Tangsuyuk

탕수육

Korean sweet and sour pork

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Not vegetarian

Crisp battered pork with a glossy sweet and sour sauce, usually shared on the side of jajangmyeon or jjamppong.

What it is

Strips of pork are battered and fried, then served with a sweet and sour sauce with vegetables and sometimes fruit.
Koreans happily argue about the sauce. Bumeok means pouring it over; jjikmeok means dipping each piece. Ask for the sauce on the side if you like it crisp.

How to eat it

1Share it with the table, and eat it while it's hot. Small plates and soy sauce with vinegar are often provided.

History

It's part of Korean-Chinese cooking. The dish was traditionally finished with the sauce, and delivery is said to have made separate sauce containers common, which fueled the debate.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

porkwheatsoy

Some shops offer a vegetarian mushroom version. Ask first.
Frying oil may be shared with seafood.

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

🥢
Choryuhyang 초류향
Korean-Chinese · Myeongdong, Seoul · Since 1989
A family-run Chinese restaurant in the Mugyo-dong/Da-dong office district, cooking since 1989. Office workers bring colleagues and parents here for mapo tofu, crisp sweet-and-sour pork, and the house favorite pari-meori bokkeum, stir-fried pork with garlic stems. A Korean-Chinese meal well away from the Myeongdong crowds.
Try: Pari-meori bokkeum (stir-fried pork with garlic stems)
Locals' pickShort wait
🍜
Deokhwajang 덕화장
Korean-Chinese · Dongdaemun, Seoul · Since 1970
A Korean-Chinese restaurant on Jangchung-dong's food street since 1970, the kind of place local offices and Dongguk University alumni have been coming to for decades. Order the house specials, deokhwa-myeon and deokhwa-bap, alongside classic sweet-and-sour pork and black bean noodles.
Try: Deokhwa-myeon, deokhwa-bap (house specials)
Locals' pickNo wait
🥟
Sandong Gyoja 산동교자
Korean-Chinese · Myeongdong, Seoul · Since 1978
A small Chinese restaurant run by an ethnic Chinese (hwagyo) couple across from the Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong, open since 1978. Crisp fried dumplings, juicy boiled dumplings, five-spice pork and oyster jjamppong draw long-time office regulars.
Try: Gun-mandu (fried dumplings)
Locals' pickShort wait
🍜
Sinheunggwan 신흥관
Korean-Chinese · Haeundae & Gwangalli, Busan · Since 1954
A Blue Ribbon Korean-Chinese restaurant by Haeundae Market, in business for over 70 years. Regulars come for gan-jajang (black bean noodles with the sauce on the side), sweet and sour tangsuyuk and fried dumplings, and it's an easygoing spot for an afternoon beer.
Try: Gan-jajang (black bean noodles, sauce on the side)
Locals' pick
🍜
Sinseonggak 신성각
Korean-Chinese · Yeouido & Mapo, Seoul · Since 1981
A Korean-Chinese noodle shop on a hill near Gongdeok, open since 1981 and only at lunchtime. The noodles are hand-pulled, and the gan-jajangmyeon, with a black bean sauce made without sugar, draws a line most days.
Try: Gan-jajangmyeon (noodles with dry black bean sauce)
Locals' pick30-60 min wait
🍜
Yonghwa Banjeom 용화반점
Korean-Chinese · Chinatown & Sinpo, Incheon · Since 1972
A Chinese-Korean restaurant run by an ethnic Chinese family near Dong-Incheon since 1972. Locals line up for its fried rice and crispy sweet-and-sour pork with the sauce poured over.
Try: Fried rice
Locals' pick
🥢
Abanggung 아방궁
Korean-Chinese · Gangnam Station & COEX, Seoul
A 24-hour Korean-Chinese restaurant on a second floor in the Gangnam Station food alley, with many private rooms used for office dinners and family meals. Jajangmyeon, seafood jjamppong and sweet-and-sour dishes through the night, plus set courses for groups.
Try: Seafood jjamppong (spicy noodle soup)
Locals' pickNo wait
🥟
Buyeonggak 부영각
Korean-Chinese · Yeouido & Mapo, Seoul
A family Chinese-Korean restaurant in Mapo's Yonggang-dong, open since 1970. Its rare signature is buchu-boksal, puffer fish stir-fried with garlic chives; tangsuyuk and jjajang for the table round it out. Popular for family gatherings.
Try: Puffer fish stir-fried with garlic chives
Locals' pick
🥟
Cheongsan Chinese Restaurant 청산중화요리
Korean-Chinese · Dongdaemun, Seoul
A shabby old neighbourhood Chinese restaurant by Cheonggu Station, loved for prices that seem stuck in the past. The crispy old-style sweet-and-sour pork is the reason people now queue on the stairs.
Try: Jajangmyeon (black-bean noodles)
Locals' pickShort wait
🍜
Deokseongwon (Main) 덕성원 본점
Korean-Chinese · Seogwipo & South Coast, Jeju
A Chinese-Korean restaurant that has served Seogwipo for around 80 years. The order is kkotge-jjamppong: spicy noodle soup with a whole blue crab. Old-fashioned tangsuyuk is a good partner, and there's also a branch in Jungmun.
Try: Kkotge-jjamppong (spicy noodle soup with blue crab)
Short wait
🥟
Deoksunru 덕순루
Korean-Chinese · Namdaemun & Seoul Station, Seoul
A Chinese-Korean restaurant that has stood in the same Namyeong-dong spot since 1959. Classic jajangmyeon, jjamppong and crisp tangsuyuk at fair prices, plus a garlicky kkanpunggi (sweet-spicy fried chicken) that regulars rate highly.
Try: Jajangmyeon
Locals' pick
🍜
Dongillu 동일루
Korean-Chinese · Hongdae, Seoul
A small Korean-Chinese restaurant in Mangwon-dong run by an ethnic Chinese (hwagyo) family for over 30 years. Locals come for gan-jjajang, noodles with a dry-fried black bean sauce, and chapssal tangsuyuk, crisp and chewy sweet-and-sour pork in a sticky-rice batter. Korean-Chinese food is its own cuisine, and this is a good place to try it.
Try: Chapssal tangsuyuk (sticky-rice sweet-and-sour pork)
Locals' pickShort wait
🥢
Gadam 가담
Korean-Chinese · Gangnam, Seoul
A long-running Chinese restaurant in Apgujeong run by ethnic Chinese (hwagyo) chefs. Families and older regulars fill it for the signature chili sweet-and-sour pork and nanjawanseu meatballs, while office workers come for a lunch set or a bowl of jajangmyeon.
Try: Chili sweet-and-sour pork
Locals' pickShort wait
🥢
Haenghwachon 행화촌
Korean-Chinese · Myeongdong, Seoul
A Korean-Chinese restaurant run by an ethnic Chinese family on the old Chinatown street in front of the Chinese Embassy in Myeongdong. Office workers fill its two floors at lunch for jajangmyeon (black bean noodles) and crisp, spicy lajogi (chili fried chicken).
Try: Jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)
Locals' pickShort wait
🥢
Hohwa Banjeom 호화반점
Korean-Chinese · Gangnam, Seoul
A decades-old Korean-Chinese restaurant at Apgujeong Rodeo, now in a clean two-floor building with private rooms upstairs. Dry-fried black bean noodles, brisket jjamppong and sticky-rice sweet and sour pork are the standards. Busy with office workers at lunch and families on weekends.
Try: Dry-fried black bean noodles
Locals' pickShort wait
🍜
Ilpumhyang 일품향
Korean-Chinese · Jeonju Hanok Village & Nambu Market
A Blue Ribbon Chinese-Korean restaurant about 70 years old, near the old guesthouse Gaeksa. Jeonju has its own noodle: mul-jajang, a glossy, savory seafood sauce over noodles, nothing like the black kind. Fried dumplings here have been praised on Korea's Master of Living show.
Try: Mul-jajang (Jeonju-style seafood noodles)
Locals' pickShort wait
🍜
Junghwa Banjeom 중화반점
Korean-Chinese · Downtown & Seomun Market, Daegu
A Chinese restaurant off Dongseong-ro, often called the birthplace of yakki-udon, Daegu's spicy stir-fried noodles with seafood and vegetables. Pair it with old-style sweet-and-sour pork.
Try: Yakki-udon
🥢
Jusabu 주사부
Korean-Chinese · Itaewon, Seoul
A Samgakji Chinese restaurant led by a chef with about fifty years at the wok. Neighbors come for crisp sweet-and-sour pork, dry-fried jajangmyeon (ganjjajang), chili shrimp and the 'special rice' that won him a TV 'master' title.
Try: Tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour pork)
Locals' pickShort wait
🥟
Myeonghwawon 명화원
Korean-Chinese · Itaewon, Seoul
An old Korean-Chinese restaurant at Samgakji, open for just four hours at lunchtime, that people line up for. It is usually named one of Seoul's three great tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour pork) houses, and its crisp fried dumplings are just as famous. A good stop before or after the War Memorial of Korea.
Try: Tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour pork)
30-60 min wait
🍜
Sinseung Banjeom 신승반점
Korean-Chinese · Chinatown & Sinpo, Incheon
Chinatown's busiest jajangmyeon house, known for yuni-jajang and crispy sweet-and-sour pork. Take a waiting number first, then look around the neighborhood while you wait.
Try: Yuni-jajangmyeon
30-60 min wait
🍜
Taebaekgwan 태백관
Korean-Chinese · Seomyeon & Jeonpo, Busan
A neighborhood Korean-Chinese restaurant in Seomyeon with low prices and big portions. The house special is hwanggung jajang, a big tray of black bean noodles for sharing, and sets pair noodles with old-style tangsuyuk.
Try: Hwanggung jaengban-jajang (black bean noodles on a tray)
Locals' pick
Wanchai 완차이
Korean-Chinese · Sinchon & Ewha, Seoul
A second-generation Chinese-Korean restaurant in the alleys by Yonsei University. Its signature is spicy stir-fried mussels, and regulars also swear by the gan-jajangmyeon and fluffy tangsuyuk.
Try: Spicy stir-fried mussels
Locals' pickShort wait
🍜
Yangjagang (Yeongjongdo Main) 양자강 영종도본점
Korean-Chinese · Yeongjongdo, Incheon
The noodle stop near Eurwangni Beach, known for its wang-galbi-jjamppong: spicy seafood noodle soup with a huge beef rib on top. It's big, messy and very satisfying. Regulars also recommend the tangsuyuk.
Try: Wang-galbi-jjamppong (spicy noodle soup with a big beef rib)
30-60 min wait
🥢
Yeonghwaru 영화루
Korean-Chinese · Hwaseong Fortress & Downtown, Suwon
A Korean-Chinese restaurant by Paldalmun (Nammun) Gate, run by the third generation in the same spot for over 60 years. Order gan-jajang (black-bean noodles with a drier, freshly stir-fried sauce), jjamppong or ulmyeon, with sweet-and-sour pork (tangsuyuk) to share.
Try: Gan-jajang (black-bean noodles)
Locals' pickShort wait