Sister's Restaurant: A Hidden Gem in Namdaemun Market Serving Authentic Chinese Home-Style Cuisine
1. A Chinese Restaurant in Namdaemun Market Visited by 'Whenever, Wherever'?
August 19, 2025
The final episode of Yoo Jae-suk's SBS variety show, 'Whenever, Wherever,' aired, and
an article reported that the cast and crew dined at a Chinese restaurant in Namdaemun Market run by sisters.
Apparently, the filming location was near Namsan Mountain.
After a quick search, I found 'Sister's Restaurant,' run by four Chinese sisters,
and decided to visit for lunch.
Sister's Restaurant: A Tasty Find in Namdaemun Market, Seoul
2. Location: 2nd Floor, 6-9 Namdaemunsijang 2-ga-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (Namchang-dong)
It's located near the Namdaemun Market Hairtail Fish Alley.
Be careful not to miss it as you need to climb a narrow staircase to the 2nd floor.
Sister's Restaurant in Namdaemun Market, Seoul
3. Operating Hours: Weekdays from 7 AM to 8 PM. Closed every Saturday and Sunday.
Holiday information was taken from Naver Place.
I couldn't find any information about a break time.
4. Menu and Prices: Lunch Box ₩10,000. Dumplings (Gyoza) ₩6,000.
I received a menu with photos when I sat down,
but the items I wanted to order weren't actually on it.
Looking at the menu on the wall,
they offer a daily changing lunch box for ₩10,000 and
dumplings (gyoza), different from baozi, for ₩6,000.
I speculate that Yoo Jae-suk might have ordered
a black bean sauce noodle dish without the black bean sauce
(though, of course, it might not even be this restaurant at all).
5. Sister's Restaurant
When you think of Namdaemun Market,
most people probably think of 'Korean food.'
But this place offers authentic Chinese home-style cooking.
I was surprised to find such a hidden gem.
Since it's on the second floor,
it was moderately quiet when I visited around 1 PM.
It seemed like they do a lot of takeout and delivery.
When you order the lunch box,
the day's menu is served in the same plastic container
used for takeout and delivery.
It comes with rice and what I think is 'Zha Cai' (pickled mustard stems) separately –
a sort of 'Korean Meal Set' (Baekban) style.
It would have been perfect with soup.
(I seriously considered ordering Mala Tang or Beef Noodle Soup lol)
Is this really Zha Cai?
It might be a different side dish.
It had a crisper texture than what's typically served in Chinese restaurants,
and the seasoning had a hint of cumin.
The rice was slightly firm.
Personally, I liked the rice.
The side dishes that day were dried tofu salad and
chili paste with soybean paste.
Actually, I think it was stir-fried dried tofu.
The same dish is sold for ₩10,000.
The dried tofu (also called tofu skin) was stir-fried with chives and carrots.
It had a subtle Chinese spice flavor,
but it wasn't off-putting.
In Korea, we have a side dish of chili peppers seasoned with soybean paste.
The flavor of the soybean paste, the type of chili pepper used, and the degree of ripeness are all different,
but even though it clearly has a Chinese flavor,
it felt like it would suit Korean tastes.
While I was eating, the dumplings came out.
I took a photo of everything together!
Were they steamed or boiled handmade dumplings?
It felt closer to the latter.
The dumpling filling was mainly chives
and scrambled eggs.
About one out of every two dumplings contained a cocktail shrimp.
As a side note, while I was eating, they noticed my side dishes were running low
and asked if I wanted more. They gave me more.
The slightly spicy chili paste with soybean paste was a real rice thief.
6. Conclusion
Sister's Restaurant in Namdaemun Market, Seoul
Personally, I like restaurants with this kind of vibe,
and the food suited my taste, so
I'd like to go back and try various dishes if I have the chance.
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