Window-seat gopchang stew and rice ball before a show: Hyehwahwa

Now that the weather's cooling down, I keep craving something hot and soupy.

On a day I was headed to see a piano show in Daehangno, I stopped by Hyehwahwa — so many menu options, and everything's cooked over an open flame.

Hyehwahwa's location and vibe: second floor, tiled-roof view down an alley

It's tucked inside an alley so you might wander a bit at first, but once you find it — a tiled-roof view through the window? Surprisingly atmospheric-!

The place has a cozy, relaxed feel overall, more suited to chatting over a meal than a loud drinking spot. Sitting by the window especially, you get glimpses of the outside scenery, so it's also a nice place to duck into for a break while hanging around Daehangno.

People only start trickling in one or two tables at a time after 6pm!

The place looks just like this-! I went straight after getting off work at 5, so we were the only ones there — nice and quiet! Being quiet made it easy to take food photos too, and comfortable to relax and chat over the meal before the show.

Starting with beef tartare — how was it as the first dish?

Starting with yukhoe (beef tartare) is always the right call. 🥩

The first thing to arrive was the beef tartare. It looked so fresh. 📸 Genuinely fresh and so savory.

The seasoning wasn't too strong, so the meat's own savory flavor really came through, and one bite followed by a sip of beer really woke up my appetite. It was light enough to not feel heavy as a starter, so I was glad I picked it as the first dish.

Beef tartare works great as a drinking snack, but it's also fine as a light opener, so it was perfect as the first dish. Pair it with a glass of beer and.. that's the taste of a Friday after work. .. Cheers..

The main event, gopchang stew: hunting for intestine under a mountain of perilla leaves

The main dish is gopchang stew (beef intestine stew). 🔥 Once the beef tartare and beer have cleansed the palate, out comes the star of the show — gopchang stew!

The earthenware pot is packed full of gopchang, and the sight of perilla leaves piled sky-high on top is completely overwhelming.

When it first arrives, the perilla leaves are stacked like a mountain so you can barely see the gopchang, but as it bubbles away and the leaves wilt down, the gopchang underneath starts revealing itself one by one lol. Once it's boiling hard, it's ready to eat.

The gopchang comes out whole, so there's fun in cutting it yourself. Once you've sliced it into bite-sized pieces, the real gopchang stew time begins.

How's the broth and does the gopchang smell?

The broth is spicy-hot with that deep, distinctive gopchang flavor still alive, so you keep going back for the soup too.. It's not aggressively spicy just for the sake of it though — the savory flavor coming off the gopchang melts into the broth, so the spoon keeps moving.

The gopchang had zero funky smell, chewy and springy, with juices bursting out the more you chew, so I kept fishing pieces out.

Added glass noodles and rice ball

I don't usually bother adding glass noodles, but once the broth soaks all the way in, the noodles just go down easy.. so spicy-hot.

In the end I couldn't resist adding a rice ball at the very end.. Just scrape up all the broth with the rice and top it with a piece of gopchang. That's all it takes. Works as both a drinking snack and a side dish for rice — a total all-purpose item.

Final thoughts: why it's good to stop by before or after a show

If you're looking for a Hyehwa restaurant that doubles as a meal spot and a drinking spot, I'd recommend Hyehwahwa.

Starting light and fresh with beef tartare and finishing hearty with gopchang stew made for a really satisfying course, and the window-seat view was the cherry on top. It especially felt like a great place to stop by when you've got a show or a date planned in Daehangno and can't decide where to go before or after.

There's a good variety of menu options too, so it's easy to pick according to your taste, and it's a fine spot for when you meant to just grab a light drink but end up having a proper meal on your way out! 🙆‍♀️ There's a lot on the menu that looks tasty too!

Only downside was no draft beer, which was a bit of a letdown. ㅠ

Getting to Hyehwahwa

Here's the exact location! So close to the subway! Hyehwa has all sorts of things scattered around to do, but being close to the station means it's easy to fit in any activity without stress!

It's great to grab a meal before a show, and just as good to come back after the show for a spicy-hot broth and a drink, so it's worth penciling into any Daehangno itinerary.