Jeongdong-gil noodle restaurant in Seoul with kimchi refills: Tanbaek
In short
Tanbaek is a kalguksu (hand-cut noodle) and suyuk (boiled pork) restaurant on Jeongdong-gil near Deoksugung Palace in Jung-gu, Seoul. Over lunch with her mom, the writer ordered soybean bibim kalguksu (cold noodles in soybean sauce) and onjeyuk (warm sliced pork jowl) and asked for a second plate of Tanbaek's house-made kimchi, and the black sesame sauce with chamoe melon topping paired well with the pork. Tanbaek takes last orders at 2:30pm, so go right at opening or after 2pm to skip the wait.
Good to know
- Dishes ordered
- Soybean bibim kalguksu, onjeyuk (warm sliced pork)
- Side dish
- One house-made kimchi, refills available
- Last orders
- Until 2:30pm (before break time)
- Seating
- Bar-style seats on the 1st floor, 2nd floor also open
- Waiting
- Leave your phone number and get called by KakaoTalk message
- Location
- 37 Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, on the walk to Deoksugung Palace
as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026
Went on a Deoksugung date with my mom today!
I'd eaten here with my husband before and it was so good... so I brought my mom, an hour's trip, to Jeongdong-gil!!
What are Tanbaek's 1st-floor bar seats like?
Tanbaek feels clean overall. Since the 1st floor is bar-style seating where diners can see everything while they eat, I got the impression they're even more careful about hygiene.
Soybean bibim kalguksu with black sesame sauce and chamoe melon
Such a gorgeous look~~ I'd recommend this to anyone who loves nutty flavors like black sesame or perilla oil. The melon topping was unusual — but it really works. And the noodles are so, so soft...
The kimchi was good enough that you could tell it was homemade (honestly, if they sold it separately I'd just buy the kimchi;;;). Since the only side dish is this one kimchi, the side dish really matters here. When you only get one side and that side is genuinely delicious, the number of side dishes stops mattering to customers. This kimchi is truly excellent, ㅠㅠ.
Tanbaek's house-made kimchi, refilled for a second plate
One plate wasn't enough for us... so we got a refill, hahaha.
That kimchi is still on my mind even after getting home..lol
What is onjeyuk, Tanbaek's warm sliced pork?
We ordered the soybean bibim kalguksu and onjeyuk!! What even is onjeyuk? It was a name that sparked some curiosity. Turned out to be a really neat, no-meaty-smell pork jowl suyuk (boiled pork)!! The chamnamul (aster) salad, herring roe, and wasabi served alongside the pork jowl worked so well together!!! The portion itself isn't huge, but it was so delicious I was fully satisfied anyway lolol.
The name is written as Tanbaek, which means 'to say something openly, without hiding anything' — I thought it was such a cool choice for a restaurant name. I got the sense they opened with a real commitment to making food honestly.
You can use up to the 2nd floor — the 1st floor feels a bit more open, and the 2nd floor has a cozier feel. There are also so many staff... more than you'd expect for the size of the place. I guess that just means business is good, haha.
The pork jowl with that chamnamul was genuinely insane, hahahaha.
The combo to order at Tanbaek
- Most recommended pairing: soybean bibim kalguksu + onjeyuk, haha
Honestly I don't love noodle dishes and don't eat them often, but I saw people lining up and got curious — how good could it be that people are waiting? Turns out the soybean kalguksu is genuinely insane, haha.. The black sesame sauce is so nutty, and I could really feel the care put into the food, if that makes sense??? It especially pairs well with the onjeyuk!! You've got to try them together!!
Waiting time and the 2:30pm last-order cutoff
If it's busy at Tanbaek you can put your name on the waitlist — enter your number and you'll get a KakaoTalk message with your number once a table's ready!! There's a bakery café next door too, so we bought some bread and browsed while we waited!! And since it's in such a great area for walking, putting your name down and waiting around excitedly isn't a bad way to spend the time, hahahahahaha.
There's usually a bit of a wait no matter what time you go, so if you want to eat quickly, either do an opening-time run or come after 2pm when it should be quieter! They only take orders until 2:30, so I'd recommend arriving by at least 2:20 to be safe. I saw some customers try to come in around 2:40 and get turned away by staff saying it was break time — they looked so disappointed, ㅠㅠ.
Lunch at Tanbaek plus a walk around Deoksugung Palace
This place opened my eyes to the world of kalguksu, hahaha. It's rare for me to visit a restaurant far from home twice... but this place has menu items compelling enough that I keep thinking about going back. If you're looking for a good restaurant near Deoksugung or on Jeongdong-gil, you have to visit!!
The location is great for walking. It's also a nice walk straight from Seoul Station. It connects right into the route to Deoksugung, so grabbing a palace ticket for a stroll after lunch is perfect! I want to go back again. ^^
