Jinju naengmyeon restaurant near the Lantern Festival: Song Giwon

It's been cooling off in the mornings and evenings lately, but it's still pretty hot during the day 🫠 On the way back from a walk with a friend, we suddenly craved Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon, one of our favorites, so we went and had ourselves a proper feast 😎

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch: hours and parking

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch is a Jinju naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle) restaurant on Modeok-ro 47beon-gil in Sangdae-dong, Jinju. It's open 10:30–20:00, with a break time from 16:00 to 17:00. Last order is 15:40 and 19:40, and it stays open 10:30–20:00 through the Chuseok holiday, Sep 24–26.

• ⏰ 10:30–20:00 (break time 16:00–17:00)
• Last order 15:40, 19:40
• 🗓️ Chuseok holiday Sep 24–26, 10:30–20:00
• ✔️ Group dining available, takeout available
• 🅿️ Parking in the lot in front, Yeonam Library public lot, or Donggwang Church lot (except Sundays)

We got there right as the break time ended, and the parking lot already had barely any spots left! Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch has been designated a Jinju Safe Store for its cleanliness, and with over 30 years of tradition it also carries the Hundred-Year Store title — an official certification from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise given only to genuine local favorites. It was actually the first Jinju naengmyeon restaurant to receive Hundred-Year Store certification, and it's home to the oldest living first-generation practitioner of the craft!

Also, see that three years running Blue Ribbon mark? Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon has received more Blue Ribbons than any other Jinju naengmyeon restaurant!

We came right after break time ended, and since it was Sunday evening it wasn't too crowded, but apparently Saturday lunch has quite a wait! You can queue on-site, but you can also join the remote waitlist through the Tabling app, so keep that in mind!

Tip: There's a Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon company-run branch about a 7-minute drive away! It's less crowded but the taste is the same, so it's worth visiting when the main branch is packed.

The 1997 broth theft and the story of Song Giwon Village

While looking into Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon, I found something interesting! Apparently it was so famous as a Jinju naengmyeon spot back in the day that someone actually stole the broth in 1997!

I also thought it was really impressive how they've built the store's storytelling around the concept of 'Song Giwon Village,' blending Jinju's local character and ingredients into the experience!

What the restaurant looks like inside

Since it became famous after appearing on the show Jeon Hyun-moo's Plan, autographs from various celebrities like Jeon Hyun-moo, Kwak Jun-bin, Ock Joo-hyun, and Lee Chan-won hang on the wall!

There are also framed Master Chef and Korean Food Grand Master certificates on the wall, which really made me feel how seriously the owner takes the cooking — it got me even more excited for the food 😎

One wall has an introduction to Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon — apparently they use a broth base of meat stock and seafood from the South Sea (Namhae) region! And the buckwheat noodles are made in-house too.

The interior has a charming mix of traditional and modern touches! You can totally see how the 'Song Giwon Village' concept comes together haha. There are several 4-person tables as well as a row of counter-style seating!

At each seat there's a little booklet explaining Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon, along with Gimcheon baegeumcho vinegar and mustard! The Gimcheon baegeumcho is a traditional hearth-brewed vinegar made by a family now in its third generation. Knowing they don't just use any vinegar, but keep the tradition alive with ingredients that are actually good for you, was a real touching detail!

What's on the menu at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon

Besides naengmyeon, the menu at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch also has galbitang (short rib soup) as a seasonal item. We ordered our favorite, the mixed naengmyeon Song Giwon 1997, and ujeon for ₩25,000.

Here's the menu board at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch! Naengmyeon is great, but they also sell galbitang as a seasonal dish :)

These four items are the signature menu at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch! The names are unusual, right? Even the menu names reflect the restaurant's philosophy of preserving the noble-family and royal court dishes of the Joseon era and focusing on the value of traditional Korean food! We ordered our favorites, Song Giwon 1997 and ujeon!

How do Song Giwon 1997, the ujeon and the hot broth taste?

The basic side dishes are napa cabbage kimchi and pickled radish, and you can grab hot broth yourself from the self-serve bar. The hot broth at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch has deep meaty aroma and rich seafood umami — it's one of the reasons we love this place.

Once you order, the basic side dishes — napa cabbage kimchi and pickled radish — arrive first. Neither is overly seasoned; both are mild and clean, which really opened up our appetite!

While waiting, you can grab hot broth yourself from the counter! With its deep meaty aroma and rising seafood umami, you end up drinking it endlessly 💝 Honestly, one of the reasons we love Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch is exactly this deep flavor of the hot broth!

Before the naengmyeon, the ujeon we'd ordered arrived! At ₩25,000 it might sound pricey, but once it's in front of you, the portion is actually quite generous!!!

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon's ujeon is made by coating 1++ grade Korean beef in buckwheat flour, which is probably why it's so tender and juicy! There was no gamey smell either, so it was even more enjoyable to eat ◡̈

While we were still eating the ujeon, our ordered mixed naengmyeon, Song Giwon 1997, showed up!

The toppings were boiled egg, Naju pear, radish kimchi made from seasonal Jeju winter radish, and pork mekmilbuchimgae (pork pancake)!

After tasting the plain broth first, we added the prepared baegeumcho vinegar and mustard! Even plain, the mild flavor pairs beautifully with the buckwheat aroma of the noodles and the deep seafood taste, but since it's a mixed (bibim) style, the seasoning adds just the right extra kick! haha

Can you see how springy and hearty the noodles are? Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon's noodles are made by toasting Jeju buckwheat and kneading it with water over 100°C, apparently! That's what gives them their chewy texture and toasty buckwheat aroma. The chewy, fragrant noodles, the rich umami broth made with meat and seafood, the clean spiciness of the sauce, and above all the variety of toppings all combine for a layered flavor — and Song Giwon's broth has less of the gamey smell you get at other Jinju naengmyeon places, so it feels closest to the traditional flavor while still suiting modern tastes. I think that's why it was the tastiest for us ◡̈ Eating it together with the ujeon makes it even better!

Oh, one more thing — if you keep your receipt after eating at Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch, you get 10% off at the nearby café Salad & Oldoeda, so keep that in mind! (It's also a meaningful café where staff with and without disabilities work together!)

Where to eat Jinju naengmyeon during the Lantern Festival

Preferences for Jinju naengmyeon really vary depending on the restaurant, but if you ask me to pick the cleanest, most traditional-tasting option, I'd recommend Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch! For anyone trying Jinju naengmyeon for the first time, anyone wanting to experience the traditional flavor, or anyone visiting for the lantern festival and looking for a great naengmyeon spot — I genuinely recommend Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch, carrying on its 100-year tradition!!