Dal-dong milmyeon restaurant in Ulsan, 25 years on: Samsam Milmyeon

Today I'm sharing my visit to Samsam Milmyeon Main Branch, a great milmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle) spot in Dal-dong, Ulsan, perfect for lunch on an Ulsan travel itinerary 🫶🏻 It's located conveniently near Ulsan Terminal, so it's a great stop before or after your trip for a satisfying bowl of milmyeon. This local Ulsan favorite is also famous among residents, so I highly recommend Samsam Milmyeon Main Branch.

Where is Samsam Milmyeon Main Branch, and what are its hours?

📍Address: 7 Hwahap-ro 125beon-gil, Nam-gu, Ulsan, South Korea · Hours: Daily 10:30 - 21:00

Samsam Milmyeon sits right behind the Ulsan Express Bus Terminal! Being just steps from the bus terminal, it's an easy spot to grab a quick meal before or after your bus ride.

The restaurant is located in central Dal-dong, not far from Lotte Department Store, Lotte Hotel, and the Ulsan Tax Office, with plenty of offices nearby too — it seems like a popular lunch spot for office workers.

Parking vouchers and how busy Dal-dong's Samsam Milmyeon is at 2 p.m.

A restaurant in Ulsan with actual parking! 👍🏻 Samsam Milmyeon Main Branch even provides parking validation, so you can eat without worrying about where to park.

When I arrived, there were already many customers eating. Even though it was around 2 p.m., a bit past the lunch peak, there were plenty of people — from solo diners to true neighborhood regulars.

There were especially many locals and even what looked like drivers who seemed to be regulars, which made me feel like this really is a spot the neighborhood keeps coming back to.

Not only were there plenty of dine-in customers, but delivery orders kept coming in the whole time we ate — such a real-deal-restaurant vibe. It made me even more curious about how good Samsam Milmyeon's noodles would taste haha.

Ordering cold-broth and bibim milmyeon to share between two

Since ordering just one felt like it wouldn't be enough, my friend and I ordered both the water milmyeon and the bibim milmyeon to share. I'd read so many reviews saying both were delicious and it was hard to choose just one, so I wanted to try them both.

If you're torn between water or bibim style, ordering both and splitting them like we did is a great option 😆 The prices are also affordable, so if you want to eat more, you could try the large (gopbaegi) portion!

Even while we waited for our order, customers kept streaming in ✨ Since milmyeon is a quick, simple meal, the turnover is fast, so even on busy weekends or peak meal times, you'll likely be seated without a wait!

What the Korean native cow bone broth milmyeon tastes like

The food came out quickly, so we got to enjoy delicious milmyeon without much waiting. I first tried a bite of the water milmyeon I'd ordered!

The floating shards of ice made for an impressive visual, and taking a spoonful of the broth revealed a subtle but deep umami that already had me convinced this was going to be delicious milmyeon.

Since the broth is made using Korean native beef (hanwoo) cow bone, it had a savory yet deep flavor, finishing clean without any hint of added MSG — really wonderful.

The owner explained that the milmyeon is made only with pure, natural ingredients, and true to that pride, it was a genuine flavor you can only get from good natural ingredients.

Samsam Milmyeon has kept its unchanging flavor through persistence and care for 25 years — just one bowl of milmyeon here and you'll understand why this place is known as a milmyeon favorite in Dal-dong, Ulsan!

I was born in Busan, famous for milmyeon, and have eaten it countless times, but the dishes at Ulsan's Samsam Milmyeon were still incredibly delicious.

How spicy and sweet is the bibim milmyeon?

The refreshing water milmyeon is great, but the spicy-and-sweet bibim milmyeon also completely won me over with its bold flavor haha. The vivid red sauce is visually striking, and it's mouthwatering just to look at — but taking a big bite reveals a tangy, spicy-sweet sauce that's utterly addictive.

The plump, chewy milmyeon noodles are richly coated in the special sauce, delivering a mild umami and tangy flavor that revives even the pickiest appetite ❤️🔥

They gave a generous portion, so it took a while to finish, but the noodles never got soggy — I enjoyed every last bite as fresh as the first. Along with the cool, clean, savory water milmyeon, the bibim milmyeon has a completely different charm worth trying too!

If you're dining solo and only order one, make sure to come back and try the other menu item next time so you experience both.

Are the hand-made dumplings worth adding?

There's another specialty here — dumplings! Apparently even solo diners always order them?

Seeing that people order dumplings alongside their milmyeon rather than just noodles alone, I realized — this place must be great for dumplings too.

After trying them myself, I understood why people order dumplings even when they're already full. Paired with the milmyeon, the combination is amazing! The filling is packed with slightly sweet meat, making it a meat dumpling that both kids and adults would love.

No matter how full you are, there's always room for these dumplings. The dumpling skin wrapping the filling is truly, incredibly chewy! 🤤

They seem to be hand-made one by one, giving them a chewiness unlike anything I've had elsewhere. Despite being thin, the skin doesn't fall apart and holds a satisfying, springy texture. Definitely pair your milmyeon with dumplings when just noodles feel like not enough .. 🥟❤️

A synergy between milmyeon and dumplings you'd never know without ordering both. If you're visiting with a friend, definitely order the side of dumplings too!

Why Samsam Milmyeon is worth a stop near Ulsan terminal

There are so many great restaurants around Ulsan, but Samsam Milmyeon, which I visited today, felt like a true local favorite — beloved by longtime regulars for its consistently delicious milmyeon made with a special recipe haha.

If you get off at Ulsan Bus Terminal and want a proper bowl of delicious milmyeon right away, stop by Samsam Milmyeon Main Branch, a milmyeon favorite in Dal-dong, Ulsan~ With flavor like this, it's the kind of place you'd want to visit any time of year, not just summer.