Chungmuro soba restaurant: weekend CatchTable wait, Nagwon-ui Soba

Went to a restaurant near Chungmuro Station.

Had delicious boiled pork and handmade soba in Chungmuro.

How do you get to Nagwon-ui Soba from Chungmuro Station?

Nagwon-ui Soba (Eulji-ro Kalguksu Nagwon-ui Soba) is a restaurant you can walk to from Chungmuro Station. It's on the 2nd floor of the building, but the entrance is right next to the stairs so it was easy to find.

In this hot, humid weather, cold noodles were calling my name, and since this place is known for soba, I rushed right over. It's famous enough as a Dongguk University go-to spot that there can be a wait. At weekend lunch there were about 2 parties waiting, but turnover was fast so we got in quickly.

Nagwon-ui Soba menu and prices in Chungmuro

Here's the menu at Nagwon-ui Soba, the Dongguk University favorite. Bossam is ₩36,000, lunch sujuk is ₩23,000, and stir-fried pollock roe is ₩36,000. There's also a range of tonkatsu dishes: assorted katsu fried in buckwheat for ₩21,000, green onion tonkatsu for ₩16,000, and thick crispy old-style tonkatsu for ₩15,000. For soba: the soba set is ₩17,000, handmade lemon soba is ₩13,000, handmade Jeonju-style soba is ₩12,000, cheongyang tomato soba (limited to 10 bowls a day) is ₩14,000, pollock roe kalguksu is ₩13,000, and pollock hoe mak-guksu is ₩14,000.

• Address | 2F, 2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
• Hours | Mon–Fri: 10:45–22:00 (break 15:00–16:30, last order 21:00); Sat–Sun: 10:45–21:00 (no break, last order 20:00)
• Menu | Bossam ₩36,000, handmade lemon soba ₩13,000

How do the bossam and soba taste?

It's famous enough as a Dongguk University go-to that a lot of friends visit whenever they're on campus. There's a wide range of soba, and the tonkatsu and boiled pork are both genuinely delicious.

The bossam here especially is tender, not thinly sliced, and has no off smell at all, so it's genuinely delicious. The kimchi sides are great too — radish kimchi, seasoned pollock sashimi, and sweet bossam kimchi.

The bossam for two is plenty, and I think it could easily feed three people too.

I thought this would be mainly a kalguksu and soba place, but I left completely satisfied with the bossam. The ratio of lean meat to fat was just right.

The salted shrimp was generous, and the garlic, chili ssamjang, and lettuce wraps served alongside were plentiful too, so it was a satisfying meal.

The seasoned pollock sashimi and bossam kimchi were both delicious. I ordered soba since it was hot out, but on a cold day this would pair perfectly with kalguksu too.

Handmade lemon soba, and why the tomato soba sells out early

I ordered the lemon soba, which looked amazing. I wanted the tomato soba, but unfortunately I didn't make it in time for the daily limit.

The handmade noodles come in a generous portion, and if you mix in the radish and green onion, you get a subtle hint of lemon. Not many places do cold soba really well, but now I get why Nagwon-ui Soba is famous as a Dongguk University favorite.

The crispy fried bits that add texture to the soba stayed crunchy even soaked in the broth. Fun to eat alongside the noodles.

There are small plates so you can split everything neatly. It was a cool, delicious meal on a hot day, and next time I want to try it with the tonkatsu. It's already a popular Dongguk University spot with waits, but it feels like it's about to get even bigger.

Inside Nagwon-ui Soba: interior and atmosphere

We visited at weekend lunch and the place was packed. We got a number through CatchTable at the entrance, but turnover was fast and we got in after about 10 minutes.

Seating at Nagwon-ui Soba: chairs and tables

The chairs have backrests, so the meal was comfortable. There are also floor-to-ceiling windows for an open, airy feel. There were plenty of group tables, and lots of families visiting together on the weekend.

• Chair comfort | Comfortable for dining
• Table setup | Several 2- and 4-person tables, group tables available
• Suitable for | Solo dining, dates, groups of 2–4, group gatherings and work dinners