Chungmuro cheese katsu restaurant, pre-show dinner: Nagwon-ui Soba

Last Thursday my husband and I went to see the National Changgeuk Company's Guito at the National Theater of Korea. Since the show was in the evening, I was wondering where to eat beforehand and suddenly I was craving bossam (boiled pork wraps). The place that came to mind was Nagwon-ui Soba Bossam Kalguksu Chungmuro Station Main Branch, somewhere I'd visited before. From Chungmuro Station it's about a 14-minute bus ride or a 5-minute drive/taxi to the National Theater, so it made for a decent route to grab dinner before the show. This time we went all out with a small bossam, cheese katsu, and Jeonju-style buckwheat soba between the two of us — here's my review of this Chungmuro restaurant :)

Why Nagwon-ui Soba for dinner before a National Theater show?

After work last Thursday, my husband and I went to see the changgeuk (Korean opera) Guito at the National Theater of Korea. We decided to eat a solid dinner before the show started, and that day I was craving juicy bossam more than jokbal (pig's trotters). While looking for good restaurants near the National Theater, I remembered Nagwon-ui Soba Bossam Kalguksu Chungmuro Station Main Branch, which I'd been to before.

From Chungmuro Station it takes about 14 minutes by bus or about 5 minutes by taxi or car to reach the National Theater, so it made for a good route to grab dinner before the show. What I liked most was that this isn't a restaurant focused on just one dish — with bossam, buckwheat soba, pork katsu, and roe hot pot all on the menu, it's a great spot to visit when everyone wants something different.

Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro Station branch: location, hours and parking

• Address: 2F, 2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (295m from Chungmuro Station Exit 1)
• Hours: Daily 10:30 - 22:00 / Break time 15:00 - 16:30 / Last order 21:00
• Parking: Paid parking available at Mukjeong Park public lot and at Hessent Mart (Starbucks building) — first 60 min ₩5,000, additional ₩5,000 per 60 min, max ₩60,000
• Naver Reservation available / group reservations available (6–20 people, 20–40 people)
• Takeout and delivery available / separate men's and women's restrooms / Zero Pay accepted

What the restaurant looks like from outside

Nagwon-ui Soba Bossam Kalguksu Chungmuro Station Main Branch is about a 4–5 minute walk from Exit 1 of Chungmuro Station.

It sits between Chungmuro Station and Dongguk University, so it looked easy to get to for both office workers and Dongguk students. It's also a convenient spot for anyone, like us, wanting to eat in Chungmuro before heading to a show or play at the National Theater.

The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of the building, so you go up the stairs to get there. There's no elevator!

Inside Nagwon-ui Soba: interior and seating

Right at the entrance there was a Catch Table pad. If there's a wait, you enter your number and it sends you a KakaoTalk message when your table is ready — seemed convenient!

The interior felt more spacious than I expected. Besides tables for 2–4 people, there are seats for larger groups too, and group reservations are available, so it would work well for a Chungmuro office dinner or a Dongguk University gathering.

Alongside simple one-dish options like soba and pork katsu, they also serve bossam, roe hot pot, and stir-fried roe — dishes that go well with drinks — so it seemed like a solid setup for combining dinner and drinks in the evening. Since our show had a set start time, we scanned the menu as soon as we sat down.

Nagwon-ui Soba menu and what the two of us ordered

True to the name Nagwon-ui Soba, there was a wide variety of buckwheat soba on the menu. On top of that, you can order pork katsu, bossam, kalguksu (noodle soup), roe hot pot, stir-fried roe and more — a fairly broad range.

That day we picked three dishes in total.

• Small bossam: ₩36,000
• Cheese katsu: ₩16,000
• Jeonju-style buckwheat soba: ₩12,000

My husband, who loves noodle dishes, went straight for the buckwheat soba without hesitation, and I, a cheese lover, chose the cheese katsu. Then, wanting to eat a good amount of meat together, we added a small bossam. It was a fairly generous amount for two people, but since we had a show to see, we wanted to eat a really solid dinner.

At the time of our visit there was also a review event running!

How each dish tasted

First came the side dishes, a warm broth, and vegetables for wrapping the bossam.

Jeonju-style buckwheat soba, 12,000 won

Next up was the Jeonju-style buckwheat soba, full of cool broth with bits of ice floating on top. It looked perfect for the still-hot daytime weather we've been having lately.

With cold buckwheat soba, your mouth cools down from the very first bite, but the broth wasn't overpoweringly strong on its own. There was a subtle buckwheat aroma that stayed present, making it easy to keep eating without feeling weighed down.

I especially liked the texture of the noodles. Since they're freshly made buckwheat noodles, there was no soggy feel at all — they stayed springy and chewy. If you're looking for a cool lunch option in Chungmuro on a hot day, this is a dish worth trying.

Cheese katsu, 16,000 won

The dish I was most looking forward to was the cheese katsu.

Between the thickly cut slices of meat, there was more cheese packed in than I expected.

A slice of lemon and a generous serving of cabbage salad came alongside it, which was nice for cutting through the richness.

Lift a piece with your chopsticks and the cheese stretches out satisfyingly — if you're a cheese katsu fan like me, you'll love the look of it before you even taste it.

A katsu loaded with this much cheese could easily turn out greasy, but the crispy outer coating and the thick cut of meat balanced the texture well. This is a place where you can enjoy the pork katsu just as much as the soba!

Small bossam (boiled pork with wraps), 36,000 won

The dish that filled us up the most that day was the Korean native pork bossam. Honestly, the main reason I wanted to come to Nagwon-ui Soba that day was simply that I was craving bossam.

There was no gamey smell to the pork, and the moist, tender texture was great — it also paired well with the ssamjang (dipping sauce), salted shrimp, sliced garlic, and chili that came with it.

With bossam, the sides that come with it matter almost as much as the meat itself. The seasoned pollock and the kimchi paired so well with the bossam that I kept reaching for more.

Even though we were already pretty full after the soba and cheese katsu, we kept going, 'just one more piece, just one more piece.' If you're someone with a smaller appetite, two people ordering one bossam plus one noodle dish would already make for a satisfying meal.

Overall verdict on Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro

Nagwon-ui Soba Bossam Kalguksu Chungmuro Station Main Branch had left me with good memories from a previous visit, and this time we came back again for dinner before a National Theater show. The Jeonju-style buckwheat soba with its cool broth and springy noodles, the cheese katsu packed with cheese, and the moist, gamey-smell-free Korean native pork bossam each had their own charm, and we were happy with all three :)

Unlike places that specialize in just one dish, this restaurant's range — soba, pork katsu, bossam, and hot pot dishes — makes it a good pick for groups where everyone wants something different. It would suit anyone looking for a good buckwheat soba, cheese katsu, or bossam near Chungmuro Station, as well as those looking for a spot for a Chungmuro office dinner. I'd also recommend it to anyone, like us, looking for a solid meal before catching a show or play at the National Theater.

Who should eat at Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro?

• Anyone looking for good bossam near Chungmuro Station
• Anyone looking for a spot for a Dongguk University gathering or a Chungmuro office dinner
• Anyone wanting a solid meal before a National Theater show
• Fans of buckwheat soba and cheese katsu

A Chungmuro restaurant where you can pick and choose to your taste — from buckwheat soba to cheese katsu to juicy Korean native pork bossam!