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Soups & stews · Dongdaemun

Daehwajeong Jinjja Haejangguk

대화정 진짜해장국

Since 1981Blue RibbonOn TVGreat for solo diners ⓘ

Korea time, from recent reviews. Hours may differ on holidays.

A hangover soup house in an alley behind the DDP, feeding Dongdaemun's wholesale traders since 1981. There is basically one dish: a nutty soybean-paste broth with dried cabbage, beef and seonji (congealed ox blood). It opens at 5 in the morning.

서울특별시 중구 장충단로 249-20

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How it works here

🥢 How Korean restaurants usually work

Waiting

Short wait
Just join the line

A line forms from about noon on weekdays. Arrive by 11:30, or come early in the morning or in the evening.· 3 reviews

What to order

📖 What is Haejangguk?
  • Jinjja haejangguk (regular)진짜해장국

    Beef brisket, dried cabbage leaves and seonji in soybean-paste broth, with rice.

  • Jinjja haejangguk special진짜해장국 특

    The same soup with meaty beef bones instead of brisket.

  • Samgyeopsal삼겹살

    Grilled pork belly, served from 17:00 for those staying to drink.

How much to order

  • 👤 1One jinjja haejangguk, or the special if you like gnawing meat off the bone.
  • 👤 2-4A bowl each; in the evening, add samgyeopsal to share.

Insider tips

  • Chopped hot chili, spicy seasoning paste and green onion are on the table to add as you like. The broth itself is mild and not spicy.· 3 reviews
  • Good for eating alone: plenty of people come in for a solo bowl, and the early opening makes it an easy breakfast near the DDP.· 4 reviews

Why it's famous

Opened in 1981 in a narrow alley of the Dongdaemun market district, where night-shift traders and shop staff still come for a bowl before or after work.· 4 reviews

  • Blue RibbonListed in the Blue Ribbon Survey, Korea's restaurant guide.· 3 reviews
  • On TVFeatured on Jeon Hyun-moo's food travel show and on rapper Choiza's food series Choiza Road.· 4 reviews

Did you know?

  • The name means "Real Hangover Soup", and plenty of the customers are proving it, but just as many are market workers having an ordinary meal.· 3 reviews

Good to know

  • Open daily 05:00 to 23:50, with a break from 14:00 to 17:00 and last orders at 23:10.· 4 reviews
  • Two to five minutes from Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station exit 14, in a food alley between the shopping malls. No parking; use the paid lots at the DDP or the nearby malls.· 5 reviews
Where this comes from (32 reviews)

Summarized in our own words from Korean diners' blog reviews; each fact is backed by at least two reviews. Last checked 2026-10-28.