Chuncheon makguksu lunch after a Gongjicheon walk: Hyeondae Memil

On a day trip to Chuncheon, we walked a full loop around Gongjicheon and then headed to Hyeondae Memil, a makguksu (buckwheat noodle) place I'd had my eye on for lunch near Namchuncheon Station. Forget the usual old-school spicy makguksu: this was a local favorite with dishes that Gen Z and millennials can enjoy without any hit-or-miss. Here's my record of the visit.

Hyeondae Memil hours and parking

Hyeondae Memil is open every day of the year from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with a break time from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. It was really close to Exit 2 of Namchuncheon Station on the Gyeongchun Line, a true local spot that's easy to hit for either lunch or dinner.

There's no private parking lot. If you come by car, you can park parallel on the street in front of the restaurant, out of the way of traffic, for the time you're eating.

How does weekend waiting work?

There's a waiting machine just inside the entrance. When it's crowded, like weekends and holidays, you register and they call your phone, so waiting is easy. There's also a parasol-covered spot outside where you can sit while you wait, which felt very considerate of the customers.

Hyeondae Memil atmosphere and seating

Stepping inside felt like walking into a restaurant in a university district, like around Hyehwa Station in Seoul, with a very Instagram-friendly interior. Sure enough, a lot of the lunch crowd around Namchuncheon Station looked young, which was exactly what I'd expected.

Seating is mostly 4-person tables, but there's also a bar table that's nice for two and seats for 5 or more. I liked that parties of any size, fewer or more than four, can sit comfortably.

There's also a floor-seating section where you can sit cross-legged, plus children's high chairs for parents with babies, so the hall seemed designed with every age in mind.

Hyeondae Memil menu and prices: what we ordered

You order and pay in one go on the tablet at each table, in keeping with the trend at restaurants these days.

The menu has seven sections: makguksu, sujebi (hand-torn dough soup), potato pancakes, jeonbyeong (savory rolled pancakes), meat dishes, sides/drinks and alcohol. Even the best-selling makguksu starts at ₩8,600, so it's really affordable even for students. The two of us went through a bunch of reviews and ordered only what looked best, as below.

• Soy sauce makguksu (₩8,600)
• Mala cream buckwheat sujebi (₩13,600)
• Truffle potato pancake (₩16,600)

Before the meal: disposable aprons, cold tea and perilla kimchi

The restaurant provides disposable aprons to put on before eating. Noodles can splash onto your clothes, so I recommend grabbing one each!

Instead of plain water, they bring cold tea, which was great to gulp down on a hot day like this. The only side dish was geotjeori (fresh kimchi), proving the rule that a good restaurant has good kimchi. It was sprinkled with crunchy ground perilla seeds, and I could tell it would be wonderful with the noodles coming later.

How does the mala cream buckwheat sujebi taste?

Hyeondae Memil's mala cream buckwheat sujebi (₩13,600) is buckwheat sujebi in a mala cream base, modeled on malatang, one of the Gen Z favorites. It's loaded with beef brisket, oyster mushrooms, broccoli, bok choy and more.

The chewy buckwheat sujebi had a fun texture with every bite, but even better was the thick mala cream, which was so alluring and intense that it woke up my appetite. If you like malatang, I'd definitely tell you to try it.

How is the soy sauce makguksu different from bibim makguksu?

Hyeondae Memil's soy sauce makguksu (₩8,600) is based on sesame oil and a soy sauce made in-house, topped with sprouts and chopped green onion that add savory depth!

It's on another level from ordinary spicy bibim makguksu: nutty with a clean aftertaste in every bite, so I could feel why it's the best-seller. At just ₩8,600 it's such a bargain that I'd call it a king of value.

If you order just one side, make it the truffle potato pancake

Hyeondae Memil's truffle potato pancake (₩16,600) is a potato pancake starring truffle, which makes anything taste upscale. It's topped with Grana Padano cheese that looks like beautiful snowflakes and adds richness, and the crisp-fried bacon brought its own flavor too.

The pancake comes cut like a pizza, so you just pick up a slice with chopsticks and dig in. The crunchy sound with every bite was so much fun, and with truffle plus cheese and other flavors layered on, I'd jump in and say that if you're ordering only one side, get this one.

After-meal extras and final verdict

Hyeondae Memil also has fabric deodorizer, hand cream, mint candies and mouthwash, so after a satisfying meal you can freshen up happily before leaving. It's a makguksu spot where even younger diners all leave satisfied with no hit-or-miss, and if I come to Chuncheon again, I'd absolutely come back for another Namchuncheon Station lunch.