Sometimes, getting Korean food with friends can be a hassle—one person wants to get bibimbap, another wants to get meat, and yet another wants savory pancakes and makgeolli. And if you’re in Hongdae, where decent Korean food is hard to find, you may be tempted to call it a night. Enter Chawoongga, which serves individually-sized portions of Korean food on trays and has a fairly diverse menu that ranges from bulgogi to kimchi-jjim. The recipes come from the owner’s mother, Mrs. Cha, a woman well over seventy who still comes in and brings her magic to the kitchen. Her nickname was “Bear Grandmother,” which lent itself to the name of the original restaurant a few minutes away (Hongdae old-timers may recall Bear Who Eats Greens). The new restaurant is housed in a beautiful 90-year-old hanok with vintage doors and windows, and a small courtyard garden (yes, in the middle of Hongdae—it’s a miracle). With this atmosphere, it’s a wonder that they’ve been able to keep prices as reasonable as they are—many of the lunch sets are under 10,000 won.
