Pyeongchang buckwheat restaurant, 7-team wait at 1:40pm: Migayeon

100% buckwheat noodles in the hometown of "When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom": Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon (봉평메밀미가연) is a Pyeongchang local favorite that blends its own bitter and sweet buckwheat. With no wheat flour, just pure buckwheat, the flavor builds the more you chew, and it's a rare thing to find. Weekends and market days mean a queue as a matter of course. Here's a buckwheat noodle restaurant run by a master of Korean cuisine.

Where is Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon, and what about hours and parking?

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon is at 108 Gipung-ro, Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon, South Korea. It is open 10:00–17:00 and closed every Wednesday. You can park in the dedicated lot in front of the restaurant.

• Address: 108 Gipung-ro, Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon
• Hours: 10:00–17:00
• Closed: every Wednesday
• Parking: dedicated lot in front of the restaurant
• Highlights: certified "Century Store" (Ministry of SMEs and Startups) and "Safe Restaurant" (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

How long is the weekday wait at Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon?

I got there around 1:40pm on a weekday and it was still full. There were 7 teams ahead of us, and we got in after about 20 minutes. The weekends are so packed that I deliberately picked a late weekday lunch, and it was still full! It's popular with tourists and locals alike, so expect some wait at mealtimes, weekday or weekend.

The entrance is hung with the Century Store plaque and master craftsman certificates, so it's quite dazzling before you even step in. I can hardly imagine how much effort it took to earn that recognition. It has been on various TV programs lately, which has made this Pyeongchang local favorite even more popular.

Is the restaurant good for a family meal?

The restaurant is fairly big, and there are rooms in the back, so groups can eat here too. The restrooms are clean and there are high chairs and other kid-friendly items, so it's a great pick for a family meal.

Today's lunch order with my parents

• 2:8 100% buckwheat bibim noodles (spicy mixed noodles)
• Buckwheat sprout yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl)
• 2:8 100% buckwheat Miga noodles

Yukhoe bibimbap at a buckwheat place: is it okay?

My parents, who love yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), ordered the buckwheat sprout yukhoe bibimbap, made with Daegwallyeong Hanu beef delivered directly. Yukhoe bibimbap at a buckwheat noodle place? I know, I know, but it's really nutty and delicious. Mix it up with the fragrant buckwheat sprouts and it vanishes in no time.

The bibimbap comes with a hot seaweed soup that is rich and deeply savory, perfect to sip between bites. It's topped with egg strips, zucchini, yukhoe and buckwheat sprouts, and it's already seasoned, so you just mix. It's not a bibimbap you eat for the sauce; you get to enjoy the nuttiness of the ingredients themselves.

What does the signature Miga noodle taste like?

Miga noodles are the signature dish of Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon: buckwheat noodles eaten with perilla oil and a soy-based sauce. It's a special bowl packed with nuttiness.

The buckwheat noodles get nuttier the more you chew, and the ground perilla seeds, perilla oil, buckwheat sprouts and seaweed flakes all go together, with nothing fighting anything else. From the first bite to the last chopstick-full, it's nutty and delicious.

A cold broth comes with it, and having it together gives you another flavor. Nuttiness plus savory depth!! You're meant to dip the noodles like soba, but it tasted so good that I just poured it all in. On a hot day, nothing beats this.

Is the 2:8 100% buckwheat bibim noodle very spicy?

The 2:8 100% buckwheat bibim noodles are not the kind of mixed noodles that win on sheer heat and sweetness. There's a lot of sauce, but the flavor is never overwhelmingly strong. It's just the right amount of spice to wake up your appetite, and it doesn't cover the nutty flavor of the buckwheat noodles, which I loved.

Try it topped with the pickled radish and pickled chili. They're a perfect match. The pickled chili in particular was so crunchy and spicy, and I loved it.

Is Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon worth the wait?

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon is such a popular Pyeongchang local favorite that there's some wait, but it was satisfying enough that the time didn't feel wasted. They say buckwheat noodles are really hard to make, so their steady research and dedication feels amazing. Parking is easy, and the restaurant is clean and spacious, a good place to come with kids or parents.