Pildong Myeonok: The Pyongyang Naengmyeon That Seoul's Noodle Obsessives Argue About

Pyongyang naengmyeon, the cold buckwheat noodle soup from the North, is the dish Seoul food lovers argue about most. Pildong Myeonok (필동면옥), in the old printing district below Namsan, is one of the places that always comes up. It's a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and singer Sung Si-kyung's food channel has featured it.

The first taste confuses a lot of visitors, because it seems to taste of very little. Give it a few more spoonfuls.

What makes it different

• The broth is cold, clear and beefy, with almost no sweetness or vinegar. It's meant to taste of meat and buckwheat, not of seasoning.
• Chili flakes and scallion are scattered on top. That's Pildong's visual signature, and it separates this style from other famous Seoul houses.
• The noodles are buckwheat-heavy, grey-brown and soft enough to bite through. Don't ask for scissors; you won't need them.

What to order

• Mul-naengmyeon (물냉면) — the classic cold noodle soup. This is why you came.
• Jeyuk (제육) — at a naengmyeon house this means thinly sliced boiled pork, served cold with a salty dipping sauce. It's not the spicy stir-fried pork of the same name. Many regulars order a plate to share first, with soju.
• Bibim-naengmyeon — the spicy mixed version, if plain broth isn't for you.
• Suyuk (수육) — boiled beef slices, when available.

How to eat it

1. Drink some broth before you add anything.
2. Try a few bites plain, then add vinegar or mustard only if you want it. Purists skip them.
3. Finish the broth. That's the compliment.

When to go

The restaurant's listed hours are roughly 11:00–20:20, with a break around 16:00–17:00, and it's closed Sundays. Hours change, so check its EatHub page first. Weekday lunch fills with office workers. Mid-afternoon before the break is the calmest time.

Around Pildong

• Namsangol Hanok Village is just up the road: restored Joseon-era houses and a garden, free to enter.
• Namsan and N Seoul Tower are above you. Walk up after lunch.
• Euljiro's printing alleys and nogari (dried pollock) beer lanes are ten minutes north. They're a good place to end the evening.

Nearby spots with videos

• Daecheongmaru for frozen-sliced samgyeopsal, if you want something grilled.
• Gohojae at the Korea House for a refined Korean set meal and royal-court sweets.
• Jinsim for gukbap (rice in soup).

Practical tips

• Getting there: Chungmuro Station (Lines 3 and 4), exit 1, then about five minutes' walk.
• Allergies: buckwheat noodles can contain wheat and buckwheat, and the broth is beef.
• Expectations: if you're used to sweet, icy Hamheung-style naengmyeon, this will taste very different. That's the point.

Watch the video above to see the chili-flake topping and the pork plate before you go.