Spicy bibim naengmyeon and 4-rib galbitang by Dongtan Lake: Naengmyeon

I was looking for a good naengmyeon (cold noodle) spot near Dongtan Lake Park and found Naengmyeon Gajun Dongtan branch. It's on the 2nd floor of the Luna Gallery building, with a full-on Dongtan lake view. Parking is easy too, and Dongtan Lake Park is right out front, so it's a perfect course to eat and then take a walk!

₩7,900 mul-naengmyeon price event

Right now, Naengmyeon Gajun Dongtan branch, a Dongtan naengmyeon favorite, is running a really cheap price event with mul-naengmyeon at ₩7,900! Besides naengmyeon, they also sell galbitang, mandu (dumplings), and galbijjim (braised short ribs), so it looks great for a family visit or a date course.

Mul-naengmyeon at ₩7,900 and bibim-naengmyeon at ₩8,900 — prices that are hard to believe given today's cost of living, for genuinely tasty naengmyeon! And the restaurant view is a full-on Dongtan Lake Park view, so it's a great view spot too. As in the photos, every window seat looks out onto Dongtan Lake Park, wide open and lovely :)

Naengmyeon Gajun, a naengmyeon spot with a Dongtan Lake Park view! You can enjoy delicious naengmyeon at a great price-to-quality ratio, and thanks to how close it is to Dongtan Lake Park, it's a great stop whether you're attending an event at the park or out for a walk with your kid.

A menu lineup with a spicy bibim-naengmyeon option

Naengmyeon Gajun, a naengmyeon specialist near Dongtan Lake Park, is especially known for its bibim-naengmyeon (mixed cold noodles), and I heard the spicy version is particularly popular. Apparently the special mixing sauce has quite a fan following, and that's probably why they offer both a regular bibim-naengmyeon and a spicy bibim-naengmyeon! With the price event running, mul-naengmyeon is ₩7,900 and bibim-naengmyeon is ₩8,900 — really cheap. If you're visiting with kids, ordering the braised short ribs or galbitang seems like a good move too.

I ordered mul-naengmyeon, bibim-naengmyeon, and galbitang! After ordering, the owner set out the side dishes, and I waited while looking out at the lake view :)

Slushy kudzu mul-naengmyeon

The cool mul-naengmyeon came out with a layer of shaved ice. The noodles are kudzu (chik) noodles, and the broth was refreshing and full of savory depth — exactly the kind of cool relief you want on a hot afternoon like this!

Bibim-naengmyeon with spicy sauce

This is Naengmyeon Gajun's popular bibim-naengmyeon~ It came with a spicy mixing sauce plus a broth full of shaved ice on the side. I don't know the secret to the spicy sauce, but it's got a strong addictive quality — the kind of spicy flavor you keep thinking about, which is probably why it's so popular! That's likely also why the spicy bibim-naengmyeon has such a big fan base. I used to be sad there wasn't a solid naengmyeon spot near Dongtan Lake Park, but now Naengmyeon Gajun fills that gap nicely haha.

Parking and a walk around the lake

After enjoying the cool mul-naengmyeon and bibim-naengmyeon at Naengmyeon Gajun, a great naengmyeon spot near Dongtan Lake Park, I planned to walk a loop around Dongtan Lake Park! Since it's located in the Luna Gallery building, parking is easy, and they register your parking time after the meal, so the walk around Dongtan Lake Park afterward was a satisfying finish.

Both the mul-naengmyeon and bibim-naengmyeon paired well with the chewy kudzu noodles, and the bibim-naengmyeon's spicy, savory sauce was especially appealing. The portions were generous too, and I was very satisfied to enjoy such tasty naengmyeon for under 10,000 won!

Galbitang with four rib bones

I also ordered galbitang, and the rib bones had plenty of meat still attached — four rib bones in all, so with a bowl of rice it was a really hearty meal! Between the cool, generous kudzu naengmyeon and a warm bowl of galbitang, it was an enjoyable meal, and heading straight downstairs from the restaurant put me right by the lake, making it a really nice course for a walk afterward.

That's my review of Naengmyeon Gajun, a naengmyeon spot near Dongtan Lake Park that I'd recommend for a delicious lunch after a walk around the lake.