Bongpyeong restaurant with buckwheat sprout pork: Memil Migayeon

One of the dishes you absolutely have to try on a trip to Pyeongchang, Gangwon, is buckwheat!! During my Pyeongchang trip I visited Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon, a place locals kept recommending in the same breath. If you're planning a trip to Pyeongchang or Bongpyeong, I'd suggest stopping by Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon for a special, well-put-together table.

This is a place that has carried on tradition and flavor in Bongpyeong, the heartland of buckwheat, so my expectations were high going in. I ordered the signature buckwheat sprout boiled pork, the yukhoe bibim noodles, and the classic Memil Migayeon (buckwheat noodles) — here's how it went.

Parking and waiting at Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon has its own dedicated parking space right in front of the restaurant, so parking is easy. That said, there's a chance of a wait during meal times on both weekdays and weekends, so I'd recommend visiting with some time to spare.

You register at the CatchTable kiosk by the entrance, and then you're seated in order.

Inside Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon: hall, rooms and seating

Walking into the restaurant, the interior was clean and pleasant 👍 It's a spacious place, so it's fine for group gatherings, and there's a private room too — plenty of room overall.

At the time I visited, there were a lot of families and couples, and since it was past the main meal rush, there was no wait.

Buckwheat sprout boiled pork, 30,000 won: how does it taste?

The first dish to arrive was Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon's buckwheat sprout boiled pork (₩30,000). Nicely boiled pork with a reddish tint came topped with a generous heap of fresh buckwheat sprouts, which had a bitter-ish, wonderfully crisp bite.

Take a piece of the soft, gamey-free boiled pork, add the buckwheat sprouts with their sharp zing plus a bit of the special sauce, and eat. It cuts right through the richness and fills your mouth with nutty flavor.

Hmm, to be precise, the boiled pork itself wasn't especially amazing. Haha. It felt pretty ordinary — what made it special was really the buckwheat sprouts served alongside it.

Yukhoe bibim noodles, 17,000 won: 100% buckwheat noodles that don't break

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon's yukhoe bibim noodles cost ₩17,000, a makguksu (buckwheat cold noodles) whose visuals grab you first, with plenty of bright red fresh yukhoe (raw beef tartare) piled on top. Mixing it all together and taking a bite, the toasty aroma of the buckwheat noodles and the chewy-yet-tender texture of the yukhoe were better than I expected.

The buckwheat noodles didn't snap apart easily — they were on the chewier side. Older folks always say that noodles made with 100% buckwheat tend to break... but the dish is literally named the 80:20 100% Buckwheat Yukhoe Bibim Noodles, so now I'm curious what their trick is for making noodles that are 100% buckwheat!!

The savory, sweet-and-spicy special sauce soaks nicely into every strand of buckwheat noodle, and mixing in a spoonful of vinegar gives it a refreshing tang that really wakes up your appetite — the nutty flavor of the yukhoe and the plain, clean taste of the buckwheat worked great together.

Memil Migayeon buckwheat noodles, 12,000 won: a clean, cold broth

The classic Memil Migayeon (buckwheat noodles) is ₩12,000. The plain, refreshing broth that really brings out the buckwheat's natural aroma was excellent.

It wasn't overpowering, yet it had a deep flavor that left my stomach feeling comfortable, and the distinctive nuttiness of the buckwheat sprouts stood out. Thanks to the clean broth, the finish was really refreshing.

Who should eat at Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon?

The combination of nutty, buckwheat-scented makguksu and buckwheat sprout boiled pork is the kind of thing that sticks in your memory. If you're coming to Pyeongchang or Bongpyeong, I'd recommend it as a meal that takes care of both taste and your stomach.

As a spot worth visiting in Pyeongchang or Bongpyeong, if you've got a trip or a drive planned around the Gangwon-do area, add it to your Pyeongchang restaurant list and swing by. It's the kind of Pyeongchang restaurant that covers both flavor and health — worth a visit at least once!