Dongtan cold noodle restaurant with two mandu plates: Naengmyeon Gajun

Squeezed in a naengmyeon run before summer ended! Went to Naengmyeon Gajun in Dongtan, the place where you can enjoy kudzu naengmyeon with galbijjim (braised short ribs), and the lake view was gorgeous.

Where is Naengmyeon Gajun Dongtan Main Branch, and where do you park?

Naengmyeon Gajun Dongtan Main Branch is near Dongtan Lake Park, with parking available in the basement of the main building and the restaurant itself on the 2nd floor. Hours are 10:00–21:00 with a break from 15:00–17:00, though there's no break time on Saturdays and Sundays, and it's closed every Monday. Parking is available, group seating works, takeout/delivery/reservations are all possible, and there are separate men's and women's restrooms.

Naengmyeon Gajun sits right near Dongtan Lake Park, so accessibility was great. It was the perfect spot for a walk after the meal too, so we said let's eat then loop around the lake a couple times.

Parking is in the basement of the main building, then just head up to the 2nd floor for Naengmyeon Gajun.

How much do you get for 7,900 won naengmyeon?

Until the Korean economy gets better, Naengmyeon Gajun's ₩7,900 naengmyeon is genuinely great value. Even setting aside the prime Dongtan Lake Park location, naengmyeon in the ₩7,000 range felt really affordable — that's about the price of a decent cup of coffee. Real bang for your buck 👍

The menu at Naengmyeon Gajun was distinctive too. Naengmyeon is the signature dish, but there was a wide range of other options — galbitang (short rib soup), yukgaejang (spicy beef soup), jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), bulgogi — plus galbijjim, so there was plenty to choose from.

Inside the restaurant and the Dongtan Lake Park view

The interior of Naengmyeon Gajun Dongtan Main Branch was clean and comfortable, with generous spacing between tables.

But above all, the view was incredible. Dongtan Lake unfolds like a panorama. The weather was great that day too, with a pretty sky — it was basically a painting.

There's a high chair available too, so families can dine comfortably.

Honest prices, honest value, delicious naengmyeon. Has to be number one in Dongtan for value for money, no question.

The refill zone was kept clean and tidy too, so it was easy to grab side dishes comfortably.

How to order: chili sauce options and portion sizes

Ordering and payment can be done easily through the tablet.

Also, keep in mind that the basic mul naengmyeon comes with sauce mixed in already, so if you can't eat it or don't want it, you can remove it as an option when ordering. There's no upsized (gopbaegi) option — why? Because the base portion is already big, haha.

What we ordered at Naengmyeon Gajun

• Mul naengmyeon ₩7,900 × 2
• Octopus mandu, 1 plate (8 pieces) ₩8,500
• Webfoot octopus mandu, 1 plate (8 pieces) ₩8,500

A serving robot delivered the food.

The kudzu naengmyeon arrived, along with the basic side dishes of pickled radish, seasoned radish, and braised fish cake.

Galbijjim sold out, so we swapped in two plates of mandu

Honestly, the mandu was ordered as a substitute for galbijjim, but since the galbijjim wasn't available, we swapped fast. I was curious about the galbijjim too and was a bit flustered when it couldn't be ordered, but luckily the mandu looked great 🤣

The mandu skin was so thin you could see the filling through it, but it had a nice chewy texture. Easy and light to eat. The webfoot octopus mandu had a bit of spice, more like a kimchi mandu vibe, with a good bite — the combo with the soft wrapper worked well.

The octopus mandu felt more like a meat dumpling, mild and easy to enjoy. Kids would probably love it — recommended for the kids' order.

Naengmyeon Gajun's kudzu naengmyeon: portion size and broth

The naengmyeon really was a huge portion. You could see why there's no upsized option... The kudzu naengmyeon with the icy slush on top looked amazing too.

Places doing kudzu naengmyeon are rare these days, so I'd been hunting around, and finding a great-value spot this close felt like hitting the jackpot.

The noodles were cooked well, the broth was clean, and the portion was generous enough to fill up even most men. The weather's turning cooler now, so naengmyeon season is almost over — glad I got this in before it got too cold, and it was delicious. Naengmyeon Gajun has the bonus of a wide range of Korean dishes beyond naengmyeon, plus that lake-view atmosphere that really suited my taste. With the lake park walking path as a bonus too, it's a perfect spot for a family meal or a date. And on top of all that, the value for money is excellent — recommend visiting before it gets any chillier.