Celebrity’s Go-To Loach Soup at Haengju Fortress

Loach Soup: Korea’s Most Misunderstood Delicacy

Chueotang (추어탕, loach soup) is one of those Korean dishes that makes foreign visitors pause. The idea of eating loach — small, eel-like freshwater fish — is unfamiliar to most non-Korean palates. But in Korea, chueotang is beloved autumn comfort food with a history stretching back centuries. The soup has two main regional styles: Seoul-style (서울식), where the loach is pureed into the broth creating a thick, smooth texture; and Namwon-style (남원식), where whole loach are served intact in a clear broth.

Haengju Chueotang, endorsed by comedian Kim Mi-ryeo, serves the Seoul-style preparation. The loach are cleaned, boiled, and then ground into a paste that dissolves into a doenjang-based broth with perilla seeds (들깨), creating an extraordinarily rich, nutty, and deeply savory soup. Fresh vegetables — dropwort (미나리), bean sprouts, and wild greens — provide brightness and crunch against the heavy broth. The result is unlike any other Korean soup: thick as a chowder, complex in flavor, and remarkably nutritious.

Traditional Korean medicine considers chueotang a stamina food, rich in protein and calcium (the entire fish, including bones, is consumed). Koreans traditionally eat chueotang in autumn when the loach are fattest after a summer of feeding, though restaurants now serve it year-round. The dish is often recommended for recovery after illness, hard physical labor, or, honestly, heavy drinking the night before.

Haengju: History and Food Together

Haengju (행주) in Goyang City, just northwest of Seoul, is famous for the Haengju Fortress (행주산성), the site of a legendary 1593 battle during the Japanese invasions where Korean civilians — including women who carried stones in their aprons to supply the defenders — successfully repelled 30,000 Japanese troops. The fortress is a 20-minute walk from the restaurant and offers panoramic views of the Han River. Combining a chueotang lunch with a fortress visit makes for a meaningful half-day trip from Seoul.

Celebrity food endorsements in Korea follow a specific trust hierarchy. Comedians who are known food lovers — like Kim Mi-ryeo — carry more credibility than actors or singers because Korean comedians frequently appear on food variety shows (먹방 shows) where their genuine reactions are scrutinized by millions of viewers. A comedian’s restaurant recommendation is considered more authentic because they eat on camera constantly and their preferences are well-documented.

What Is Chueotang? A Deep Dive into Korea’s Most Misunderstood Soup

Chueotang (추어탕) — literally “loach soup” — is one of those Korean dishes that makes international visitors pause, reconsider, and then (if they are adventurous enough to try it) fall completely in love. The dish features freshwater loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), a small eel-like fish that has been a staple protein source in Korean cuisine for over 500 years, ground into a thick, hearty soup that is often described as Korea’s answer to French bisque.

The comparison to bisque is apt: just as a lobster bisque grinds crustacean shells into the base to create richness and body, traditional chueotang grinds the entire loach — bones, skin, and all — into a smooth paste that is then cooked with vegetables and seasonings into an intensely flavorful soup. The result is a thick, brown-green broth with an earthy, complex flavor profile that sits somewhere between a mushroom soup and a rich fish chowder.

There are actually two major regional styles of chueotang in Korea, and understanding this distinction is essential for appreciating what makes Haengju Chueotang special. The Seoul-style (also called Namwon-style) grinds the loach completely, creating a smooth, homogeneous soup where you would never know fish was involved if you were not told. The Chungcheong-style leaves the loaches whole, simmered in a lighter broth where the small fish are visible and eaten intact. Haengju Chueotang follows the Seoul-style tradition, which tends to be more approachable for first-time diners.

Why Comedian Kim Mi-ryeo’s Endorsement Matters More Than Most Celebrity Picks

Korean celebrities endorsing restaurants is nothing new — the country’s entertainment industry is deeply intertwined with its food culture, and TV shows dedicated to celebrity restaurant recommendations are a genre unto themselves. However, Comedian Kim Mi-ryeo’s association with Haengju Chueotang carries particular weight for several reasons that food enthusiasts should understand.

First, Kim Mi-ryeo is known among Korean entertainers for being a genuinely discerning eater, not someone who simply endorses wherever the cameras point. She has publicly criticized restaurants on air — a rare and career-risky move in Korea’s polite entertainment culture — which gives her positive endorsements significantly more credibility. When she declared Haengju Chueotang her go-to spot, the Korean food community took notice precisely because of her reputation for honesty.

Second, chueotang is not a “safe” celebrity recommendation. Unlike Korean BBQ or fried chicken, which have universal appeal, recommending a loach soup restaurant requires genuine conviction because the dish can be polarizing. Kim Mi-ryeo’s willingness to stake her food reputation on a chueotang restaurant suggests authentic enthusiasm rather than a marketing arrangement.

The impact of her endorsement was immediate and measurable. According to local reports, Haengju Chueotang saw a 300% increase in customers in the month following the broadcast, with lines extending around the block on weekends. More importantly, the restaurant maintained those elevated customer levels long after the initial buzz faded, suggesting that new visitors were genuinely won over by the food rather than merely chasing a trend.

The Nutritional Powerhouse: Why Koreans Consider Chueotang a Health Food

In Korean traditional medicine and food culture, chueotang is classified as a boyang (보양) food — a category of dishes believed to restore vitality, strengthen the body, and boost overall health. While Western nutritional science does not use these exact categories, modern analysis has actually confirmed many of the traditional health claims associated with loach soup.

Exceptional Protein Content — Loach contains approximately 18 to 20 grams of protein per 100 grams, comparable to chicken breast but with a more complete amino acid profile. Because chueotang uses the entire fish (bones included), each serving delivers significantly more protein than the fish alone would suggest — the bone meal adds both calcium and additional protein.

Calcium Density — A single bowl of properly prepared chueotang contains an estimated 400 to 600 milligrams of calcium, approaching the daily recommended intake. This comes from the ground bones of the loach, which are completely dissolved into the soup during the long cooking process. This makes chueotang one of the best non-dairy calcium sources in any cuisine worldwide, which is why Korean doctors have traditionally recommended it for elderly patients with osteoporosis concerns.

Iron and B Vitamins — Loach is rich in iron and B-complex vitamins, particularly B12, making it beneficial for those with anemia or fatigue. Korean traditional medicine specifically prescribes chueotang for postpartum recovery, a practice that aligns with the nutritional science of providing iron-rich, easily digestible food to new mothers.

Low Fat, High Nutrition Ratio — Despite its rich, thick texture, chueotang is remarkably low in fat. The body and richness come from collagen and protein rather than lipids, making it an ideal food for those watching their fat intake while still wanting a satisfying, warming meal. A typical serving contains only 150 to 250 calories, making it one of the most nutrient-dense-per-calorie dishes in Korean cuisine.

How to Eat Chueotang Like a Local: Etiquette and Technique

Eating chueotang properly is an experience that goes beyond simply spooning soup into your mouth. Korean dining culture has specific customs and techniques for this dish that enhance both the flavor and the social experience.

The Perilla Powder (들깻가루) Ritual
Every table at Haengju Chueotang comes with a container of ground perilla seed powder (deulkkae-garu). This is not an optional garnish — it is an essential component that transforms the soup. Add two to three generous spoonfuls to your bowl and stir thoroughly. The perilla powder adds a nutty richness and slightly thickens the broth, creating a velvety texture that rounds out the earthy loach flavor. Start with two spoonfuls and add more to taste.

The Pepper Flake Addition
Fresh red pepper flakes (gochugaru) are also provided tableside. Unlike the perilla powder, this is genuinely optional and depends on your heat preference. However, most Korean regulars add at least a small pinch, as the gentle heat accentuates the savory depth of the soup without overwhelming the delicate loach flavor.

Rice Integration
Chueotang is always served with a separate bowl of steamed rice, and the proper technique is to spoon rice directly into the soup bowl in small portions, mixing it with the broth to create a thick, porridge-like consistency. This is not merely a preference — the starch from the rice further thickens the soup and creates a more balanced, filling meal. Do not dump your entire rice bowl in at once; add it gradually to maintain the ideal texture throughout the meal.

Banchan Pairing
The banchan (side dishes) served with chueotang are specifically chosen to complement its rich, earthy flavors. The aged kimchi provides acid to cut through the richness, while the pickled radish (danmuji) offers a crunchy, sweet contrast. Eat a bite of banchan between every three or four spoonfuls of soup to keep your palate refreshed.

Planning Your Visit to Haengju Chueotang

Best Season for Chueotang
While available year-round, chueotang is traditionally a fall and winter dish in Korean culture. Loach are harvested from rice paddies after the autumn harvest, meaning the freshest, most flavorful loach are available from September through February. Haengju Chueotang’s soup is noticeably richer during these months, and the warming properties of the dish are most appreciated when temperatures drop. Visiting between November and January provides both the best food and the most atmospheric dining experience.

Nearby Attractions
Combining your chueotang visit with nearby attractions makes for a fulfilling day trip. The area around Haengju offers historical sites and scenic walks that pair well with a warming bowl of soup. Consider planning your meal as either the starting fuel or the rewarding conclusion to a day of exploration.

Budget Estimate
A meal for two at Haengju Chueotang, including two bowls of chueotang, additional rice, and perhaps a side of bindaetteok (mung bean pancake, if available), will cost approximately 25,000 to 35,000 KRW ($18 to $25 USD). This represents exceptional value for a restaurant of this caliber and celebrity association. For more affordable Korean dining options, explore our guide to budget meals under $10.

If this is your first time trying Korean soups beyond the familiar kimchi-jjigae and doenjang-jjigae, chueotang at Haengju is an excellent starting point for deeper exploration. Our comprehensive guide to Korean winter soups covers the full spectrum from mild to adventurous, helping you plan an entire soup-focused food tour across Korea.

Chueotang in Korean Popular Culture and Literature

Chueotang occupies a unique space in Korean cultural memory that extends far beyond its nutritional value. The dish appears repeatedly in Korean literature, film, and television as a symbol of nostalgic comfort, rural authenticity, and generational connection. In many Korean novels and films set in the countryside, a scene of an elderly grandmother preparing chueotang serves as visual shorthand for warmth, tradition, and the kind of unhurried care that modern urban life has largely abandoned.

The Korean poet Baek Seok (백석) referenced loach in his celebrated works about rural Korean life, and the image of farmers harvesting loach from rice paddies after the autumn harvest has become one of the most enduring pastoral images in Korean cultural consciousness. When Koreans eat chueotang, they are not merely consuming a soup — they are participating in a cultural ritual that connects them to Korea’s agricultural past and the values of patience, simplicity, and respect for natural ingredients that defined traditional Korean food culture.

This cultural significance adds a dimension to the Haengju Chueotang experience that transcends mere gastronomy. When Comedian Kim Mi-ryeo chose this restaurant as her go-to, she was endorsing not just a bowl of soup but a culinary philosophy — the belief that the most meaningful food experiences come from restaurants that refuse to modernize their methods at the cost of authenticity. In an era of fusion cuisine and Instagram-optimized presentation, Haengju Chueotang’s stubborn dedication to traditional preparation is itself a statement about what Korean food should be.

For visitors looking to explore more of Korea’s traditional food heritage, our guide to Korean temple food examines another ancient culinary tradition that emphasizes simplicity, seasonality, and mindful preparation — values that Haengju Chueotang embodies in every bowl.

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