Chungmuro tonkatsu restaurant, pollock-topped katsu: Nagwon-ui Soba

I visited Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro Station Main Branch, famous around Chungmuro for its buckwheat noodles. I came across it while looking for good spots near Chungmuro, and beyond buckwheat noodles, cold memil (buckwheat noodles), and soba, they also serve bossam, sujebi, and even katsu. Let me show you what's on the menu.

Today's pick: what to order at Nagwon-ui Soba

I went in thinking it was a buckwheat place, but I fell for the bone-broth perilla sujebi and added a new regular spot to my list. Haha.

Where is Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro Station Main Branch, and what are its hours?

• Address: 2 Seoae-ro, 2nd floor, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (5 minutes from Chungmuro Station Exit 1)
• Hours: Mon–Fri 10:00–22:00 (last order 21:00) / Sat, Sun 10:00–21:00 (last order 20:00)
• Parking not available ❌

What the dining room at Nagwon-ui Soba is like

Nagwon-ui Soba is located on the 2nd floor.

The overall atmosphere was neat and tidy, making it comfortable to eat here. The window seats especially had a nice view outside, so it never felt cramped.

There are plenty of restaurants around Chungmuro Station, but a place this clean where you can eat at ease also seemed good for gatherings or family meals.

Nagwon-ui Soba menu and prices

• 🔸 Bossam ₩36,000
• 🔸 Creamy bone-broth perilla sujebi ₩11,000
• 🔸 Cheongyang tomato soba ₩14,000
• 🔸 Lamb soup kalguksu ₩13,000
• 🔸 Assorted katsu fried in buckwheat ₩21,000

There are various set menus so you can taste several dishes at once, and I liked having so many options.

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Bossam made with tender pork belly, 36,000 won

First I tried the bossam.

The bossam used pork belly with just the right amount of fat, and the meat was tender and soft. Most of all, there was no funky smell at all, so it was clean and easy to eat.

The bossam came with a variety of sides — pollock hoe, seasoned pickled radish, kimchi, salted shrimp, garlic, and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) — so I could eat it in different ways depending on my mood.

I put meat and pollock hoe on top of cabbage sometimes, and wrapped the meat in lettuce and perilla leaves other times. The tangy pollock hoe went really well with the soft bossam, and eating them together turned out to be a pretty good combination.

Even with the same bossam, the taste changed slightly depending on what I combined it with, so it was fun trying different combinations.

Bone-broth perilla sujebi as creamy as it sounds, 11,000 won

And the dish I enjoyed the most that day was the bone-broth perilla sujebi. Maybe because the broth was made from bone stock with perilla mixed in, the broth was incredibly savory. It wasn't just a thick perilla sujebi — it felt smooth and rich like cream. On top of that, a bit of truffle oil was drizzled in, and the subtle aroma really brought the flavor to life.

I like perilla sujebi and have tried it at many places, but personally, this was the best perilla sujebi I've had recently.

I wondered if I should have soba since Nagwon-ui Soba is famous for buckwheat noodles, but I was so glad I chose the warm bone-broth perilla sujebi instead that day. As the weather gets chillier, I think I'll be craving this warm, savory dish even more.

Katsu fried in buckwheat batter, 21,000 won

The katsu that came with the set meal was also better than expected. It was fried crispy, just like at a dedicated katsu restaurant.

See that vivid pink color on the katsu? Given that color, it seems like they're using a pretty good cut of meat.

Maybe because it was fried in buckwheat, it had a slightly different, more savory flavor than regular katsu. The outside was crispy without feeling too greasy, and I especially liked the crunchy texture. But rather than eating the katsu plain, I tried topping it with the pollock hoe that came with the bossam.

Surprisingly, this combination was pretty great. Adding the tangy pollock hoe to the crispy katsu cut through the richness and gave it a whole new flavor to enjoy.

How the full spread at Nagwon-ui Soba works for sharing

Trying bossam, bone-broth perilla sujebi, and katsu all at once meant I didn't have to agonize over picking just one menu, and I got to enjoy several flavors together. The portions were also quite generous, so I felt really full after finishing.

Each dish was neatly plated, so it looked good and tasted good too — overall it was a satisfying meal. Watching delivery orders go out constantly while I ate, I could tell that people near Chungmuro can also enjoy this delicious food comfortably at home. That made me understand why this place is so popular as a Chungmuro favorite.

Next visit to Nagwon-ui Soba: buckwheat soba

Since Nagwon-ui Soba is famous as a buckwheat spot, I originally thought about trying the buckwheat soba or cold memil. But this time I chose the bone-broth perilla sujebi instead, and it was so much better than expected that now I'm even more curious about what to order next visit. I'm definitely going to try the buckwheat soba I missed this time.

If you're looking for a good restaurant near Chungmuro and want to try a variety of dishes together — bossam, warm sujebi, katsu — ordering the set meal seems like a great option. Eating neatly plated food in a clean space gave me visual pleasure and good taste, and in the end it was the sweetest meal too. Haha. Looks like I've added one more regular spot in Chungmuro.