Jinju cold noodle restaurant with Song Giwon 1997 for two: Song Giwon

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch 📍 1-2 Modeok-ro 47beon-gil, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea ⏰ Mon–Sun 10:30 - 20:00 Break time 16:00 - 17:00 Last order 15:40, 19:40 🅿️ Parking available in front of the restaurant / Yeonam Library public parking lot / Donggwang Church parking lot

This time I wanted a proper bowl of Jinju naengmyeon (Jinju-style cold buckwheat noodles), so I decided to visit. They make their own buckwheat noodles in-house, use a broth built from Korean beef bones and seafood, and top it with yukjeon (pan-fried beef) — clearly a different animal from your average naengmyeon, so I was curious.

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch: storefront and where to park

A clean, solid-looking storefront — this is Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon!

Next to it was a sign reading '21st Century Joseon Song Giwon,' which gave the place more of a feeling of carrying on a tradition than just being a regular restaurant.

There's a row of parking spots right in front of the restaurant, so driving here was no trouble at all! You can see several cars parked in the photo — the space is fairly generous, and parking was easy.

Inside Song Giwon: the long solo-diner table

Right in the middle sits a big, pale-green long table for solo diners, which gives the space a clear visual anchor.

Along the walls there's a mix of tables for 2 to 4, so it works well whether you're visiting as a couple or having a family meal.

Side dishes and the self-serve hot broth corner

The basic side dishes came out simple, exactly what you'd expect from a naengmyeon place. The geotjeori (fresh cabbage kimchi) went well with the noodles, and the pickled radish was tangy and crunchy, good for resetting your palate between bites.

There's a separate self-serve hot broth corner on one side, so you can help yourself to as much as you like, haha. A cup of warm broth before the noodles settles your stomach, and it's also perfect for sipping between bites of the cold noodles.

Menu at Song Giwon: Sunjo 1800, Nongae 1593, Song Giwon 1997

The menu centers on Jinju naengmyeon with a few sides and rice dishes alongside, so it wasn't hard to choose, haha. The signature naengmyeon comes in three versions — Sunjo 1800, Nongae 1593, and Song Giwon 1997 — and the names alone hint at a story. Sunjo 1800 is closest to a classic water naengmyeon, Nongae 1593 is the bibim (mixed with spicy sauce) version, and Song Giwon 1997, which I ordered, is a mixed naengmyeon using two special sauces, priced at 14,000 won.

My Pick Song Giwon 1997 14.0 Yukjeon 25.0

I ordered two bowls of the mixed naengmyeon (Song Giwon 1997) and one yukjeon.

How does Song Giwon 1997 mixed naengmyeon taste?

'Clean and true to its ingredients' is the phrase that fit Song Giwon 1997 best. It was mild overall, not heavily seasoned, so compared to a sharp, spicy bibim naengmyeon, it let you slowly taste the ingredients themselves, haha.

I especially liked that the sauce wasn't overpowering, so the flavor of the buckwheat noodles and toppings never got buried. The more I ate, the more I appreciated that it wasn't overly sweet or spicy — light and easy to finish from start to end.

The yukjeon on top as a garnish was also delicious. Its nutty, mild flavor paired with the noodles softened the overall taste nicely — a pretty great combination.

On top of that, the pear was sweet and crunchy, adding some texture in between bites and refreshing the palate.

Yukjeon at 25,000 won: how it eats with the naengmyeon

The yukjeon we ordered alongside was a really good match for the Jinju naengmyeon. It's thinly pan-fried so it's not heavy, and the mild flavor of the beef combined with the savory egg coating made it delicious on its own, and even better with the noodles.

A bite of noodles, a piece of yukjeon, then a sip of the hot broth — the cycle kept pulling me back in, and I finally understood why people order yukjeon alongside Jinju naengmyeon. If you're visiting as a pair, ordering naengmyeon with yukjeon to share seems like a pretty satisfying combination.

True to its tradition, Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon doesn't chase bold, spicy seasoning — instead it lets the mild, clean flavor of the buckwheat noodles shine, balanced by the savory yukjeon and the sweet, crunchy pear. The more I ate, the more it felt true to its essence, haha.