Sunae Station cold noodle restaurant, spice you adjust: Myeongyeok

A day when I wanted kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) but also craved something spicy like naengmyeon!

My family visited Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae, known near Sunae Station for kalguksu, naengmyeon (cold noodles), and chicken katsu. We ordered a good spread — half-chicken kalguksu, haejang naengmyeon, a Western-style mixed chicken katsu set, and galbi mandu (rib dumplings). Everyone picked their favorite and we all ended up enjoying dinner together.

What stuck with me most was the perilla oil sauce that goes with the kalguksu, the suhyangmi rice, and the chicken burger we made ourselves from the katsu. Let me walk through what we tried, how to order the haejang naengmyeon, and the self-bar and parking info. 😊

Where Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae is and how to order

Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae is about 271m from Sunae Station Exit 3. When it's busy, they seem to run a Table-ing waitlist.

Every table has an ordering tablet, so we ordered half-chicken kalguksu, the Western-style mixed chicken katsu set, haejang naengmyeon, and galbi mandu 4pc x2. 🙂

Half-chicken kalguksu with perilla oil sauce and suhyangmi rice

First up, the half-chicken kalguksu. A whole half-chicken sits on top, so it looked hearty right away. The broth was rich and delicious, and the noodles felt handmade. The chicken was cooked so tender the meat just fell off the bone.

The broth is mild enough for kids, so the whole family was happy — but there's one thing I really want to recommend: the perilla oil sauce that comes with it. Following the restaurant's suggested way of eating it, adding the perilla oil sauce brought a salty, nutty depth that made it genuinely special.

And one more thing — the suhyangmi rice from the self-bar! I usually eat suhyangmi and baekjinju rice at home, and the nutty character of suhyangmi paired so well with the rich chicken broth that I understood why they serve this particular rice and even call it out by name. 😊 For families with young kids, I think spooning the chicken broth over rice for them would work great too.

A flavor the whole family wants again! Though knowing our lazy selves, next time we'll probably just order the chicken kalguksu that comes with the meat already picked off.

How do you order the haejang naengmyeon at Myeongyeok?

If you like spicy naengmyeon, there's a haejang naengmyeon (hangover cold noodles) option too. You order it by choosing bibim naengmyeon (mixed cold noodles) with the spicy sauce, and it comes with broth on the side to pour in as you like.

What I liked was that you can control the spice level depending on how much broth you add. My husband, who usually likes bulnaengmyeon and naksan naengmyeon, enjoyed it too. 😊

Western-style mixed chicken katsu the whole family liked

Honestly, when we ordered the mixed chicken katsu, I expected it to taste familiar, like regular chicken katsu. I worried chicken tenderloin or breast might be dry, but it turned out completely different from what I expected. The chicken katsu was thick yet very tender, with no gamey smell, and it paired beautifully with the distinct Western-style sauce. My kid loved it so much she scraped up even the leftover sauce.

I didn't understand why the katsu came with morning bread, pickles, and coleslaw — turns out there were instructions for making a chicken burger, hidden behind the sauce cup! Once I noticed, I put a piece of chicken katsu into the morning bread with coleslaw and pickles, and it was genuinely delicious. The coleslaw especially worked so well with the katsu. If I'd known earlier, I would have ordered extra bread from the start.

Galbi mandu (short rib dumplings) with the spicy haejang naengmyeon

My husband usually isn't a fan of the sweet-style galbi mandu. But Myeongyeok's version comes pan-fried like gunmandu (pan-fried dumplings), and he said it was the first time he actually enjoyed galbi mandu. Among everything we ordered, the galbi mandu paired especially well with the spicy haejang naengmyeon.

At the time of our visit, there was an event where writing a Naver receipt photo review earned you 2 extra galbi mandu or a drink. If you visit, it might be worth checking whether that event is still running to try the galbi mandu.

※ This review event was active at the time of our visit — please check whether it's still running before you go.

Myeongyeok's self-bar: suhyangmi rice, warm broth and the dining room

Along with suhyangmi rice and warm broth, there was kkakdugi (radish kimchi), naengmyeon radish pickle, danmuji (pickled radish), and aprons, and the tables even had hair ties ready.

The fresh kimchi (geotjeori) is served in its own container — it had a spicy chili flake kick and tasted freshly made, without artificial sweetness, and I remember it pairing really well with the kalguksu. The warm broth was also delicious and self-serve, so my husband apparently drank about 4 cups?! He really enjoyed it. 👍😊

There was one thing about the self-bar that stood out to me. It was the sign on the table saying most side dishes are self-serve. After seeing so many signs that just say things like 'take only what you'll eat, leftovers incur an environmental deposit,' this one instead read 'feel free to use the self-bar comfortably' — and personally, that really stood out to me. ❤️

Reducing food waste matters, of course, but the tone of this sign felt warm, like it trusted customers. There's no right answer, but personally, it left an impression. 😊

The staff were kind, and the restaurant felt comfortable whether dining alone or in a group. Customers kept coming and going the whole time we were there — I imagine on weekdays it gets plenty of office workers coming in for meals too.

So this was a dinner where everyone picked what they wanted and enjoyed it — from the fun of choosing dishes to the relaxed meal itself, a record of Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae that makes me want to come back with the family and try something different next time. 😊

Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae: hours, parking and store info

• Address: 9-7 Hwangsaeul-ro 200beon-gil, 1st floor 101-2, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Location: About 271m from Sunae Station Exit 3
• Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00
• Break time: Weekdays 15:00–17:00 / Weekends 16:00–17:00
• Last order: Weekdays 14:30, 20:30 / Weekends 15:30, 20:30
• Parking: Free for first 2 hours in building lot, then ₩500 per 30 minutes
• Amenities: High chairs, takeout/delivery available, group-friendly, separate restrooms

※ Please confirm hours and parking terms with the restaurant before visiting.