Gwacheon Korean restaurant with generous soup: Haenon Miyeok

I have an old-lady palate 👵🏻, so I have fairly high standards for soups and broths,, but this seaweed soup specialist totally won my heart! Why is it this delicious…✨ It happened to be my future mother-in-law’s birthday, and she said she wanted seaweed soup, so we went together haha.

Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch exterior and parking

First, the restaurant has this neat exterior, with “Haenon Miyeok” written large across the wall! Since it specializes in just one thing—miyeokguk (seaweed soup)—I initially thought it might be made ahead and reheated, but Haenon Miyeok cooks each bowl as soon as the order comes in!

Parking was incredibly easy, too! There is plenty of space right in front, so driving here did not feel like a hassle at all. Parking convenience is pretty important when you are looking for a family meal spot in Gwacheon, and this was very satisfying!

A spacious interior in black and gray

The interior was clean and polished in black and gray tones. One especially unusual detail: the entire wall had an LED display on it, and it looked so cool?! The tables were also very widely spaced, so it felt comfortable and you would not bump into people passing by—seems great for groups!!

The seaweed soup menu was displayed large as well, making it easy to look over and order at a glance. For reference, I visited fairly late in the evening and left around closing time! There was hardly anyone there, so I was able to photograph the interior well haha!

Set meal contents and prices for three servings

Ordering was easy through the kiosk on the table. There were three of us, so we got two dried pollack seaweed soup sets = ₩36,000, one beef seaweed soup set for ₩20,000, and soda for ₩2,000, for a total of ₩58,000.

At first I thought, “Isn’t that a little pricey for seaweed soup?🤔” But once the food arrived, I understood why?! Hahaha, it was such a substantial spread!!

• One-person set: 6 basic side dishes + salad
• Two-person set: 6 basic side dishes + salad + 1 seasoned flounder + vinegared chicken breast salad
• Three-person set: 6 basic side dishes + salad + 2 seasoned flounders + vinegared chicken breast salad

We ordered three servings, so ours came as the three-person set. I asked, and they said it does not matter which meal items you choose—as long as you order three servings, you get the three-person set.

Dried pollack seaweed soup and neatly prepared side dishes

The side dishes come out so neatly arranged! Six kinds of banchan (Korean side dishes) arrive on a wooden tray—seasoned clams, kimchi, acorn jelly, fried eggplant, and gungchae (stem lettuce)—while japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and more come on separate plates.

But wait,,, the seasoned flounder was so good?!! It had a punchy sauce that was a little like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) or dakgangjeong (sweet crispy chicken) sauce, and it was seriously, seriously delicious hahaha.

Saying I was full, then diligently continuing to eat...

And now, the long-awaited seaweed soup!! Did they stir-fry the seaweed in perilla oil or something,,, it was honestly insanely goodㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Dried pollack seaweed soup can taste fishy if it is not cooked well, but this had not even the tiniest bit of fishiness. The dried pollack was soft, too, so it went down so easily! haha. And the portions were practically two servings per earthenware potㅋㅋㅋㅋ We did not realize they would be this huge, so we each had one pot, but no matter how much we ate, it did not seem to go downㅋㅋㅠㅠ

A tip for packing up leftover seaweed soup

Maybe that is why Haenon Miyeok lets you pack up leftover seaweed soup!!! You can bring your own container, or buy one there for ₩1,000!

For people with average appetites, I think two people could order two servings, set one earthenware pot aside entirely, and still have plenty by sharing the other one. Next time, I am going to set one aside from the start, too! This time, I had no idea the portions would be this large, so I bought a container and packed some up while we were eating hahaha. It felt like enough for two more meals?! It was so delicious that I do not think I would get tired of it even if I ate it again!!

The weather has gotten quite cool now, so when you are craving warm broth in Gwacheon, want delicious seaweed soup for a birthday, or want a clean, comfortable family meal, I recommend Haenon Miyeok Gwacheon Direct Branch!