Soju dinner at a Daegu chicken hot pot spot: Golmok Naengmyeon 1966

Looking for somewhere to eat last weekend evening, I ended up at Golmok Naengmyeon 1966 on Deuran-gil in Suseong-gu. When you hear "golmok naengmyeon," cool cold noodles are the first thing that comes to mind, but this time I picked something a bit different.

That would be the seasonal dak hanmari (whole chicken hot pot) set that just launched on September 17. With the weather turning cooler these days, it felt like the perfect time to crave a warm soup dish for dinner.

Where is Golmok Naengmyeon 1966 on Deuran-gil in Daegu?

Golmok Naengmyeon 1966 sits on Deuran-gil in Suseong-gu. There are so many restaurants along Deuran-gil that choosing what to eat is half the fun, and that evening I was craving something warm and soupy.

It's an easy place to visit even if you're driving, so it's worth keeping in mind when you're deciding where to eat on Deuran-gil.

The interior is clean and the seating fairly spacious, making it good for a family meal out or dinner with friends. The group room is wide and long, so it's comfortable even for larger parties.

There's an open kitchen, a neatly organized front counter, and even four wooden baby chairs ready to go.

Autographs and photos with baseball players and other well-known visitors were on display too.

A naengmyeon restaurant run by the third generation

I learned an interesting story while visiting Golmok Naengmyeon 1966. Unlike Pyongyang-style naengmyeon, which uses a meat broth, Golmok Naengmyeon makes Seoul-style cold noodles based on a seafood broth. They use ingredients sourced straight from the market and add a nutty, spicy seasoning to build their signature flavor.

Thanks to regulars who kept coming back for that consistent flavor, the restaurant took on the name "Golmok Naengmyeon," and it's now in its third generation of running the business — which made me curious about the reason behind its long-lasting popularity.

What goes into the food at Golmok Naengmyeon 1966

A lot of care goes into the ingredients too. Their signature seafood broth is paired with in-house roasted sesame seeds, along with sharp yet clean sun-dried chili flakes and carefully selected sesame oil.

Hand-made mandu (dumplings) are also prepared fresh every day, they said. This time I had the dak hanmari set, but since this is a naengmyeon specialty restaurant, I'd love to come back and try the signature cold noodles with the hand-made mandu next time.

What comes with the seasonal dak hanmari set?

What we ordered that day was the dak hanmari set.

I was curious about this seasonal menu that started fresh on September 17, and it turned out to be exactly the right dish for the chillier mornings and evenings we're having now.

First they bring out a pot with the potatoes and chicken, then pour in the broth. Seeing a whole chicken generously piled in the pot made the table feel that much more abundant.

Then they pile on plenty of vegetables too — napa cabbage, bean sprouts, chives, scallion, mushroom, onion.

The owner arranged them beautifully and skillfully. After adding the vegetables, once it boils for about 10 minutes you eat the vegetables first, and then about 10 minutes after that, you eat the meat and potatoes.

Chicken, vegetables, and a warm broth to share — it felt like a great dish to split among a group, and I liked that they roll out new menus by season.

We went for an early dinner, and of the three parties who came in after us, two ordered the dak hanmari set too :)

Chicken hot pot with a glass of soju

That day we ordered a glass of soju along with the dak hanmari set.

Eating chicken in that warm broth naturally made me want a drink to go with it.

As the weather gets colder, I think dak hanmari with warm broth is going to feel even more appealing.

The kimchi was so good it kept whetting my appetite even more.

Oh, and there was a self-serve bar with side dishes and other sauces so you could add as much as you liked, to your taste.

Kalguksu noodles in the rich chicken broth

The kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) included in the dak hanmari set can be boiled up after you've eaten some of the meat and vegetables, and it comes with 2 hand-made mandu as well.

We added a bit more broth and boiled it up~

Honestly, the vegetables and this kalguksu were even tastier to me that day than the meat~ It really goes perfectly with soju!! Writing this post now, my mouth's still watering 🤤

The warm bowl of rice porridge from the owner

We were already pretty full, but right as we were wrapping up the meal, the owner brought us out some extra rice porridge (juk).

We got to finish warmly with the leftover broth from the dak hanmari, and even though we were already fairly full, the porridge somehow kept sliding right down. It wasn't something we ordered — the owner just brought it out for us — so we ate it feeling even more grateful.

Eating the chicken and broth and finishing with the porridge on top made the whole meal feel really satisfying and complete.

Honestly, between the dak hanmari set, the kalguksu, and then the porridge on top, we ended up leaving a bit behind — we couldn't finish it all. Even with my husband and I both being big eaters, plus our kid eating well too, the portions were generous enough that there was still some left.

Our kid ate plenty of porridge and meat too and got a good energy boost ☺️

Was it worth a dinner on Deuran-gil?

This time, instead of Golmok Naengmyeon 1966's signature naengmyeon, I chose the newly launched seasonal menu instead — and it had a completely different appeal from the cool, refreshing cold noodles. You reach for naengmyeon in summer, but once the weather turns cool, warm soup dishes start calling your name, so it was nice being able to choose a menu that fits the season.

Dak hanmari especially is a great dish for sharing and chatting with a group, so it'd suit a family outing or a meal with friends really well.

Next visit: the cold noodles at Golmok Naengmyeon 1966

This visit was all about the dak hanmari set, but it actually made me want to come back and try the naengmyeon instead next time. I'm curious about the Seoul-style cold noodles made with seafood broth, and I'm looking forward to tasting what naengmyeon made with Golmok Naengmyeon 1966's own ingredients — in-house roasted sesame seeds, sun-dried chili flakes, and sesame oil — tastes like.

If you're looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Suseong-gu or searching for a Deuran-gil restaurant in Daegu, take a look at the dak hanmari set at Golmok Naengmyeon 1966. It was a great way to enjoy a hearty, warm bowl of soup as the seasons change.