No-wait Sunday lunch at Cheonghwawon, a Daehangno Chinese restaurant

I went for dim sum but honestly, I got more hooked on the knife-cut noodles haha. It felt familiar yet totally different in texture.

Trust me on this one 🧚🏻‍♀️✨ Around 4pm on Sunday, September 13, I wanted Chinese food in Daehangno, so I headed to Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch, a well-known Daehangno restaurant. There were two of us, and we tried exactly three dishes: beef knife-cut noodles, cream shrimp, and xiaolongbao.

Where is Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch? 2 minutes from Hyehwa Station Exit 4, seating on two floors

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is about 166 meters from Hyehwa Station Exit 4. It's really close and easy to find — a good spot to stop by before or after a show when you're looking for a Daehangno restaurant.

When we visited on Sunday at 4pm, we walked straight in with no wait.

The 1st floor had a separate single-seat table too. Payment is done on the 2nd floor, and the restroom is inside the 1st floor.

There were also seats on the 2nd floor, so there was actually more seating than it looked like from outside.

What we ordered for two, and what it cost

Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch takes orders via kiosk. Between the two of us, we ordered three things: beef knife-cut noodles for ₩10,500, cream shrimp for ₩19,000, and xiaolongbao for ₩9,500.

Ordering is via kiosk, and the complimentary side dishes were peanuts and jjachai (pickled Chinese radish).

We ordered exactly three things!

• ✔ Beef knife-cut noodles ₩10,500
• ✔ Cream shrimp ₩19,000
• ✔ Xiaolongbao ₩9,500

Beef knife-cut noodles: the noodle texture was the best part

The beef knife-cut noodles at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch are ₩10,500, served in a sweet-salty soy-based broth with dried radish greens and meat. The usual strong beef-noodle smell wasn't overpowering, so it felt reinterpreted to suit Korean tastes.

The beef knife-cut noodles came out first. On the first bite, it wasn't an unusually distinctive flavor. Rather than having a strong beef-noodle smell, it felt reinterpreted for Korean palates, which I liked. The broth was soy-based and sweet-salty, and the dried radish greens actually went surprisingly well with it.

There was meat in it too, and one bowl was plenty for a full meal for me. But if you're someone who eats a lot, one bowl alone might feel a bit light.

But more than the broth, I loved the texture of the knife-cut noodles the most. Since the noodle thickness isn't uniform, there's a nice chew to it, and I kept fishing out the noodles first haha.

Cream shrimp: crispy, but a small portion for 19,000 won

The cream shrimp at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch is ₩19,000. The batter stayed crispy rather than going soggy, so the texture was great. It was also good to pick at a piece here and there while eating the noodles.

Cutting into it, the shrimp meat inside was nice and plump. Crispy outside, springy inside! But it's ₩19,000, and honestly, the portion felt a bit small for the price. The taste and texture were great, but the price left something to be desired.

Freshly steamed xiaolongbao at Cheonghwawon, juicy from the wrapper in

The xiaolongbao is ₩9,500, and at Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch you can actually watch them get steamed fresh. Maybe because they're steamed right before serving, the wrapper itself was really moist.

When you pick up a xiaolongbao, you can tell how much soup it's holding inside — the wrapper pouch sags right down. When you bite in, the soup rushes out, and I preferred eating it with a bit of ginger on top.

But since they're served freshly steamed, the soup inside is really hot haha. Rather than taking a big bite right away, I'd recommend letting it cool slightly first.

Final verdict on Cheonghwawon Daehangno Branch: would I go back? Yes 💜

Next time I'd like to have the dim sum again and try a different flavor of beef noodles too.

• Pros: chewy knife-cut noodles, freshly steamed xiaolongbao that's moist and full of soup
• Cons: portion size of the cream shrimp relative to price

I went for dim sum but ended up more hooked on the knife-cut noodles.