The Gwanghwamun area in Seoul is a prominent office-dense district. It’s home to government buildings like the Seoul Metropolitan Government, headquarters of various newspapers, and the offices of major corporations. During lunchtime, you can observe numerous office workers heading out to grab a meal.
Especially in the Gwanghwamun area, you can find various restaurants in the underground shopping area of large buildings. In the underground area of “Doryeom Building,” located to the west of Gwanghwamun Square, you can discover several restaurants.
“Doryeom Building Underground: Home-Style Meal Restaurant ‘Jeongwon'”
The restaurant named “Jeongwon,” which I visited this time, can also be found in the Doryeom Building. It’s on the underground 1st floor of the Doryeom Building and is relatively noticeable as it’s not far from the entrance.
The atmosphere of the store exudes the typical ambiance of restaurants you’d find in an underground shopping area. The store isn’t very spacious, accommodating about 20 people at most. Among the restaurants in the underground area of Doryeom Building, this place is one of the popular ones. It’s always bustling with many people during both lunch and dinner hours.
“Jeongwon offers Home-Style Baekban Meals”
Jeongwon serves a menu of home-style baekban (Korean set meals). They offer a variety of dishes like spicy pork ribs, bossam (boiled pork), stir-fried squid, and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). The prices range from about 8,000 to 10,000 won per menu item. Considering the recent sharp increase in prices and the average prices in the Gwanghwamun area, they sell food at reasonable prices overall.
Here are some of the menu items you can find at Jeongwon:
- Spicy Pork Ribs: 10,000 won
- Bossam (Boiled Pork) Set Meal: 9,000 won
- Tteokbokki (Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cakes) Set Meal: 9,000 won
- Stir-fried Squid: 8,000 won
- Pork Bulgogi: 8,000 won
- Kimchi Jjigae (Kimchi Stew): 8,000 won
- Doenjang Jjigae (Soybean Paste Stew) with Beef or Seafood: 8,000 won
- Bibimbap (Mixed Rice Bowl): 8,000 won
- Stone Pot Bibimbap (with Pork or Tuna): 9,000 won
- Soft Tofu Stew (with Ham and Cheese, or Seafood Dumplings): 8,000 won
- Cheonggukjang (Fermented Soybean Paste Stew): 8,000 won
- Kalguksu (Hand-cut Noodles) with options like Sesame, Spicy, or Clam: 8,000 won
- Sujebi (Hand-pulled Dough Soup) with options like Sesame, Spicy, or Clam: 9,000 won
- Rolled Omelette (Side Menu): 7,000 won
- Gul Tteokguk (Oyster Rice Cake Soup): 9,000 won
- Gul Sundubu (Oyster Soft Tofu Stew): 9,000 won
- Beef and Rice Cake Dumpling Soup: 9,000 won
“A Restaurant Offering Generous Side Dishes”
At Jeongwon, regardless of the menu you order, they provide generous side dishes. They include homemade kimchi, stir-fried dried anchovies, pajeon (green onion pancakes), and various other side dishes that change from day to day. However, kimchi and pajeon are consistently served.
Especially, pajeon is a menu that’s not easily found these days, making Jeongwon one of the few places where you can enjoy it as a side dish.
As it’s a restaurant located in the underground shopping area, the interior isn’t particularly impressive for important occasions. However, it’s a good place for a casual meal in your daily routine. Especially during lunch hours, it’s a place where many people line up. In the evening, it’s relatively quieter than lunchtime, but compared to other nearby restaurants, it’s still one of the places where people gather.
“Seoul Gwanghwamun: Hanjeongsik Restaurant Jeongwon”
- Address: B1F 9, Saeumnan-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Doryeom Building (Postal Code: 03173)
- Phone: 02-722-2279