Cheong-wa-ok (main store)

The seasons are changing; fall is fading into winter.

It was unfortunate that we were unable to take our annual autumn foliage trip this year due to my husband's business trip and the many wedding ceremonies I was invited to attend. Our family wanted to go on a trip before the weather turned too chilly, so we took a quick trip to Seoul over the weekend.

During our recent trip to Seoul, we stopped by one of the city's three most popular Sundae-guk restaurants: the Cheong-wa-ok (main store). To be honest, I didn't plan on visiting the Cheong-wa-ok, but since Sundae-guk is my husband's all-time favorite dish, we decided to dine there.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

My husband ate sundae-guk at another restaurant named "Nongmin-baekam-sundae" on his last trip to Seoul because a friend had told him it was one of the top three sundae soups in Seoul. So, he searched the other two major sundae-guk restaurants in Seoul before our trip, and that's how he learned about Cheong-wa-ok.

Our hotel was next to the Olympic Park, where the Cheong-wa-ok is located. My husband had been set on having Sundae-guk at Cheong-wa-ok from the very beginning of our trip.

The main store of Cheong-wao-k is located near Exit 3 of Hanseong-Baekje Subway Station and we visited for breakfast. There were about 15 groups ahead of us in line when we got to the restaurant at 9:30. Because of the chilly weather, it seems that many people choose to visit Sundae-guk restaurants.

(It took about 40 minutes for 15 teams to wait.)

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

Perhaps it's because this is one of the three most well-known Sundae-guk restaurants in Seoul, it's written that this restaurant represents the country.

Please note that takeout is also available.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

You can park in the back of the building, or use the valet service.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

The menu of Cheong-wa-ok includes Regular sundae-guk, Pyeon-baek Jeongsik (set meal), and Spicy sundae-guk.

My husband first wanted to order the set meal so that he could eat both the soup and the suyuk (boiled pork), but he finally agreed with me that it would be too much so early in the day.

We had planned on having regular sundae-guk. However, while we waited, we watched Yoo Jae-seok on "Hangout with Yoo," which was playing at the restaurant's entrance, enjoying a spicy sundae-guk, so we ordered the same.

Since Sundae-guk comes in several levels of spiciness, we chose the mildest option.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

There are many tables around 15 to 20 tables, but it appears that many diners order the set menu, therefore table turnover is somewhat slow.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

As side dishes, Chives, Kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and Mu-saeng-chae (sliced radish kimchi) were served. Kkakdugi was perfectly ripe and delicious, but it was too big to eat in one bite, so you had to slice it.

Sundae-guk 9,000 won

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

Add rice and chives to the soup. It's spicy sundae-guk, so the soup was very thick and spicy.

The spicy seasoning taste was too strong for my liking, so I should have gotten the regular sundae-guk instead. My husband, on the other hand, loved the spicy sundae-guk.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

The sundae was delicious; the outer skin was chewy without being tough and the meat was tender.

To be honest, when I have pork soup in Busan, I only eat the lean flesh after I've removed the intestines, but the meat at Cheong-wa-ok was so tasty that I ate every last bit of it.

The meat, however, was sliced too thinly and had a texture that I did not like.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

Sundae-guk is always with kkakdugi. As I said before, the Kkakdugi was so big that it was difficult to eat in one bite.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul

I found the seasoning a little too strong, but I still finished my soup. Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo before my husband ate the entire pot of soup.

My husband enjoyed it and said he could see why Cheong-wa-ok is considered one of the best sundae-guk restaurants in Seoul. He said it has a distinct charm from the "Nongmin-baekam-sundae" restaurant he ate at the last time.

cheong-wa-ok sundae restaurant seoul