Naengmyeon

3. Naengmyeon(냉면)

Restaurant Name : 을지면옥, 필동면옥

As I know, naengmyeon is one of the most unique cuisine in the world because it includes not only cold noodles but also cold (even icy) broth in it.

Although it's a cold food, ironically, it's originally from North Korea, which is colder than South Korea. Probably, the most famous naengmyeon restaurant in Korean peninsula would be Okryugwan in Pyeongyang. But, you know, it is very hard to go there to eat naengmyeons. So, I recommend two restaurants in Seoul as a substitute for the restaurant in North Korea.

There are two famous and popular Pyeongyang mul-naengmyeon restaurants in Seoul. It is hard to judge the taste of two naengmyeons because they have maintained rivalry for a long time. One is Eul-ji-myeon-ok(을지면옥), the other one is Pil-dong-myeonk-ok(필동면옥). Actually, the owners of the restaurants learned the recipe from the same teacher. The teacher is their mom. Yes, they are sisters.

How is the taste? The naengmyeon looks a little different from some other South Korean style naengmyeons. Therefore, the taste is a little different, too. it is plain, mild, but not bland, definately tasty, and of course cold. (If you want, you can adjust the taste by adding vinegar, mustard, or red chili powder.) In a nutshell, it's awesome and different.

You might have to wait here for mul-naengmyeon for over 20 minutes in summer. But you know what? It's worthwhile waiting. The hot weather is returning. Why don't you try the old traditional naengmyeon here.

을지면옥 - If you get out of the Euljiro-3ga station(orange line) through exit 5, you can find the sign up there.

필동면옥 - get out of the chungmuro station through exit 1, keep walking forward until the intersection of Chungmuro and Toegyero. Make a right at the intersection, walk 200 meters.