Dish guide · Sweets and tea
Danpatjuk
단팥죽
Sweet red bean porridge
A smooth, sweet porridge of red beans, usually with chewy glutinous rice balls. It's a warming dessert at old tea houses.
What it is
- The rice balls are called saealsim, or "bird's eggs". Toppings can include chestnut, cinnamon and pine nuts.
- It's a sweetened version of patjuk, the savory red bean porridge eaten on the winter solstice.
How to eat it
- 1Stir and eat it hot with a spoon. Some shops add a little salt and sugar at the table.
History
- Koreans eat patjuk on Dongji, the winter solstice, a custom tied to the belief that red beans drive away evil spirits. Eating it is said to add a year to your age.
Allergies and diet
Usually contains
- Nuts are sometimes added as a topping.
Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.
🗣️ Allergy card for the staff
Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.
📍 Where to try it
- 🥣
The Second Best Place in Seoul 서울서둘째로잘하는집
Home-style meals · Seochon & Bukchon · Since 1976
A tiny Samcheong-dong teahouse with a famously modest name, serving sweet red bean porridge (danpatjuk) and traditional herbal teas since 1976. A warm bowl here is a classic stop on a walk through Bukchon and Samcheong-dong, especially on a cold day.
Try: Sweet red bean porridge (danpatjuk)
Short wait - 🥣
Sindangdong Cheon Patjuk 신당동천팥죽
Noodles · Dongdaemun
A tiny red bean porridge shop by Sindang Station. Patjuk here is savory, not sweet: thick red bean porridge with chewy sticky-rice balls, or red bean soup with hand-cut noodles. In summer it adds a rich black-bean kongguksu (cold soy milk noodles).
Try: Saeal-patjuk (red bean porridge with rice balls)
Locals' pickShort wait
Sources
We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-31.