Fragrant for over 100 years！The pioneer old shop of Seoul’s Chinese cuisine “Jajangmyeon”

Text & Photos／Mimi Han

On this autumn trip to Seoul, South Korea, Mimi specially set aside a day to explore Incheon just to visit the adorable “Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village.” And after taking photos, she couldn’t miss out on the uniquely flavorful Incheon cuisine.

This Gonghwachun original Jajangmyeon is located in Incheon’s Chinatown in Seoul. Just cross the street from Incheon Station and walk straight—you’re sure to spot it. It’s said to be the pioneer of Korean Jajangmyeon, with over 100 years of history. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but for my first visit, I decided to check it out. The bowl of black-looking noodles turned out to be absolutely delicious and has since become an iconic dish in Incheon’s Chinatown. Here’s a quick share of Gonghwachun Chinese Restaurant for everyone to check out.

Gonghwachun Chinese Restaurant is located in Incheon’s Chinatown in Seoul. From Exit 1 of Incheon Subway Station, cross the street and walk all the way along Chinatown—you’ll definitely see its bright red, eye-catching signboard. The big “Gonghwachun” is impossible to miss. We visited on a holiday, so it was pretty crowded, and it felt like many locals love visiting this spot full of Chinese vibes too.

The restaurant is on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There’s staff at the elevator entrance on the 1st floor who will guide you to the appropriate floor based on the situation.

Besides Jajangmyeon, Gonghwachun also serves other Chinese dishes. The interior is decorated in a traditional Chinese style, and while there seem to be quite a few seats, most tables seat 4–6 people. Since we were only two, we were seated at a table with another Korean couple.

There’s free coffee and drinking water available at the entrance—you can help yourself.

Ha, upon being seated, they actually served us hot tea！They also provided the usual side dishes you’d find in any Korean restaurant. Doesn’t it feel like a blend of Chinese and Korean elements? Pretty interesting.

Even the chopsticks are the round ones we’re used to, not the flat kind commonly seen in Korea.

Flipping through the menu, you’ll see that every dish has Chinese descriptions, so even friends like Mimi who don’t speak Korean won’t have trouble ordering. It’s similar to Chinese restaurants in Taiwan, offering dishes like Stir-Fried Three Delicacies and Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs—lots of choices. But since we were only two and just came to try the original Jajangmyeon, we ordered the signature Gonghwachun Jajangmyeon (₩10,000 KRW) and, based on the recommendation of the ajumma, also got a bowl of Red Braised Beef Noodles (₩8,000 KRW).

When the food arrived, the noodles and the sauce were served separately so you can mix them yourself and adjust to your taste.

The Jajang sauce is dark, with plenty of onions, as well as ingredients like tofu and shrimp. The flavor is slightly sweet and slightly spicy.

This bowl of Jajangmyeon was truly delightful. The noodles weren’t soggy at all and had a great texture, while the sauce had a rich, sweet-and-spicy flavor with lots of layers. It’s especially perfect for those of us with picky, flavor-craving palates—like us from Tainan—we just kept slurping it up. And the portion is huge; smaller eaters might not finish a whole bowl alone (though the Korean girl next to us polished hers off). No wonder so many netizens recommend trying Gonghwachun’s Jajangmyeon in Incheon’s Chinatown. So good！

As for the bowl of Red Braised Beef Noodles—the broth was rich and dark, with plenty of tender beef slices. The noodles were more in the Taiwanese style, with some chewy texture. The flavor was savory and satisfying. I really enjoyed this bowl of noodles too.

Kai said I had the expression of someone who’d never tasted good food before while eating this bowl of beef noodles.

Here’s sharing this delicious Gonghwachun Jajangmyeon with everyone (haha！I’m only saying the Jajangmyeon is good！). Next time you’re in Incheon, Seoul, besides snapping pics at Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village and Chinatown scenery, don’t forget to try a bowl of this original Jajangmyeon.

Gonghwachun Chinese Restaurant
Chinese Address：43 Jung-gu Jung-gu Jung-gu Jung-gu Jung-gu Jung-gu Jung-gu, Incheon
Korean Address：43 중구 차이나타운로, 인천광역시 중구
Phone：032-765-0571
Business Hours：10:00～22:00 (Last order at 21:30)

Mimi Han
mimi韩 行摄の足迹
Mimi韩的幸福小天地