Eunhosikdang

Eunhosikdang is a historic Korean restaurant in Jung District, Seoul, near Namdaemun Market. Founded in 1932, it is described as the fourth-oldest active restaurant in Seoul and the oldest restaurant in Jung District. Its signature dish is kkori-gomtang, a rich oxtail soup served with noodles and substantial pieces of meat and bone. Diners are reportedly given gloves so they can handle the meat and bones directly, and the meat may be dipped into the restaurant's house sauce. The menu also includes other Korean soup dishes, including yangji-tang, made with brisket, and seolleongtang. The restaurant began as a tent operation in Namdaemun Market, established by Kim Eun-im. After obtaining a permanent location, Kim used the name Pyeonghwaok. She later met Lee Myeong-sun, whom she adopted as her daughter and eventually made her successor. This succession helped keep the business within the same family across several generations. During the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, Kim left Seoul for Busan and temporarily reopened the restaurant there. After returning to Seoul, she acquired another storefront and operated under the name Eunseongok. The restaurant adopted the name Eunhosikdang after the 1968 Namdaemun Market fire. Its history therefore includes several locations and trading names, but the business remained associated with the Namdaemun area and with traditional Korean soup cuisine. It initially served haejang-guk, a soup traditionally associated with recovery from drinking. Kkori-gomtang later became the defining offering after government officials tried it and helped increase the dish's popularity at the restaurant. In the early 2000s, redevelopment plans for the Namdaemun area led the restaurant to establish additional branches with the intention of eventually relocating away from the market district. The first branch opened in Seosomun in 2002 and the second in Yeouido in 2005. The planned move did not take place, leaving the business with three branches. By 2019, the restaurant was reportedly being operated by the fourth generation of the same family. In 2013, Seoul designated Eunhosikdang a Seoul Future Heritage, recognizing its historical and cultural importance to the city's food history. Its identity rests on continuity, family succession, traditional soup preparation, and its connection to Namdaemun rather than on broad national chain expansion.

Eunhosikdang traces its origins to 1932, when Kim Eun-im established a tent restaurant in Namdaemun Market in Seoul. The original business served haejang-guk, a Korean soup traditionally associated with relieving the effects of alcohol consumption. As the operation became established, Kim obtained a permanent site and named the restaurant Pyeonghwaok. This early transition from a market tent to a fixed restaurant marked the beginning of a business that would repeatedly adapt its name and location while retaining its culinary identity. Kim later encountered Lee Myeong-sun, whom she adopted as her daughter. Lee eventually became Kim's successor, keeping the restaurant within the family. The relationship was significant not only as a personal adoption but also as the mechanism through which the restaurant's management passed to a subsequent generation. The business's later history is commonly described in terms of family continuity, with a fourth generation reportedly operating it by 2019. The Korean War interrupted the Seoul operation. Between 1950 and 1953, Kim fled to Busan and temporarily reopened the restaurant there. After returning to Seoul, she acquired a storefront and operated under the name Eunseongok. These changes reflect the disruption caused by the war and the restaurant's subsequent re-establishment in the capital. Although the business used different names at different stages, it continued to serve traditional Korean soup-based food. The 1968 Namdaemun Market fire led to another important transition. After the fire, the restaurant reopened under the name Eunhosikdang, the name by which it is known today. It remained closely associated with Namdaemun and the surrounding market district. The restaurant's present culinary reputation developed around kkori-gomtang, or oxtail soup. While haejang-guk was an early specialty, kkori-gomtang became particularly popular after government officials tried the dish and helped draw wider attention to it. The preparation is known for its large pieces of oxtail meat and bone, noodles in the broth, and a house sauce for dipping the meat. Eunhosikdang later added other locations in response to plans to redevelop the Namdaemun area. The first additional branch opened in Seosomun in 2002, followed by a branch in Yeouido in 2005. The expansion was undertaken with the intention of moving out of the Namdaemun area, but that relocation ultimately did not occur. Instead, the original presence and both branches were maintained, giving the restaurant three locations while preserving its historical connection to Namdaemun. In 2013, Seoul recognized Eunhosikdang as a Seoul Future Heritage. The designation placed the restaurant within a city program intended to identify and preserve places with continuing historical and cultural value. Eunhosikdang's significance comes from the combination of age, family succession, association with Namdaemun, and continuity of traditional soup cooking. It is described as the fourth-oldest active restaurant in Seoul and the oldest restaurant in Jung District. Its history is therefore less a story of corporate scaling than of survival through war, fire, redevelopment pressure, multiple names, and generational succession.

• 2019

  Fourth family generation reported as operator

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  The restaurant was reported to be run by the fourth generation of the founding family.

• 2013

  Named a Seoul Future Heritage

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  Seoul designated Eunhosikdang a Seoul Future Heritage.

• 2005

  Yeouido branch opened

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  The second additional branch opened in Yeouido. The planned relocation away from Namdaemun was not completed.

• 2002

  Seosomun branch opened

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  The first branch outside the immediate Namdaemun location opened in Seosomun amid redevelopment concerns.

• 1968

  Reopened as Eunhosikdang after the Namdaemun fire

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  Following the 1968 Namdaemun Market fire, the restaurant reopened under the Eunhosikdang name.

• 1950

  Temporary wartime operation in Busan

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  During the Korean War, Kim Eun-im fled Seoul and temporarily reopened the restaurant in Busan.

• 1932

  Restaurant founded in Namdaemun Market

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  Kim Eun-im founded the business as a tent restaurant in Namdaemun Market, Seoul.

• Permanent premises adopted under the Pyeonghwaok name

  [1]Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org

  Kim Eun-im acquired a permanent location and named the restaurant Pyeonghwaok.

A long-running, family-operated Seoul restaurant positioned around traditional Korean soup cuisine, historical continuity, and a signature oxtail soup associated with the Namdaemun area.

• Korean soup

  Kkori-gomtang

  Eunhosikdang's signature dish is kkori-gomtang, a Korean oxtail soup. The serving reportedly includes noodles and substantial portions of meat and bone. Diners may use gloves to handle the oxtail directly, and the meat can be dipped in the restaurant's house sauce. The dish became especially associated with the restaurant after government officials tried it and helped increase its popularity.

• Korean soup

  Yangji-tang

  Yangji-tang is another soup offered by Eunhosikdang. It is prepared with brisket and forms part of the restaurant's broader traditional Korean soup menu. Available historical descriptions identify it as a supporting menu item rather than the restaurant's principal signature, which remains kkori-gomtang.

• Korean soup

  Seolleongtang

  Seolleongtang, a traditional Korean ox-bone soup, is also served at Eunhosikdang. Its inclusion reflects the restaurant's specialization in long-established soup dishes and places the signature oxtail offering within a wider menu of Korean broth-based food.

• Korean soup · 1932

  Haejang-guk

  Haejang-guk was reportedly the restaurant's original specialty when it began in Namdaemun Market. The dish is traditionally associated with recovering from a hangover and represents an earlier phase of Eunhosikdang's menu before kkori-gomtang became its best-known offering.

• 2002

  Opened additional branches in response to Namdaemun redevelopment plansStrategy

  Background

  Plans to redevelop the Namdaemun area created uncertainty about the restaurant's long-term location.

  Action taken

  Eunhosikdang opened a Seosomun branch in 2002 and a Yeouido branch in 2005, intending to move away from Namdaemun.

  Aftermath

  The planned relocation did not take place. The original Namdaemun presence and both newer branches were retained.

  Source

• 1968

  Reopened under the Eunhosikdang name after the Namdaemun Market fireOther

  Background

  A fire affected Namdaemun Market, where the restaurant had been operating.

  Action taken

  The business reopened under the name Eunhosikdang.

  Aftermath

  The new name became the restaurant's enduring identity.

  Source

1. 1Eunhosikdangen.wikipedia.org