Daehangno Chinese restaurant, pre-play mapo tofu & rice: Cheonghwawon

I went to Daehangno to see a play, and where to eat lunch beforehand is always the big question, isn't it? This time my friend and I decided to eat first, and the place we went was so good that I had to share it. It's the Daehangno favorite "Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch (청화원 대학로점)"!

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch: hours and how to get there

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is open every day from 11:00 to 22:20, with last order at 21:50. It's right near Hyehwa Station Exit 4, so being so close to the station was great.

We've arrived at the Taiwanese beef noodle place, Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch!

The sign is written in Chinese, so I wasn't sure if this was the right place, but I found it with Naver Map. The entrance looks like this, so take a look if you're heading there~!

There's a menu board outside too, so you can look over the dishes and prices before going in. We checked it outside and roughly decided before we entered.

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch: 1st and 2nd floor seating

The restaurant has two floors, and we sat on the 1st floor. We arrived around 1:30 and it was already full of people. Everyone says it's a famous Daehangno spot, and now I see why 👍

If you're dining alone, the 1st-floor window seats looked nice too. The light is good, so it seems like a relaxing place to eat.

There were also big seats with sofas. I think they're tables for 3-4 people.

Before the food came out, I went up to take a look at the 2nd floor. With the white curtains and all, the whole floor has a cozy feel. It seemed to have more seats than the 1st floor.

How to order at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch, and the rice with mapo tofu

You order by kiosk. We ordered 3 dishes: mapo tofu, Sichuan beef noodles and guobaorou. We had originally ordered a bowl of rice too, but the owner told us the mapo tofu comes with rice, so we took it off.

Pickled side dish and peanuts

This is what came out as a side dish. I think I've often seen it at Chinese restaurants, but I don't know its exact name, haha. Does anyone know? Anyway, I love it. It has a different charm from kimchi.

Peanuts also came as a side dish. They weren't the kind you have to shell, which I liked. They're coated in salt too, so they were salty and tasty.

How spicy are the Sichuan beef noodles at Cheonghwawon?

The Sichuan beef noodles at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch were just moderately spicy, with a bit of a mala (numbing-spicy) feel (not that it's actually mala ❌). I'm glad I chose the Sichuan beef noodles instead of the plain beef noodles.

Is the mapo tofu at Cheonghwawon a must-order?

The mapo tofu at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch comes with a bowl of rice, so it was perfect for mixing into rice. Next out was the mapo tofu!! So much tofu, plenty of sauce, and it was delicious, haha. I was glad they gave us rice with it too.

Mapo tofu mixed into rice is seriously delicious, everyone. If you come to Cheonghwawon, please order the mapo tofu, haha.

Cheonghwawon guobaorou, and how much 3 dishes is for two

The third dish we ordered was guobaorou (crispy sweet-and-sour pork)! The guobaorou at Cheonghwawon was very crispy yet moist and delicious. It's more sweet than salty, so it's perfect for a kid-palate person like me.

Phew.. so many things looked good that the two of us felt like we overate a bit. But that's because every single dish was so tasty. If you're seeing a play in Hyehwa, please eat at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch!! I recommend it as a Daehangno favorite.