix them into your rice, and it's a true rice thief (a dish so good it makes you eat lots of rice).

Jeonggye fritter: crispy outside, juicy inside pepper fritter

The Jeonggye fritter is a handmade pepper fritter you add for ₩1,000: a big green chili stuffed full of meat filling and fried fresh. The first bite went crunch! and the savory juice burst out, yet it wasn't greasy at all, just clean and delicious. Dipped into the sweet and spicy dakdoritang broth, the pairing is fantastic, so adding the fritter is an absolute must when you visit!

Chicken kalguksu: milky, deep and mild

The chicken kalguksu (₩11,000) at Seocho Jeonggye had a really appealing milky chicken broth, simmered deep and rich. It's generously topped with tender shredded chicken, and the noodles are chewy and slide down smoothly.

Between bites of the spicy dakdoritang, a sip of the mild, warm kalguksu broth balances things out perfectly. Add the mini rice bowl that comes at the end into the soup and you're completely full.

Does Seocho Jeonggye do takeout or delivery?

Seocho Jeonggye reportedly doesn't offer takeout or delivery. The food was so good that I wanted to eat it again at home. So on the way out I asked whether takeout was possible, and sadly they said no. T_T

I guess this flavor can only be enjoyed at its best, fresh out of the kitchen in the restaurant! So when you crave tasty dakdoritang, go to Seocho Jeonggye in person with people you care about and enjoy it fully along with the atmosphere!

Seocho Jeonggye verdict: who I'd recommend it to

From the basics of friendliness to deep, rich home-style cooking, nothing was lacking, and I was very satisfied with Seocho Jeonggye, a hidden gem (a pearl, as we say) near Seocho Station.

I felt in my bones why it's packed with office workers every lunchtime. The neat individual set makes for a hygienic, pleasant meal, and the combo of spicy dakdoritang and crispy pepper fritters blew my built-up stress away.

If you're looking for a hearty Korean restaurant to take your beloved parents, or want a proper set meal with coworkers today, why not head to Seocho Jeonggye? I'm sure it'll be a time full of energy with no regrets! 💚

Seocho Jeonggye even gives you sikhye (sweet rice drink) as a dessert!!