Bundang naengmyeon restaurant with galbi mandu: Myeongyeok Sunae

I'm a kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup) maniac. They... they're coming..! Turns out Uiwang is way closer to Bundang than I expected.

After hiking at Barasan Recreational Forest in Uiwang, I was craving a cold, refreshing broth, so I headed to Myeongyeok, a noodle restaurant near Sunae Station in Bundang known for naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) and kalguksu.

Where is Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae, and how do parking and waiting work?

This Bundang kalguksu spot, located on the 1st floor of the Hyundai Pantheon shopping complex near Sunae Station, has a spacious basement lot with 2 hours of free parking, which made it easy to visit with kids by car. Even well past the weekend lunch rush, there was a wait — a good sign this was a genuine local favorite. Still, there were waiting seats and I could join the queue via CatchTable.

This kalguksu restaurant near Sunae Station is open from 11 AM to 9 PM. Break time is 3–5 PM on weekdays and 4–5 PM on weekends.

Myeongyeok menu: naengmyeon, kalguksu, and chicken tenderloin katsu

The stars of the menu seem to be naengmyeon and kalguksu, and it was unusual to see chicken tenderloin katsu on the menu too. Adding ₩5,000 to any noodle dish gets you the katsu as a side, which seemed like a nice way to add extra protein. Apparently Myeongyeok Bundang was the first in the country to introduce a seasoned crab naengmyeon, which is now one of their signature dishes.

They've also launched chicken kalguksu and half-chicken kalguksu as new menu items, which felt like a hearty, restorative dish fit for a boknal (dog days of summer) meal.

Geotjeori kimchi made with cabbage the restaurant grows itself

A good kalguksu place is supposedly known for its geotjeori (fresh kimchi), but Myeongyeok goes beyond making it themselves — they even grow their own cabbage for it. That's basically dedication bordering on madness, haha.

Traitor..? The crunchy, spicy geotjeori was delicious. Compared to the geotjeori at Jukrim Hongdukkae, a famous kalguksu spot in Cheongju, this one had a slightly saltier note — maybe from some kind of jeotgal (fermented seafood seasoning)?

Free self-serve rice at Myeongyeok, blended with suhyangmi rice

At the self-serve corner, rice is free to add — perfect for mixing into leftover kalguksu broth if you have room left in your stomach. It's blended with suhyangmi rice, so the aroma was excellent. The kids happily ate it as an appetizer, lol.

Why Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae is easy with kids

Myeongyeok near Sunae Station is a very kid-friendly restaurant, great for family visits. On top of kids' tableware, they also provide kids' seaweed and vitamins as a complimentary service.

Two bowls of mul-naengmyeon: broth that isn't store-bought

The kids each wanted their own naengmyeon, so I ordered two bowls of mul-naengmyeon (cold noodles in broth). I was actually curious about the meat-loaded naengmyeon, but they refused that too. Then my daughter saw the rice and declared she wasn't having naengmyeon at all, just rice, lol. Total chaos — if that was the plan, I should've just ordered the meat-loaded naengmyeon!

My son eats pretty much any kind of noodle. Since he usually goes for the more easily-torn style of makguksu, the chewier naengmyeon noodles seemed a little unfamiliar to him.

The chewy naengmyeon noodles were great, but the deep flavor of the broth immediately made me think, this is definitely not store-bought. Sure enough, when I looked it up later, it turned out to be a broth they simmer carefully themselves.

Half-chicken kalguksu at Myeongyeok: noodles and broth

True to its name, the half-chicken kalguksu comes with an entire half a chicken in it.

If you're already reaching for the keyboard to type out 'chewy curly noodles,' hold on a second — these noodles are much thinner and softer than the style you're probably picturing.

Since it's half a chicken, there's naturally only one leg, which I gave to my growing son.

The breast meat wasn't dry at all — soft and chewy, and very tasty.

The broth was savory yet clean, and my daughter mixed it with her rice and ate it happily. Honestly, if I'd had any room left in my stomach, this is the broth I would've wanted to mix rice into.

Sides at Myeongyeok: chicken tenderloin katsu and galbi mandu

The side chicken tenderloin katsu was much, much softer than a typical pork or chicken cutlet — soft enough to chew with just your gums. It's served with bread and coleslaw so you can turn it into a burger. It probably would've been amazing as a burger, but the kids wanted the bread by itself and just ate it separately, lol.

Another side dish was galbi mandu (short rib dumplings), fried crispy in the style of pan-fried mandu.

True to the name galbi mandu, they're filled with sweet, seasoned meat, which the kids absolutely loved.

Receipt review event and final verdict on Myeongyeok Bundang Sunae

There was a receipt review event where you could get a melona popsicle, which was a nice bonus dessert for the kids. Doing both kalguksu and naengmyeon well isn't easy, but this Bundang kalguksu and Sunae Station naengmyeon spot, Myeongyeok, pulls it off. It's a very kid-friendly restaurant, so I'd highly recommend it for a meal with kids.