OWL Magazine Korea

Samseong COEX Chinese Restaurant “Heukbaekhong”

In the underground shopping mall of COEX, which can be considered the center of the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry in South Korea, you can find various restaurants. Since various MICE events take place at COEX, it’s natural that you can explore a variety of restaurants.

You can observe that there are restaurant clusters in various places within COEX. Even near Parnas Hotel leading to Samseong Station, you can find a restaurant area, and in the underground of City Airport Terminal, you’ll find numerous restaurants. Additionally, you can find several restaurant areas in the basement of ASEM Tower.

“COEX Restaurant Area with Diverse Choices”

At COEX, you can discover a diverse range of restaurants. While it’s an advantage to have various menu options, the prices of the restaurants in COEX are relatively higher compared to restaurants in other areas of Seoul. This can be a drawback, but when attending MICE exhibitions and events at COEX, it’s necessary to have a quick meal nearby, making it a necessary aspect.

“Samseong COEX Chinese Restaurant: Heukbaekhong”

The place I visited this time is a Chinese restaurant called “Heukbaekhong.” You can find it by heading towards ASEM Tower in the COEX underground.

I visited this place to have a quick meal during the lunchtime while participating in the “KOTFA International Tourism Fair” and conducting meetings with overseas buyers.

The store wasn’t very spacious, but among the restaurants available in the underground of COEX ASEM Building, it can be considered a decent size. On this day, because a quick meal was necessary, I ordered jjajangmyeon, which can be considered the most basic menu.

“Heukbaekhong’s Menu”

At Heukbaekhong, I found menus commonly seen in Chinese restaurants, and there were also dishes utilizing the currently trending “ma-la” (numbing and spicy) flavor. Here are the menu items at Heukbaekhong:

  • Jjajangmyeon (Black Bean Noodles): KRW 7,800
  • Guljjampong (Spicy Seafood Noodles): KRW 9,800
  • Naengjjampong (Cold Spicy Seafood Noodles): KRW 9,800
  • Gochujapchae Deopbap (Sweet and Spicy Stir-fried Glass Noodles with Rice): KRW 11,000
  • Saewu Bokkeumbap (Shrimp Fried Rice): KRW 11,000
  • Samsun Haemul Deopbap (Three Seafood with Rice): KRW 11,000
  • Kkanpungyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork): KRW 18,800
  • Chili Wang Shrimp: KRW 23,800
  • White Mango Shrimp: KRW 23,800
  • Hongjjampong / Hongjjampong Rice: KRW 9,500
  • Haemul Jaengban Jjajang (Seafood Platter with Black Bean Sauce): KRW 9,500
  • Baekjjampong / Baekjjampong Rice: KRW 9,500
  • Rajo Yuk Deopbap (Spicy Pork Rice Bowl): KRW 11,000
  • Black Olive Tangsuyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork): KRW 16,800
  • Haemul Bokkeumjjampong (Spicy Seafood Noodles with Rice): KRW 11,000
  • Mala Jjampong (Numbling and Spicy Seafood Noodles): KRW 11,800
  • Mala Bokkeumjjambong (Numbling and Spicy Stir-fried Seafood Noodles): KRW 12,800
  • Mala Kkanpungyuk (Numbling and Spicy Sweet and Sour Pork): KRW 19,800
  • Mala Samsun Deopbap (Numbling and Spicy Three Seafood with Rice): KRW 12,800
  • Mala Buljjajang (Numbling and Spicy Jjajangmyeon): KRW 11,800
  • Mala Bokkeumbap (Numbling and Spicy Fried Rice): KRW 12,800
  • Haemul Mala Shanguo (Spicy Seafood Hot Pot with Ma-la Flavor): KRW 21,800

It’s notable that many menu items end with “800” won, which might be because it’s a Chinese restaurant. Perhaps this concept was created to end the prices in the “800” won range, considering that Chinese people favor the number “8.”

“Jjajangmyeon (Black Bean Noodles): KRW 7,800”

The most basic menu, jjajangmyeon, costs KRW 7,800. Since it’s a Chinese restaurant located in the relatively expensive area of Gangnam COEX, it can be considered slightly more expensive than Chinese restaurants in typical neighborhoods.

I was able to have a simple meal, and by quickly resolving the meal, it didn’t affect the next meeting time, allowing me to prepare for the next meeting with ease.

Overall, it’s a decent place to have a simple meal.

“Seoul Samseong COEX Starfield: Heukbaekhong”

  • Address: COEX Mall B1F, 513 Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Postal Code 06164)
  • Phone Number: 02-508-7557
  • Operating Hours: Daily 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM