Bucheon Korean restaurant soy noodles: Jakdong Hongdukkkae

The seasonal menu was about to disappear, so I figured I had to eat something cool. I stopped by the Jakdong food alley in Bucheon that day, heard that the soy milk noodles were famous, and decided to visit Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu (작동홍두깨칼국수). Honestly, I came for the soy milk noodles...

Parking and restaurant size in the Jakdong food alley

It is tucked inside the Jakdong food alley, and above all, the parking lot is spacious, so visiting by car did not feel burdensome at all.

It was lunchtime and packed, so I only took a photo of the ceiling. There are 150 seats in total, and with plenty of staff, the turnover seems like it would be good too. Still, since it is a popular spot, there may be a wait on weekends; there is a separate waiting area.

Looking around the restaurant, I noticed there was someone dedicated to the noodles, and it looked like they were making and cutting them in-house. Maybe because there is someone who specializes in noodles, the noodles themselves already felt different.

Nutty, deeply savory soy milk noodles

At last, the soy milk noodles arrived! The photo really says it all. The broth is practically saying, “I’m delicious.”

I tried a sip of the broth first, and it was truly nutty and deeply savory. This was not soy milk broth that was simply cold; it had the clean yet deep nuttiness characteristic of beans. It was neither too heavy nor chalky, making it the kind of flavor you keep eating. I also loved the gentle nutty finish that lingered in my mouth.

What I liked most of all was the noodles. They did not get soggy, and their chewy, bouncy texture was still very much alive, pairing wonderfully with the soy milk broth. With the rich, nutty broth and chewy noodles together, I kept reaching for my chopsticks without needing any other side dishes.

Especially in weather as hot as it was that day, a bowl of cold soy milk noodles really hit the spot. It was refreshing while still leaving me feeling full, making it a perfect summer specialty.

Handmade meat dumplings that paired well with the soy milk noodles

I thought only the soy milk noodles would be good, but the dumplings were quite impressive too.

I ordered five meat dumplings, and they also seemed to be handmade in-house. The wrappers were not inconveniently thick, and the filling brought together meat and other ingredients nicely, so they were clean-tasting and delicious. I was already fairly full after the soy milk noodles, but the dumplings were so good that I ended up eating all five. 😂

Crisp, umami-rich kimchi

Personally, the kimchi was so good here that I would even call this a great kimchi spot.

It was wonderfully harmonious with the soy milk noodles and dumplings, but the kimchi itself was very memorable too. Rather than being aggressively spicy or salty, it had a crisp texture and great umami that kept me coming back for more. A bite of soy milk noodles followed by a piece of kimchi alternated between nuttiness and freshness, and they went so well together.

Kalguksu takeout and items sold in the restaurant

The prices were generally not burdensome, so for today’s cost of living, I thought this was quite a good spread. For reference, kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) requires one order per person, so keep that in mind when visiting. Besides dining in, uncooked kalguksu is also available to take home. It seems like a nice option for anyone who wants to boil it up at home.

They were also selling their delicious kimchi, along with twisted doughnuts, nurungji (scorched rice), and nutty snacks. After the meal, I could even browse snacks to take home, so there was more to look at than I expected.

This was my first time in the Jakdong food alley, and I was so satisfied. This visit has made me want to do a food tour of the Jakdong food alley. In particular, the combination of chewy noodles, nutty and savory soy milk broth, seemingly handmade meat dumplings, and tasty kimchi was just so good.

Price information

If you are craving cool soy milk noodles in Bucheon during summer, this is a place worth visiting at least once. I especially want to recommend it if you happen to be visiting the Jakdong food alley. Next time, I would like to try their signature kalguksu instead of soy milk noodles. This time, I was too full from just the soy milk noodles and dumplings to take on kalguksu as well. 😄

With its spacious parking lot and reasonably priced food, Jakdong Hongdukkkae Kalguksu was a good spot for a family meal or a casual bite to eat in Jakdong.