Yangjae noodle shop: 400g buckwheat soba with wasabi, Seonbawi

I went for soba and makguksu made with 100% buckwheat noodles. Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch (선바위메밀장터 양재점) is near Yangjaesiminuisup Station, a place where you can have easy-on-the-stomach makguksu (buckwheat noodles) together with suyuk (boiled pork slices) for lunch.

The restaurant is pleasant and the tables are spaced widely, so it's a good place to talk.

Location and how to get to Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch

The navigation address is 15-11 Gangnam-daero 18-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul (Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch). By public transit, it's within walking distance of Exit 2 of Yangjaesiminuisup Station on the Shinbundang Line.

There's room for about 4 cars in front of the restaurant. There's also a public parking lot nearby, and that's where I parked.

Hours: daily from 9 am to 9 pm

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch is open daily 09:00–21:00. It's a good buckwheat noodle lunch spot near Yangjaesiminuisup Station, and handy for office workers having lunch in Yangjae.

It's a standalone building with parking in front, so you can come by car. There's space for about 4 cars, but I used the nearby public lot.

It's also a nice stop after a date near Yangjaesiminuisup Station, with tidy meal dishes and suyuk to go with a drink.

It opens at 9 am, so breakfast or an early lunch works too.

What kind of buckwheat restaurant is Seonbawi Memil Jangteo?

According to the Yangjae Branch's detail page, it's a buckwheat specialist that makes its noodles from hand-selected buckwheat. They say the dishes use their own buckwheat noodles with fresh ingredients.

Both the makguksu and the soba go for the natural flavor of the ingredients rather than anything strong or spicy.

Atmosphere and seating: big windows, wide table spacing, open kitchen

Seonbawi Memil Jangteo Yangjae Branch is a standalone building, and the moment you walk in it feels spacious and pleasant. Even among Yangjae lunch restaurants, it has wide tables good for conversation and big windows that make it feel open.

The seats are spaced generously, so it never felt stuffy while eating.

With the wide spacing between tables, it suits group gatherings and company dinners too. It's an open kitchen, so you can see the prep and cooking, and I liked that it looked hygienically kept. Food also came out quickly, so it should work well for nearby office workers at lunch.

Perilla oil makguksu, ₩12,000: how does it taste?

The perilla oil makguksu is ₩12,000, and the description says 350g of 100% buckwheat noodles. I usually love perilla oil makguksu, so I ordered it, and it's a clean, mildly seasoned bowl.

The buckwheat aroma comes up from the noodles themselves, blended with a perilla oil scent that isn't overpowering. It's a mild, savory taste that isn't harsh.

Buckwheat noodles are easy to digest, so even after a Yangjaesiminuisup lunch it doesn't feel heavy.

It's nice and cool in summer, and it feels gentle on the stomach.

Buckwheat soba, ₩11,000: 400g with wasabi and grated radish

The buckwheat soba is ₩11,000 with 400g of 100% buckwheat noodles. The broth comes separately, and wasabi and grated radish come as toppings.

It's the basic buckwheat dish that suits a buckwheat specialist. The broth is clean rather than harsh, so it's nice for a mild meal.

The buckwheat noodles are boiled cleanly, and the plating is textbook soba.

I think it would go over well if you visit with your parents or eat with older relatives.

Pollack hoe suyuk, ₩23,000: a side for the makguksu

The pollack hoe suyuk (suyuk with spicy raw-style pollack salad) is ₩23,000. The suyuk, pollack hoe and bossam radish strips come separately on the plate, which made it a great side to have with the makguksu. The other dishes were mild, but the radish strips and pollack hoe are strongly seasoned, so they went well eaten together with the makguksu.

It also suits a light drink with the meal, and it pairs well with the buckwheat noodles. It worked as an evening snack too without feeling heavy.