"Our Neighborhood Jjajangmyeon is Affordable!"

Shall We Eavesdrop on Editors' Conversations?

One day during a DrinKit team meeting, this article was planned thanks to a comment from Sunditer. Let me share a snippet of the editors' conversation.

Sunditer: Suddenly, I got curious. Do you know any good Jjajangmyeon restaurants?

Aeditor: Hmm... Flash! By the way, have you ever seen Jjajangmyeon for 2,000 won?

Bomditer: Oh, that's really cheap. There's one in my neighborhood too, what is it? Haha.

Aeditor: I think you can find them if you look carefully in each neighborhood. And you have to eat in the hall, right?

Bomditer: That's right. And you must pay in cash.

Sunditer: We need to spread the word about this! Article, GO.

Exactly. In the midst of skyrocketing prices, places that bring peace of mind cannot be overlooked by DrinKit. If you think the food must be poor because the price is low, that's a big mistake. DrinKit would never introduce a bad-tasting place. DrinKit is serious about delicious food. I talked a lot. Now, let's go eat Jjajangmyeon. For cost-effective Tangsuyuk, click here!

Chang 2-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul 'Yoriwang'

This is Yoriwang, a Chinese restaurant located in Sinchang Market, Dobong-gu, Seoul. If you dine in the hall and pay in cash, you can enjoy a bowl of Jjajangmyeon with just two bills. Among the vegetables that must be in Jjajangmyeon, onions are key, but the Jjajangmyeon here has almost no onion scent compared to other Chinese restaurants. The sauce contains plenty of tender meat cut into bite-sized pieces, and the amount of sauce is just right?not too much or too little?perfectly matching the amount of noodles served. It's exactly balanced. I wanted to mix leftover sauce with a bowl of rice, but failed.

You can also enjoy Tangsuyuk, which is indispensable with Jjajangmyeon, at an affordable price. At the time of my visit, two bowls of Jjajangmyeon and a mini Tangsuyuk cost only 10,000 won. The Tangsuyuk, fried in clean oil with a snowy white batter, boasts thick yet very tender meat. The sauce is mostly sweet rather than sour, and it didn’t get soggy even after a long time.

Myeonmok-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul 'Hwaseonggak'

You can find Hwaseonggak near Sagajeong Station in Jungnang-gu, Seoul. The Jjajang sauce is rich with essential ingredients like onions and meat, and the amount of sauce is generous. The noodle portion is also not small compared to other Chinese restaurants, so it’s enough even for adults. To think you can enjoy Jjajangmyeon in Seoul for just a few thousand won... It’s simply happiness.

To compare with Jjajangmyeon, I also ordered Gan Jjajang. The sauce itself feels a bit thick, so if you dislike that texture, I recommend ordering the regular Jjajangmyeon. However, Gan Jjajang has a slightly richer sauce with more onions, giving it a sweeter taste.

There must be places like this in your neighborhood too. If you find one, please contact DrinKit on Instagram!

Photos by Yoon Eun-ae, Kim Bomi