Late dinner makguksu in Goyang: shrimp mandu at Bongpyeong Gohyang

1128 Hoguk-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Daily 11:30–20:30 Last order 20:00 Closed every Monday Takeout, parking 🚗 Parking available

Visiting Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu in Goyang late in the evening

I feel like I've been eating a lot of noodle dishes lately, but no matter how much I eat, I never get tired of noodles, haha, can't quit noodles. I went out for makguksu late one evening. Let me introduce Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu, a Wondang spot I visited for the first time. The place is huge! There was a wide parking area in front, so parking was easy.

They've apparently been running the business in this same spot for 30 years. Something about that longevity made me think there must be a lot of regulars — and looking at the reviews, it seems like there really are!

What the dining room and self-serve bar are like

The inside was also really spacious. It seemed like a good place for company dinners, all kinds of gatherings, or family visits. The tables were wide too, so it was comfortable to eat. Apparently there's a wait on weekends or during busy hours, but I went close to closing time, so oops, sorry haha. The place was so pleasant that I really liked it ⸜(๑'ᵕ'๑)⸝. The space is big so it doesn't feel cramped, and it's clean — I sat at a sofa seat~~~

There's a self-serve bar set up, so you can freely grab more side dishes if you run out. The self-serve bar was also neatly organized, which felt hygienic ◡̈

The menu and ordering: no kalguksu this late

This is the menu board at Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu. The board is large, so it was easy to see everything at a glance. I originally planned to order the perilla buckwheat kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup), but since I came late 🥹, they said the kalguksu menu was difficult to make, so I decided to get makguksu instead. Apparently kalguksu is a popular menu item too — I was curious, so that's a bit of a shame. I'll have to try it next time. They also have a warm version of makguksu available.

This place also allows QR code ordering. I was debating whether to get the warm makguksu, but since I love mul-makguksu (cold noodle soup), I just ordered mul-makguksu and bibim-makguksu (spicy mixed noodles) along with shrimp mandu (dumplings). There are three types of mandu — meat, kimchi, and shrimp — and you can also do half-and-half, like half meat half kimchi! I ordered and waited ><

Warm broth and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi)

At this Wondang makguksu favorite, Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu, they bring you a kettle so you can drink warm broth too. The broth is light and clean, and I just kept drinking it — it's also nice for soothing your stomach before eating the makguksu! Water is self-serve.

The basic side dish is yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi), and it was delicious. It goes really well with makguksu. Usually I just pick at yeolmu kimchi once or twice and stop, but this one was so good I kept eating it, haha. I think my palate has finally matured a bit — I used to only eat the makguksu itself. Apparently all the kimchi and food here is made in-house with domestic ingredients ヽ(ヅ)ノ

Seven shrimp mandu with chewy wrappers

The shrimp mandu came out first. They give you a generous portion of mandu — 7 pieces came out. Honestly I didn't expect much from the mandu? But the skin was really chewy and the filling was packed full, so delicious ‧⁺◟( ᵒ̴̶̷̥́ ·̫ ᵒ̴̶̷̣̥̀ ). This place is really good at making mandu. Now I'm curious about the meat and kimchi mandu too — I bet all the mandu here is good.

How the mul-makguksu and bibim-makguksu tasted

While we were each eating a shrimp mandu, the makguksu came out. The portion was really generous too — everything here seems to come out in big portions, the servings were large. I like it when makguksu comes out clean and simple, and this was exactly my style of makguksu. I'm not a fan of ones piled high with vegetables and toppings — sure, if it tastes good that's fine, but most places like that ended up not tasting great in my experience. Makguksu with floating bits of ice 🤎

The bibim-makguksu looked delicious too. A lot of people around us were eating it as well. If you like spicy mixed noodles, try the bibim-makguksu. My boyfriend loves bibim dishes, and he really enjoyed this bibim-makguksu, saying it was delicious — it disappeared in no time, haha.

As for me, I went with the cool mul-makguksu 🫶🏻. Spring, summer, fall, winter — doesn't matter, I always love cold noodles. The egg was cut so beautifully, wasn't it? The broth was really clean yet flavorful. The makguksu was on the milder, more subtle side — I like that kind of mild flavor, so I was satisfied. Eat it together with the yeolmu kimchi. The place was spacious, the makguksu was delicious, and the staff were kind too ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭