Bundang noodle house on a Sunday: fried dumplings at Samiri Makguksu

Today I visited Samiri Makguksu, located near Migeum Station in Bundang. Bundang Seoul National University Hospital is nearby, so it's a great stop after a doctor's appointment too. It's a pretty well-established local favorite.

Samiri Makguksu near Migeum Station: entrance and opening time

Here's the storefront. I think the place used to be called 'Kim Sajang-ne Makguksu.' There's a standing sign and some chairs out front for waiting. I showed up right as it opened at 11am, and there were already 2-3 tables of customers.

Parking at Samiri Makguksu Migeum Branch, and why walking is easier

If you use the parking lot, you'll end up behind the building. Go in through this entrance and follow the arrows all the way around to the other side of the building, and you'll reach the main entrance. Just a heads-up: the parking lot entrance is narrow, so you'll need to maneuver back and forth a bit to get in (parking difficulty: high). There's also only a single lane for entering and exiting, so if a car is coming in while you're leaving, you'll have to squeeze past each other on a pretty tight road. If you're a new driver, I'd recommend walking instead of driving!

Apparently the restaurant has been in this spot since 2019. It seems like a lot of people living near Migeum Station come here regularly. Even though I went before the 11am opening time, on a Sunday with no office-worker lunch rush, there were still quite a few people there.

What the dining room and seating are like

Here's what the interior looks like. There are several 2-person and 4-person tables. The place is very clean, and there are enough staff relative to the size of the restaurant, so it stays tidy and comfortable.

Samiri Makguksu menu and prices

The signature dishes are makguksu and kalguksu. Makguksu (perilla oil, cold water, or spicy mixed) is ₩12,000, and rice cake dumpling soup or knife-cut noodle dumpling soup is ₩13,000; a large makguksu is +₩4,000. Fried dumplings come in half and full orders at ₩5,000 and ₩10,000 respectively.

You order through a kiosk. An elderly couple sitting next to us seemed to struggle with the kiosk, so the owner rushed over to help them order and make sure they could eat comfortably. I'm not just saying this because of that one moment — the owner is genuinely very kind and gentle.

Buckwheat tea and the free side dishes

Instead of cold water, you get buckwheat tea. It's warm and nice to sip before the meal — very clean and nutty in flavor. Just be careful, it's a bit hot!

The basic side dishes are pickled onion, napa cabbage kimchi, and yeolmu (young radish) kimchi. I'm not sure if they make it themselves, but the kimchi was genuinely delicious — good enough that I'd want to order it separately. The yeolmu kimchi in particular was the best.

How do the kalmandutguk and bibim makguksu taste?

We ordered kalmandutguk and bibim makguksu. Kalmandutguk comes with 3 dumplings and knife-cut noodles. It had a very clean, rich ox bone broth flavor — a really wholesome taste. The dumplings were also packed full inside, which I loved. All 3 were meat dumplings!

Bibim makguksu came topped with cucumber, shredded radish, and half a boiled egg. The sauce was slightly sweet but not overly sharp, so it was really tasty. The noodles themselves were chewy too — honestly the best makguksu I've had so far.

Half order of fried dumplings: should have gone full

We only got a half order of fried dumplings, and I regretted not getting the full order. The dumpling skin was super crispy, and the ground meat filling inside was generous. It's on a completely different level from frying store-bought dumplings at home! Haha. It looked like they also had side dishes like seafood pancake and other jeon (pan-fried dishes). Next time I want to try one of those instead of dumplings.

Is Samiri Makguksu Migeum Branch worth a visit?

Today I had a delicious lunch at Samiri Makguksu, a makguksu spot just a 2-minute walk from Migeum Station. It's a well-established neighborhood favorite, and the owner and staff were all very kind, which made for a pleasant meal. If you're visiting Migeum Station, be sure to stop by! And if you're heading to Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, definitely give it a try too!