One of the better makguksu (buckwheat noodles) restaurants in all of Korea – which just happens to be near my workplace – utilizing 100% buckwheat flour for their noodles. Less springy and chewy than normal varieties, the noodles are soft yet with some bite, earthy, and surprisingly flavorful as it soaks up the delicious sauce (bibim) or tangy liquid broth.

My personal preference for any cold noodle is the bibim and they do an exceptional one here, adding a generous amount of ground beef to the gochujang-based sauce so you’ll get a little bit of meat in every bite. Their regular memil guksu is just as solid with a chilled broth that’s beefy and tangy, the latter coming from the refreshing dongchimi liquid. No matter which variety you choose, you’ll marvel at how light, healthy, and delicious a bowl of noodles can be. Plus, it’ll surely cool you down (for a bit) in this stifling heat and humidity here in Korea.

Honorable mention: the tteok galbi (beef short rib patty) and Jeju memil gumeun kong jeon (buckwheat and black bean pancake) are nice appetizers – but I highly recommend you avoid the soggy, runny kimchi jeon. Prices are very modest with great service and a clean atmosphere. Don’t be surprised if this place starts springing up in other areas of Seoul with this location being their flagship restaurant.

Food: ★★★★ ½ out of 5 stars

Service: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Ambiance: ★★★★ out of 5 stars

Value: ★★★★½ out of 5 stars

Soonjinhan Kong Jakso 순진한콩작소

Address: Woomyeon-dong 8-4 (우면동 8-4)

Hours: Open every day 11:00 am ~ 9:00 pm except Wednesdays

Phone: 02-573-5592

Click here for an interactive map: http://naver.me/5BS5QwwK