Dangsan Korean restaurant: clear-broth naengmyeon set, Dangsan Myeonok

What comes in the naengmyeon set at Dangsan Myeonok?

The naengmyeon set at Dangsan Myeonok (당산면옥) is a bowl of mul naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles in broth) with 2 Pyongyang king dumplings on the side. On days with errands outside, I often eat Seoul-style bulgogi here, but today I picked the naengmyeon set instead. If you're looking for a Korean restaurant near Dangsan Station, both the noodles and the dumplings are generous, so it makes a filling lunch.

Getting to Dangsan Myeonok: how far from Dangsan Station Exit 11?

Dangsan Myeonok is 130 m from Exit 11 of Dangsan Station, so it's a quick walk. Come out of Exit 11 on Line 2 or Line 9 and go straight toward Dangseo Elementary School. After a short walk you'll see Harrington Tower. The restaurant is on the ground floor of that building, so it wasn't hard to find.

Inside Dangsan Myeonok: seating and group dinners

Right at the entrance there's a display about the origin of Seoul bulgogi!! The first thing I felt walking in was how spacious it is.

The space is divided by wooden partitions and black glass dividers. With the brick walls and grid-pattern lighting, the mood is calm.

Four-person tables are lined up with plenty of space between them. Each table has a round iron griddle, which is where you boil your bulgogi if you order it. Menus and photos of the dishes hang on the wall, which made choosing easy.

Private rooms seat 4 to 12 people, and group seating takes 8 to 30. That's enough for a whole team dinner or a gathering at once. For groups, I'd recommend booking by phone first.

I went on a Saturday lunch and there was plenty of room. I ate comfortably without worrying about the next table. It was quiet because it was the weekend, though, so it may get crowded at weekday lunch when office workers show up!

Dangsan Myeonok menu and ordering rules

The menu is split into four groups: naengmyeon and set meals / bulgogi and meals / dumplings and soup / jeon (savory pancakes). For a light meal on your own, go for the naengmyeon set; for a group, order bulgogi and add jeon. Note that it's a one-order-per-person restaurant, so you need to order for everyone at the table.

And what I ate today was, drumroll, the naengmyeon set!!!

It's a set that puts mul naengmyeon and 2 Pyongyang king dumplings on one table.

Is the mul naengmyeon good without mustard or vinegar?

The broth of the mul naengmyeon here is clean, so it was plenty without adding mustard or vinegar. Cucumber, white shredded garnish and a boiled egg sit on top of a clear golden broth. The presentation is tidy, and it looked refreshing the moment it arrived.

The seasoning was just right, so I ate it as it was from start to finish. Usually you adjust naengmyeon with mustard and vinegar, right? Here there was no need.

Chewy noodles in a big portion

The noodles are thin and springy. When you lift them with chopsticks, a hefty bundle comes up. The portion was so generous that the bowl barely seemed to shrink as I ate. For ₩13,000, this amount is plenty for lunch.

What do the Pyongyang king dumplings in the set taste like?

The Pyongyang king dumplings are big and well stuffed. The wrappers are thin enough that you can see the filling through them, and they're large, so just 2 were satisfying.

Cut one in half and it's packed with minced meat, tofu, garlic chives and scallions. The filling isn't loose; it's full and has a good bite. The seasoning was right, so I ate them without soy sauce. The filling itself is seasoned, so there was no need to dip. The aroma of chives and scallions rises gently, and you can taste the dumpling itself.

Little detail: barley tea(?) instead of plain water

I liked the touch of serving barley tea(?) rather than plain water. (Honestly, I don't know if it's barley tea or some other tea.) It tasted nutty throughout the meal and was great for cleansing the palate between bites of naengmyeon.

How do you eat the Seoul-style bulgogi at Dangsan Myeonok?

The Seoul-style bulgogi is cooked on the griddle at your table, with meat and vegetables simmered in a shallow broth. This is what I usually eat at Dangsan Myeonok.

• Bring it to a rolling boil
• Dunk the meat in to cook it through
• Fish out the mushrooms and glass noodles
• Finish the leftover broth with a bowl of rice

Today it was the naengmyeon set, but it's a place where choosing between bulgogi and naengmyeon is part of the fun.

Who is Dangsan Myeonok good for?

If you want a group dinner spot or a filling lunch near Dangsan Station, Dangsan Myeonok fits well. It's a big 150-pyeong restaurant with private rooms and group seating, so even large groups needn't worry about seats. It's close to the station and parking is free for 2 hours, so it's easy to get to.

Both the naengmyeon and the dumplings were seasoned just right without extra sauces, so they went down easily. If you're looking for a good restaurant or naengmyeon in Yeongdeungpo, enjoy lunch or a group dinner at Dangsan Myeonok 🙂