[Best Food in Summer] Korea Samgyetang and Namwongol Chueotang

Do you know what are some of the best Korean food to try in Summer?

Samgyetang - Korean ginseng chicken soup, and Chueotang - mudfish soup, are two popular dishes in Korea during Summer as they help to rejuvenate your tired body from the heat. Let's check out the two dishes in this post.

#1 Korea Samgyetang 

First, we will introduce Korea's first korean ginseng chicken soup restaurant called "Korea Samgyetang" that is located near Seoul City Hall Station. It was selected as one of the recommended restaurants in Seoul Michelin Guide from 2017 to 2019 and is also very popular among foreigners.

Due to its popularity, this restaurant can get very crowded in the Summer.

Overall, the restaurant is very spacious and neat. The restaurant has seats from 1st to 4th floor in the building.

You have to order one dish per person. The basic menu is samgyetang, and the type and price vary depending on the added ingredients. There offer various type of samgyetang, so you can try those that you've never eaten.

They serve side dishes like cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi and garlic.

In addition, ginseng wine is also served in a small cup, one per person, and the bitter smell of ginseng could help to stimulate your appetite.

The chicken blends well with various ingredients. Take a sip of the thick soup and it will restore your energy from the heat.

Put the meat on a plate, and you can enjoy small piece of meat, glutinous rice and soup together.

[Information about Korea Samgyetang]

1. Getting Here : At AREX Hongik University Station, transfer to Subway Line 2 ▶ Get off at City Hall Station, Exit 10, walk 5 mins
2. Address : 1 Seosomun-ro 11-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
3. Opening hours : 10:30 – 21:30 daily / Closed on Korean New Year, Thanksgiving day
4. Contact : +82-2-752-9376
5. Price : Samgyetang KRW 16,000, Abalone Samgyetang KRW 22,000, Sansam Samgyetang KRW 22,000

#2 Namwongol Chueotang 

Chueotang, known as mudfish soup, is another popular Summer food in Korea. Namwongol Chueotang is located in a small alley near Gongdeok Station. Since it's located near many companies and in office area, this is a popular restaurant among the office workers.

Namwongol Chueotang, offering "a taste of hometown', serves their mudfish soup in the traditional way of Namwon city. Therefore, it looks and taste different from the normal thick, dark-colored mudfish soup that we commonly know.

There are quite many seats available inside the restaurant. On the wall, there are tips on how to enjoy eating chueotang, the benefits of chueotang and an introduction to menu and ingredients.

The menu is prepared in a simple way. There also serve low-salt white chueotang, chueotang with snails, chueotang hot pot and others. On the day we visited, we ordered Chueotang, the representative menu of this restaurant.

For side dishes, they serve cabbage kimchi, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), cold cucumber soup, and salted fish which is probably the salted pollack roe.

Although chueotang looks red in colour, in fact it is not spicy at all. The soup tastes much refreshing than the traditional chueotang. 

Haven't tried Chueotang before? Why not visit Namwongol Chueotang next time?

[Information about Namwongol Chueotang]

1. Getting Here : AREX Gongdeok Station, Exit 4, walk 9 mins
2. Address : 13 Mapo-daero 8-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
3. Opening hours : Monday ~ Friday 11:00 – 21:00(Break time 15:00 – 17:00), Saturday 11:00 - 15:00 / Closed on Sundays and Public Holiday
4. Contact : +82-2-703-5357
5. Price : Chueotang from KRW 10,000 onwards

*Please wear a mask and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wash hands frequently and practice cough etiquette. Stay safe!