Jinju restaurant for family naengmyeon lunch: Song Giwon

One of the foods I find myself thinking about from time to time while living in Jinju is Jinju naengmyeon. I've tried several well-known naengmyeon places in Jinju, but Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch is consistently good whenever I visit, so I often come here with my family.

This time, the three of us—my child, my husband, and I—came for Saturday lunch and ordered mul-naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth), seokkeum-naengmyeon (mixed cold noodles with broth), and yukjeon (pan-fried beef slices).

• Address: 1 Modeok-ro 47beon-gil, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 10:00–21:00
• Last order: 20:30
• Parking: On-site parking and a nearby open-lot parking area are available

What about the lunch wait and parking?

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon is so well known as a good restaurant in Jinju that the wait tends to get long at lunchtime.

Especially on weekends, diners start pouring in quickly after noon, so if you want to eat at a relaxed pace, it is best to visit between 11:00 and 11:30.

We came at Saturday lunchtime too, and if we had been just a little later, we might have had quite a long wait. There is a parking lot in front of the restaurant, but it fills up quickly during meal times.

If the lot is full, it may actually be easier to use the large open parking lot nearby and walk over.

A place with a broth-pot theft story

Song Giwon has carried on the tradition of Jinju naengmyeon for a long time.

According to the restaurant's introduction, it started as a naengmyeon restaurant at the Sangdae-dong industrial-complex roundabout in 1992, and in 1997, an entire pot of broth prepared for business was stolen!!

The police were even called, but it is said to be a case that was never resolved. It was hard to believe someone took the whole broth pot, yet it felt like a story showing just how special the broth here was.

In fact, the most impressive part whenever I visit Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon has always been the broth.

How was the mul-naengmyeon broth?

First, the mul-naengmyeon came in a cool broth topped with thin ice, generous pieces of yukjeon, egg, and mu-kimchi (radish kimchi).

Unlike Pyongyang naengmyeon or Hamheung naengmyeon, Jinju naengmyeon is known for its elaborate toppings, and even one bowl looked quite filling.

When I tasted the broth first, it was not light or bland; it was rich with savory depth while leaving a clean finish. Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon says it steeps a beef broth made from Korean beef bones with seafood from the clean Namhae area and medicinal herbs for more than 24 hours.

The flavors of the many ingredients came through in layers, so I kept spooning up the broth. The quality of the broth alone made me understand why people keep waiting for this Jinju naengmyeon spot.

Moist, well-mixed seokkeum-naengmyeon

Seokkeum-naengmyeon was a menu item where you could enjoy seasoning like bibim-naengmyeon, but with just enough broth to mix it into a moist bowl.

The seasoning coated the noodles gently, and it was sweet and spicy while also carrying the broth's deep flavor. If completely brothless bibim-naengmyeon feels like too much, or if you want something a little richer than mul-naengmyeon, seokkeum-naengmyeon would be a good choice.

If, like us, you order one of each and share them, you can compare the appeal of both!! Haha.

Warm yukjeon with naengmyeon

The yukjeon we ordered with the naengmyeon was warm and tender. It was nutty and delicious on its own, golden-brown from the pan, but placing a piece on the cold naengmyeon made the pairing even better.

We served the yukjeon to our child first and shared the mul-naengmyeon too, and they ate it very happily.

For two adults and one child, two bowls of naengmyeon plus an order of yukjeon was a good combination.

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon is a Jinju naengmyeon restaurant I naturally return to because I am satisfied with the broth every time.

If the wait feels daunting, I would recommend visiting in the 11 o'clock hour.

If you want to try a dish representative of the area after exploring places to visit in Jinju, or are planning a filling family meal with a child, it could be worth stopping by.