Pocheon makguksu restaurant with buckwheat dumplings: Myeongimong

A few days ago I went to Pocheon with my family and heard there was a hidden local favorite, so we checked it out. Today I'm writing about Myeongimong (명이몽), a Pocheon restaurant where the combination of house-milled makguksu and tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties) was just excellent.

Where is Myeongimong, and what are its hours and parking?

Myeongimong is located at 235 Sinpyeong-ro, Sinbuk-myeon, Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do. Hours are 11:00–20:00, closed every Tuesday, with last order at 19:30. Parking is available.

This is Myeongimong, a Pocheon restaurant. There are two entrances, front and back, so you just follow the signs to get in. It's about 5–8 minutes from Pocheon Art Valley and 15 minutes from Herb Island, making it a great stop on a Pocheon outing.

Myeongimong specializes in hand-made charcoal pork tteokgalbi and house-milled buckwheat makguksu, so I was already excited before even walking in.

Parking matters a lot when you're headed to a restaurant, right? Myeongimong has Lot 1 and Lot 2 right out front, so there was plenty of space and it was easy to use.

Inside Myeongimong: the dining room and its buckwheat story

The interior is wood-toned with wide spacing between tables, comfortable for a family meal out. As soon as I walked in, I saw sacks of buckwheat flour, which made it clear they mill their own noodles here.

The inside of Myeongimong felt very clean and comfortable, and the tables were spaced generously so we could eat at ease.

Overall the wood-toned interior was tidy and looked like a great spot for a family meal.

There were also tables on the outdoor terrace, and I thought it would be nice to eat outside once the weather cools down.

There was a note on the wall about the benefits of buckwheat! It cleans the blood vessels, cools down heat inside the body, helps with hangovers, and is low in calories — knowing all that made eating it even better.

Myeongimong's menu and what Set 1 includes

You order via the tablet on the table! The menu includes charcoal pork tteokgalbi, buckwheat makguksu in broth, spicy bibim (mixed) buckwheat makguksu, buckwheat dumplings, buckwheat pancakes, and more, available as sets or individual dishes.

• Set 1 (₩32,000): charcoal pork tteokgalbi x1 + makguksu x2 + buckwheat pancake x1
• With a set, you can choose rice or bread, and adjust the rice portion.

Side dishes and the self-serve bar with uegeoji doenjang soup

After ordering, the basic side dishes came out — cabbage salad, lettuce salad, baek-kimchi (white kimchi), cucumber salad, and seasoned radish — along with the buckwheat pancake included in the set.

The buckwheat pancake was thin and soft, easy to eat, and chewy with a nutty flavor that seemed like it would suit both kids and adults. We demolished it the second it arrived, haha.

Overall the side dishes were clean-tasting and refreshing, easy to eat without feeling heavy, and you can refill anything that runs low at the self-serve bar.

You can also help yourself to uegeoji doenjang soup (fermented soybean soup with dried napa greens) at the self-serve bar.

While waiting for the food, we sipped on buckwheat tea too.

How do Myeongimong's chilled-broth and spicy mixed makguksu taste?

Myeongimong's buckwheat makguksu is made fresh to order, milled right there at the restaurant. Not long after ordering, our food arrived.

Ice-filled makguksu in broth, bibim makguksu with red seasoning sauce, and tteokgalbi on a hot plate — the whole set filled the table.

First, the buckwheat makguksu in broth. The half-frozen broth looked refreshing and appetizing just to look at. The noodles, made from hand-kneaded buckwheat dough and pulled fresh in-house, were springy yet soft — exactly to my taste.

With boiled pork, cucumber, and julienned radish, the makguksu in broth had great umami and was totally my style — the aftertaste was so clean that I kept spooning up the broth. 👍

Next up, the buckwheat bibim makguksu.

The house-made sauce wasn't too intense, so it was easy to eat without any burden. Adding a splash of the broth served alongside made the noodles juicier and even more pleasant to eat.

Charcoal pork tteokgalbi and mini burgers made with the set bread

This is Myeongimong's signature charcoal tteokgalbi. It comes with a special sauce made from domestic pork blended with fresh vegetables and fruit. Grilled over charcoal, the tteokgalbi was juicy with an impressively soft texture, and the sauce wasn't overpowering, so it seemed kid-friendly too.

We also ordered bread on the side, and you can turn it into a mini burger by tucking the cabbage salad, lettuce, and sauce-coated tteokgalbi from the basic side dishes between the bread. Made this way, it was a delicious little bonus.

The buckwheat dumplings ordered on the side

On top of the set, we also ordered buckwheat dumplings at Myeongimong. They're dumplings wrapped in buckwheat dough.

The buckwheat dumplings were packed full inside, with juicy filling and a clean flavor — eaten together with the makguksu, they were so delicious.

Final verdict on Myeongimong in Pocheon

We finished off the meal with a coffee for dessert. I never expected to eat such delicious buckwheat makguksu in Pocheon — I fell for the flavor and would love to come back again, it was that satisfying.

A great menu lineup and great taste made for an enjoyable family meal out at Myeongimong in Pocheon! If you're looking for a good meal on a Pocheon outing, I highly recommend the tteokgalbi and buckwheat makguksu combo at Myeongimong.