Jinju cold noodle restaurant with a 35-minute wait: Song Giwon

I wanted to eat Jinju naengmyeon before summer ended, so I went. It's Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon. I'm a Jinju local who has to eat Jinju naengmyeon every summer, haha.

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon

📍1-2 Modeok-ro 47beon-gil, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea / 🅿️ parking lot in front / 💵 Zero Pay

How long is the wait at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon?

I registered my wait at 12:32pm, there were about 30 teams ahead, and I waited 35 minutes. The owner told me to figure about 1 minute per team. I sat up front and watched — pairs of two get seated faster (you'll see why once you see the inside seating).

Apparently if you drink coffee at Salette & All-doeda Smart Farm Café, you get 10% off.

In case it got hot, there were parasols, waiting seats outside the restaurant, and even a spot with a breeze (in front of the restroom).

It's a certified Hundred-Year Store and has held a Blue Ribbon award 3 years running ~~~ I should do a Jinju Hundred-Year Store tour next.

The waiting area with autographs from Jeon Hyun-moo and Kwak Tube

Once you get the text to enter, you wait inside until a table opens up. While waiting I checked out the autographs — comedian Kim Byung-man visited a month ago, and Kwak Tube and Jeon Hyun-moo came through a Jeon Hyun-moo travel show 💕

What we ordered at Song Giwon and what it cost

Here's the menu board.

• Mul naengmyeon ₩13,000 x 2
• Bibim naengmyeon (large) ₩16,000
• Seokkeum naengmyeon ₩14,000

Seating is 4-person tables on either side plus a shared middle section. The middle seats are usually for pairs of two.

They're running an event where leaving a Naver receipt review gets you a free drink, a canned beer, or an extra yukjeon topping!

Gimcheon baekgeumcho and the side dishes on the table

Every table has mustard and Gimcheon baekgeumcho vinegar — a vinegar made 100% by traditional method, double-fermented and aged over 10 years in earthenware jars, supposedly bringing out a subtle fragrance and depth.

The side dishes are kimchi and pickled radish! The kimchi tasted like freshly-made geotjeori (fresh unfermented kimchi).

You can grab warm broth yourself, self-serve style, haha.

The food came out really fast. Less than 10 minutes, I think, lol.

How big is the large bibim naengmyeon?

I definitely ordered the large bibim, and the yukjeon and noodle portions were generous, you know?

Jinju bibim naengmyeon topped with Song Giwon's own specially developed sauce, made using seafood soy sauce simmered over 12 hours from clean regional waters

The seasoning is spicy-tangy without being heavy, with a sweet finish. Not too spicy, so even my sibling who can't handle spice enjoyed it.

The mul naengmyeon broth and buckwheat noodles

Jinju mul naengmyeon, the most basic dish where you can savor Song Giwon's deep yet clean flavor

Normally Jinju mul naengmyeon broth is a clear seafood broth made with anchovy and dried filefish, right? Song Giwon's naengmyeon seems to use a clear hanwoo (Korean beef) bone broth simmered with seafood and medicinal herbs, so it carries the umami of seafood along with the deep, sweet richness of the beef bones.

The chewy buckwheat noodles are on another level ㅠㅠ Checking the little booklet for the secret, it seems they roast Jeju buckwheat and use a method involving aged self-milled noodle-making, which makes them chewier. Not the kind of naengmyeon noodles that never break either — they break easily when you eat them, but don't get soggy fast, staying chewy.

Pears are also famous from Naju, and apparently they use Naju pears. Sweet.

Torn between mul and bibim? Order seokkeum naengmyeon

Jinju seokkeum naengmyeon, combining two of Head Chef Song Giwon's specially developed sauces in the right ratio with seafood broth

When I can't decide between mul or bibim, I order seokkeum, lol. It mixes the thick bibim sauce with the sweet, umami-packed mul naengmyeon broth, so you get the best of both.

The yukjeon is genuinely thick and not fishy at all! Clean-tasting. You get plenty of the egg's savoriness and the meat's tender flavor.

Did you know naengmyeon with yukjeon on top is a Jinju thing? The three great naengmyeon are Pyongyang, Hamhung, and Jinju 😍😍😍 As a Jinju person, I feel proud ㅠ lol 😚

Slurp the noodles with the yukjeon and sweet pear on top and — no words needed.

The Gimcheon baekgeumcho tasted less artificial than store-bought vinegar!

Self-serve hot broth and a bite of egg mid-meal

If you want to reset your palate midway, drink the warm broth. Tastes like a bone-simmered broth. Refreshing, and it had pepper in it so it was pretty spicy — a twist!

Tucking noodles neatly inside the egg white gives you a little thrill, haha. Eating it that way is genuinely delicious thanks to the egg's nuttiness and springiness.

The chewy buckwheat noodles left a real impression, and even with the long wait, it's delicious enough that I'd recommend Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon as a top Jinju naengmyeon spot.