Tosokchon Samgyetang

People waiting in line for delicious chicken soup at Tosokchon in Seoul
People waiting in line for delicious chicken soup at Tosokchon

Tosokchon Samgyetang is a well known and popular restaurant that serves a delicious chicken ginseng soup known as samgyetang. The restaurant, located near Gyeongbokgung Palace, has been serving the delicious signature dish for over 30 years.

Samgyetang is a dish consisting of chicken ginseng soup which is simply a whole young chicken in a broth of Korean ginseng. The chicken is then stuffed with glutinous rice, garlic, nuts, Korean dates, and more ginseng.

The combination of fall off the bone chicken, broth, rice, and stuffing make samgyetang a unique and flavorful Korean dish that seems to get better with every bite.

The most popular dish, samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) at Tosokchon, Seoul
The most popular dish, samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup)

Tosokchon can be crowded with locals and tourists during lunch hours. During lunch, you can expect there to be a line to get in the restaurant.

Even though the line may look long, it does seem to move fairly quickly if you decide to wait it out. The best time to visit is one hour before lunch or one hour after lunch.

Inside the Tosokchon restaurant in Seoul
Inside the restaurant

Roh Moo-hyun, the president of South Korea from 2003 to 2008, frequently visits Tosokchon. His visits has made the restaurant even more popular.

Tosokchon features traditional Korean style tables inside small divided rooms. Before entering the dining room, guests first remove their shoes and then sit on the ground on padded floor mats while eating.

Table of Contents

Hours

10:00-22:00

Directions

Take Subway Line 3 to Gyeongbokgung Station (Exit 2).
Continue for 170 meters and make a left on Jihamun-ro 5-gil.
Tosokchon will be on the left.


Tosokchon Samgyetang
5, Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Map

Last Updated on Dec 26, 2021