Sinsa noodle shop with whole perilla seed makguksu: Sammiri Makguksu

I was looking for somewhere to eat alone near Sinsa Station and ended up at Sammiri Makguksu 🥢 Honestly, perilla-oil makguksu can go wrong — sometimes all you taste is the oil and it gets a little cloying halfway through, right? I went in without high expectations for that reason, but this place loads in whole toasted perilla seeds, and my mind changed after one bite haha. If you like nutty flavors, you'll probably really like this one!

What is Sammiri Makguksu like for a solo diner?

Sammiri Makguksu is a noodle restaurant tucked in an alley off Gangnam-daero 95-gil near Sinsa Station. Rather than a flashy storefront, it had a clean, easy vibe — the kind of place where you just sit down for a bowl of makguksu and go. The interior was tidy and unpretentious too, so I didn't feel awkward walking in alone at all.

When eating solo these days, taste matters but so does not feeling stared at, and that can make you hesitate to walk into certain places 😂 Sammiri Makguksu had none of that pressure — eating alone here was genuinely comfortable. On top of that, the staff were kind, which made a great first impression :)

Perilla-oil makguksu: whole toasted seeds you can actually bite

The main dish I ordered at Sammiri Makguksu was the perilla-oil makguksu! The whole toasted perilla seeds stand out visually, and once you taste it, those seeds are really the whole point. On top of perilla oil's signature nutty aroma, the seeds pop as you chew, sending the nuttiness up another notch. It's not just perilla oil scent — the more you chew, the more the seeds' nutty flavor builds, giving the whole bowl a pretty deep flavor in your mouth. Slurping the noodles along with a bite of seeds every so often — nutty bursts, over and over ✨

It's not a spicy or salty dish — it's clean and nutty, which actually made me keep going back for more. Perilla-oil makguksu can get a bit heavy toward the end if it's not done right, but here the texture from the whole seeds kept it enjoyable all the way through. For someone like me who loves nutty food, this was a total match 🤍

The nutty flavor that stays with you after the bowl

It was delicious while eating, but oddly enough, the nuttiness of the whole seeds stuck with me even more after I finished the bowl. Since I've been eating a lot of intense, spicy food lately, a clean, satisfying meal like this was a welcome change :) Especially the way the seeds pop between your teeth rather than just leaving strong perilla oil scent — that lingering nutty aftertaste is exactly my taste 🤍

It's not the kind of place going for a flashy, intense flavor, and that's exactly why it didn't get tiresome. Adding the 2 pieces of fried mandu made the portion feel just right to me personally. Sitting alone and quietly enjoying a good meal, then walking out — there's a weird satisfaction to that, haha. If I ever need to eat alone near Sinsa Station again, I think I'll come back without hesitation. Especially if you like nutty food, this is a dish you'll probably think about again because of those popping seeds :)

2 fried mandu: the right side portion for one person

Just makguksu felt like it needed something extra, so I also ordered 2 pieces of fried mandu (dumplings). When you're eating alone, ordering a full plate of a side dish can be a lot to handle sometimes. But with just 2 pieces, it wasn't overwhelming and paired perfectly with the makguksu.

Eating the nutty, soft makguksu and then biting into a mandu partway through changes up the texture nicely — they really go well together. A bite of makguksu, a bite of mandu — before you know it, the bowl's magically empty haha. For anyone dining solo who still wants to try a side dish, this 2-piece portion is pretty ideal. You know that solo-diner feeling where just the main dish feels a little lacking, but ordering a full side plate feels like too much? 😂 This hits right in that gap!

Is Sammiri Makguksu a good solo lunch near Sinsa Station?

Personally, I think Sammiri Makguksu is a place I'll think of again when I want a comfortable solo meal. What stuck with me most was the nutty flavor and texture of the whole toasted perilla seeds in the makguksu. The staff were kind and the atmosphere was easy for solo dining, so if you're looking for a place to eat alone near Sinsa Station, it's worth a visit. Do you like the perilla oil + perilla seed combo like I do?

Start with the perilla-oil makguksu 😎 And if you're craving a side too, add the 2 fried mandu without hesitation! It was a satisfying meal I could enjoy fully even solo, mandu and all.

📍 Sammiri Makguksu Sinsa — 48-39 Gangnam-daero 95-gil, 1F, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea. A good stop near Sinsa Station when you're craving makguksu or a solo-friendly meal. Please check the store's latest hours and holidays before visiting :)