Weekday lunch mixed naengmyeon without vinegar: Song Giwon, Jinju

What kind of place is Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch?

I went to Jinju and stopped by Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch for a lunch of jinju naengmyeon (Jinju-style cold noodles). This place has long been known for its jinju naengmyeon, and I'd been curious about it ever since I heard it was selected as a Baeknyeon Gage (century-old store).

Even though I visited during a weekday lunch, quite a lot of people were there to eat.

We ordered the Song Giwon 1997 mixed naengmyeon and ujeon (yukjeon, pan-fried beef slices).

Vinegar and mustard were set out with the naengmyeon, and I tried it first without adding anything. Surprisingly, the seasoning was already well balanced, so it was plenty tasty even without vinegar or mustard.

We also ordered yukjeon, and eating it alongside the naengmyeon added a savory note that made the combination really good.

Basic info

※ Hours and menu may change depending on how the restaurant is operating, so it's worth checking before you visit.

A good lunch stop while traveling around Jinju

Jinju naengmyeon — the local dish you'd want to try at least once if you're in Jinju.

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch is a good option when you're looking for a lunch spot while traveling in Jinju. That's exactly why we stopped by while sightseeing that day.

When traveling around Jinju, you naturally start looking for the local specialty, and trying jinju naengmyeon at least once felt like part of the fun of the trip.

We drove there, and since there was parking space available, parking itself wasn't difficult.

If you're planning a route where you eat lunch in Jinju and then move on to the next stop, this place would work well as a meal spot.

That said, since it was busy even on the weekday lunch we visited, it's a good idea to allow a bit of extra time if you're going during lunch hours.

A jinju naengmyeon restaurant selected as a Baeknyeon Gage

When I was looking into Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch, the first thing that caught my eye was that it's a Baeknyeon Gage.

Baeknyeon Gage doesn't literally mean the shop has been running for 100 years. It's a designation from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups that recognizes small business owners who have kept their trade going for a long time, and Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch is introduced as the first Baeknyeon Gage for jinju naengmyeon.

It's also received the Blue Ribbon award three years running — a genuinely acclaimed restaurant. My heart was already racing just walking in. How good could it be? 😆

Menu names and prices

The menu names weren't just plain "water naengmyeon" or "bibim naengmyeon" — they were a bit unique.

Sunjo 1800 is the water naengmyeon, Nongae 1593 is the bibim naengmyeon, and Song Giwon 1997, which we ordered, is the mixed naengmyeon.

• Song Giwon 1997 ₩14,000
• Sunjo 1800 ₩13,000
• Nongae 1593 ₩13,000
• Ujeon ₩25,000

A restaurant busy even on a weekday lunch

We visited during weekday lunch hours. I figured it would be quieter than on a weekend, but it turned out there were quite a lot of people eating.

The restaurant was full of customers, and people kept coming in the whole time we ate. It made me realize this is a place people deliberately seek out for jinju naengmyeon.

Listening in a bit, I noticed a lot of the people around us were from Jinju, not just tourists — which felt like proof of it being a real local favorite.

Song Giwon 1997 mixed naengmyeon

If you're torn between water naengmyeon and bibim naengmyeon, I'd recommend the mixed naengmyeon.

What we ordered was Song Giwon 1997. It's a Jinju-style mixed naengmyeon served with a special sauce along with seafood broth.

From the moment it arrived, it was topped with several kinds of garnish, so it looked appetizing right away.

Normally when I eat naengmyeon, if the seasoning feels too plain I add vinegar or mustard to adjust it. But this time, the seasoning was already well balanced from the start, so I tried it first without adding anything at all.

The restaurant's guide booklet explained the best order for enjoying the naengmyeon: first savor the broth on its own, then dig into a big bite of noodles, then eat it together with the garnish, and finally add vinegar or mustard according to your taste.

They also take particular pride in the noodles — made only with Jeju buckwheat, prepared using Song Giwon's own method.

Naengmyeon eaten without vinegar or mustard

When you order naengmyeon, vinegar and mustard are set out on the table.

I usually add a bit of both to my naengmyeon, so I assumed I would too this time. But after the first bite, the seasoning was already plenty.

So I ate it without adding vinegar or mustard, and honestly, for my taste, that turned out to be even better.

Tasting the naengmyeon on its own first and then adding vinegar or mustard later according to your preference seems like a good approach. I barely added anything that day and ate it that way to the end.

Personally, not needing to adjust the seasoning myself was the part I liked most.

Ujeon (Korean beef yukjeon) eaten alongside the naengmyeon

Naengmyeon alone felt like not quite enough, so we also ordered ujeon, or yukjeon. Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon's ujeon uses domestic Korean beef.

The yukjeon itself was savory and delicious, but I liked it especially when paired with the naengmyeon.

Taking a bite of naengmyeon followed by a piece of yukjeon added a savory richness from the meat that worked really well together. Alternating between the two instead of eating naengmyeon alone the whole time meant I never got tired of it.

If you're trying jinju naengmyeon for the first time, I'd recommend ordering the naengmyeon together with yukjeon. After trying it this time, I think I'd order the yukjeon again on my next visit.

Wrapping up

Song Giwon Jinju Naengmyeon Main Branch, visited for lunch during a Jinju trip. Being selected as a Baeknyeon Gage was impressive on its own, but trying it in person, the mixed naengmyeon's seasoning was well balanced and the pairing with yukjeon was great too.

What stuck with me most was that it was plenty delicious even without adding vinegar or mustard.

If you're looking for local food in Jinju, adding jinju naengmyeon to your meal plans seems like a good idea.