Jihwaja Seoul Restaurant : Royal Korean Court Cuisine

Jihwaja Seoul restaurant is a traditional Korean royal banquet restaurant located in the centre of downtown Seoul. Located near Gyeongbokgung Palace, visitors may find this a convenient place to have lunch after a morning visit to the main palace of Seoul.

Jihwaja Restaurant

“Jihwaja” is said to be a pleasant form of shouting when singing, dancing or toasting. “Please shout “Jihwaja !” like “Cheers !” when you have a toast with others!”. Unfortunately, we were there on a quiet weekday lunch and so did not have the opportunity to try it.

Korean Court Cuisine in Seoul 

The exterior of this restaurant looks like a large house. The interiors of this restaurant felt simple and homely. There are two levels of dining areas with separate rooms on the second floor. We had the opportunity to dine on the second floor which had a very peaceful setting for lunch. Its website states that it is “operated by Hwang’s family – Human Treasure of Korean Cultural Asset No. 38. – the best Korean food(Hansik) in the past were served [to] the royal family. “

Jihwaja Seoul Restaurant Menus

There are different types of menu to choose from when dining at Jihwaja. There are 3 types of Royal Degustation courses, 4 shorter set menus, 2 gluten free / vegan courses and an a la carte menu. We selected a Jineo Manchan (Royal Degustation Course) (KRW 175,000 / person) and a Grilled Beef Ribs Set Menu Course (KRW110,000)

The above is a picture of the menu for the Braised Beef Short Ribs Course which had much more than just braised beef short ribs as the main course.

Below is the menu for the Jineo Manchan (Royal Degustation Course) which was a far more elaborate course featuring many different items including braised beef short ribs.

Korean Liquor

We were new to Korean traditional drinks and felt that we must try something since we were at a traditional restaurant. This is a picture of a page from the Jihwaja Seoul drinks menu. We decided to go with Bekseju, described as made from glutinous rice, nuruk and choicest 12 oriental herbs including ginseng and ginger.

The Bekseju was served in a traditional-looking kettle. It contained 375ml of Bekseju which tasted quite light with a discernible ginseng fragrance and was easy to drink.

Braised Beef Short Ribs Course

Here are some pictures of the appetisers from the Braised Beef Short Ribs Course.

The glass noodles with sautéed vegetables above was very tasty. It may look simple but it was definitely the best item on the platter. A piece of grilled fish was served before the braised beef ribs.

The main dish of braised short ribs was delicious. The meat was juicy and tender, and the seasoning was just right. The dish also included carrots and chestnuts. The portion was also very generous.

The final savoury dish was rice with soybean paste stew and seasonal delicacies. All the seasonal side dishes were delicate and yummy.

The meal ended with a few traditional desserts and tea.

Jihwaja Seoul Royal Degustation Course (Jineo Manchan)

Here are some pictures of the appetizers and special delights. It was an enjoyable experience trying many different items of food prepared in different ways.

What was most memorable among the many appetizers and special delights was this dish of pan-fried beef with fruits salad. The beef was sliced very finely and was tasty.

A piece of grilled cod fish was served before the main event – mini hotpot!

This was the hotpot with chicken, abalone, mushrooms and vegetables. It was a personal steamboat for one. The ingredients were fresh and the broth was delicious.

The last savoury item was the rice with side dishes similar to what was served with the Braised Beef Short Ribs Course except that the soup was different.

The meal ended with a platter of assorted traditional desserts and tea. Overall, it was a very enjoyable lunch. Our first experience trying traditional Korean royal court cuisine was indeed memorable.

Ratings:
Food: 5
Service: 5
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Jihwaja Seoul Restaurant
Address :
125 Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea 
서울시 종로구 자하문로 125 (청운동 48번지)

Open:
Lunch : 11:30 ~ 15:00 (Last Order 13:30)
Dinner : 17:30 ~ 21:30 (Last Order 20:00)
Closed on Every Tuesday.

Website