Hyehwa pub for whole gopchang stew with glass noodles: Hyehwahwa

Straw-fire fusion Korean pub 🪵Hyehwahwa in Hyehwa🔥

I was looking for a place in Hyehwa with good Korean drinking food to pair with soju, and that's how I found Hyehwahwa! The rice cake and gopchang (beef tripe) stew had a spicy, tangy broth loaded with whole gopchang seared over straw fire — perfect soju pairing — and the kimchi fried rice came piled with beef brisket and cheese, great as a finishing dish.

And I really liked the vibe!! When I think of Hyehwa, I picture retro, old-school-style restaurants and bars, but this place felt clean and quietly emotional instead — good for drinks with a friend or even a date spot. Kind of gave off that fusion Korean pub feeling you'd expect somewhere in Yongridan-gil haha. The food was good and the atmosphere was solid too, so I think I'll come back next time I have plans in Hyehwa!

Where is Hyehwahwa, and what are its hours?

Hyehwahwa is 146m from Hyehwa Station Exit 4 — go into the alley between Mode Vintage and Lens Me and it's on the 2nd floor of the building you'll see. Being so close to the station made it an easy meeting spot.

• 📍No parking; use nearby paid or public lots
• ▫️Daily 17:00–01:00
• ▫️Last order 00:00

Here's the entrance!

True to being a straw-fire grilling specialist, straw is piled up right from the entrance

There are 4-person tables too, so it's fine for group gatherings haha

What we ordered at Hyehwahwa and what it cost

Looking at the menu, it was mostly Korean drinking food — rice cake gopchang stew, gopchang hotpot, knife-cut octopus, beef tartare, boiled meat, beef bulgogi and more. Straw-fire grilled dishes seemed to be the main focus, so we ordered the signature spicy straw-fire rice cake and gopchang stew! We also added the cheese bomb beef brisket kimchi fried rice as a side/meal haha. Can't have rice cake stew without soju, so we finished off with a bottle of Jinro Is Back! 🍶

• ▫️Straw-fire spicy rice cake and gopchang stew (₩26,000) + glass noodle add-on (₩2,000)
• ▫️Cheese bomb beef brisket kimchi fried rice (₩15,000)
• ▫️Jinro Is Back (₩5,000)

Tofu and baek-kimchi (white kimchi) served as the basic side dish

Light and clean tasting haha, protein boost achieved

Hadn't had Jinro in a while, tastes totally sweet-and-bitter

Spicy straw-fire rice cake and gopchang stew (₩26,000)

A rice cake stew with whole gopchang seared over straw fire, chicken thigh meat, rice cakes, glass noodles and potato!

The moment it arrived I was confused — I ordered rice cake stew but got whole gopchang and grilled chicken on the side. I thought it was a mistake, but that's how it's meant to come out haha. The staff drops the straw-fire seared whole gopchang and grilled chicken directly into the pot for you haha

Plump grilled chicken

I've always eaten gopchang grilled, so seeing it raw like this was interesting haha

There's stew underneath the tray! You have to wait a bit for it to fully cook haha

Loads of rice cake piled underneath too haha — of course, it's rice cake stew

Added glass noodles too, they were chewy and so good

Just the visual alone makes you think of soju...

Tried the rice cake first — super soft, chewy and just delicious, plus there was a good amount of it.

The broth was really spicy and tangy, and it soaked right into the rice cake — so good. The broth wasn't harshly spicy; the savory flavor from the chicken and gopchang added depth, making it the kind of taste you keep spooning up while drinking soju haha

The glass noodles soaked in broth were also a treat

The chicken had no gamey smell, was clean and soft haha, and there were no dry parts, which I loved

The gopchang came in whole so the portion was huge, but it has that distinct gopchang smell so it might be a love-it-or-hate-it thing. Gopchang lovers will probably love it!

Cheese bomb beef brisket kimchi fried rice (₩15,000)

And the cheese bomb beef brisket kimchi fried rice we ordered alongside

The cheese comes in a cute little mini cup. ⭐️You need to pour it over the kimchi fried rice and mix it before it hardens⭐️

🧀Soft, savory cheese piled on generously🧀

Mix it well and it stretches like this ㅠㅠ Honestly I worried the flavors would clash since the stew is red and the fried rice is also red, but there was no need to worry;;;;

As the cheese melted and softened, biting into the beef brisket brought out a savory kick that gave it a totally different feel — a perfect match with the rice cake stew,,,

What should two people order at Hyehwahwa?

The rice cake gopchang stew is spicy and tangy while the kimchi fried rice is rich and savory from the cheese, so alternating between the two keeps you from getting tired of either flavor,,, If two of you visit, ordering one rice cake gopchang stew plus one cheese bomb beef brisket kimchi fried rice to share should work out well!

If you're looking for a good drinking-food spot or Korean pub in Hyehwa, I'd recommend Hyehwahwa — also a solid date spot in Daehangno