Won Daegutang: 40-Year-Old Cod Soup in Seoul
Looking at the vibe lately, it really feels like COVID is in its final stages. With more people vaccinated, I finally had a chance to grab a drink with friends I hadn't seen in a while because we were minimizing outings for our families' sake. Since it was a long-overdue soju night, I wanted to find a decent spot. Out of a few places that came to mind, Won Daegutang is definitely the best place for soju in Yongsan (a district in central Seoul), so we met up there.
Won Daegutang is just a few steps away from Samgakji Station. At first glance, you might think it opened after the subway station was built, but it's actually a local fixture that has held its spot for over 40 years. Like Yurimmyeon, it has been designated as a Seoul Future Heritage site and even has a plaque hanging up. As I slowly organize my list of good restaurants, I'm starting to think that places with the Seoul Future Heritage designation are more reliable than Michelin-starred ones. If you're planning a trip to Seoul and looking for places to eat, I highly recommend searching for Seoul Future Heritage sites. You'll find a whole list of famous old local restaurants (nopo).
Before COVID, even after they remodeled, it was always so crowded that the spacious interior was packed with customers. A 30-minute wait was standard, but probably due to the pandemic, we were able to walk right in without waiting. That doesn't mean it was empty, though—there were only one or two tables left. So, you should either go expecting to wait, or if you don't have much time, I recommend checking out the other cod soup (daegutang) places nearby. (Won Daegutang is just the most famous; the neighboring spots are quite good too.)
The price is 12,000 KRW per person, and soju is 4,000 KRW, which is average or even cheap for Seoul. Considering Seoul's prices, where a pork cutlet set costs nearly 20,000 KRW, being able to get happily drunk for about 20,000 KRW is a fantastic deal in my book.
This place has a very specific way of cooking and eating. The cooking method is simple: just leave it alone. Some people can't sit still at restaurants and constantly poke and prod at their food, but if you do that here, you're highly likely to get scolded by the gruff waitstaff walking by. The eating order is minari (water dropwort), bean sprouts, cod, and then the intestines. The minari has a really strong aroma, especially at the beginning, so a bottle of soju will disappear in a flash just eating that.
While the cod soup is bubbling away, you need to mix your soy dipping sauce. Everyone has their own recipe, but I like to squirt the soy sauce 5 or 6 times so there's enough to completely dunk the food. Then I add one good squeeze of vinegar and two big squirts of mustard so it has a strong mustard kick. I don't just sprinkle a little black pepper, either—I shake in a ton so that pepper coats every bite. Of course, this is just how I eat it; you can adjust it to your own taste as you go.
Once it finally started boiling, the waitress sprang into action. She stirred the seasoning around and told us to start with the minari after about a minute. When the time came, we attacked the minari first. As I mentioned above, the aroma is quite strong, so a bottle of soju quickly vanishes with just the minari and the broth. Then, we dug up the bean sprouts hiding underneath and ate them together with the minari. You shouldn't drink too fast and get drunk at this point. The real charm of this place is tasting the quartet of minari, bean sprouts, cod flesh, and milt all at once, so pacing yourself is key. But as always, I get too excited, so by the time we were eating the cod, my lightweight self was already starting to get tipsy.
It looks incredibly red and spicy, but it's really not. Anyone accustomed to Korean food can easily handle it. The cod itself is pretty mild on its own, so you end up eating it with the slightly spicy broth and dipping sauce. Both the cod meat and the milt are unbelievably delicious when eaten with the vegetables. The absolute highlight is the fried rice (bokkeumbap) at the end, but we were chatting so much that it was almost 10 PM—the 21st-century curfew—so we couldn't order it. The fried rice is truly the crowning touch of this restaurant, so you absolutely must try it.
However, I don't recommend eating at Won Daegutang for lunch. The thought of eating this food during the day without soju... ugh, it's painful just thinking about it. Absolutely not recommended.
If you look at reviews, there are a lot of negative comments about the hygiene and service. It seems much better to me after the remodel, but I guess it still falls short for some. In the past, you'd occasionally find red pepper flakes stuck to your spoon or chopsticks, but since it's an old establishment (nopo) and the clientele skews a bit older, most people just wipe it off with water and move on. Regulars are pretty understanding about the service, too. Since it's gotten famous for various reasons, people might come with high expectations and feel let down. It definitely lacks the friendliness and cleanliness of a standard restaurant. But it's also true that this rough-around-the-edges vibe makes the soju go down even smoother.