Early lunch bibim makguksu and mandu in Wondang: Bongpyeong Gohyang

We love makguksu and kalguksu, so we often head out for lunch at noodle places — today we visited Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu in Wondang. It turned out to be a great lunch choice.

Where is Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu, and is there parking?

Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu / 1128 Hoguk-ro, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do / Closed Mondays, Tue–Sun 11:00–20:30 / Parking for takeout available

This Wondang, Goyang restaurant, Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu, is located around the Wondang area of Goyang-si.

There's a parking lot right in front of the store.

Inside Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu: seating and the self-serve bar

The Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu space was clean and pleasant. With its tidy wood-toned interior, it's a good size for group dinners or family gatherings.

I went for an early lunch, and a little while later the place started filling up with customers.

There's a self-serve bar on one side of the store with bowls and yeolmu kimchi (young radish kimchi). You can help yourself if you need more.

There was also nutty buckwheat tea, so I had a cup before the meal to warm up my empty stomach.

Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu menu and prices

Here's the menu board at Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu in Wondang.

• Mul-makguksu (cold noodles in broth) ₩11,000
• Bibim-makguksu (spicy mixed noodles) ₩11,000
• On-makguksu (warm noodles) ₩11,000
• Perilla seed buckwheat kalguksu ₩11,000
• Suyuk (boiled pork slices) ₩23,000
• Buckwheat pancake ₩9,000
• Mandu (dumplings) ₩9,000

Every table has vinegar, mustard sauce, and perilla oil set out.

At last, the bibim makguksu and perilla seed buckwheat kalguksu from Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu arrived. Pretty impressive to look at, right?

How does the bibim makguksu taste?

Let me show you the bibim makguksu first. It came with a cold broth on the side.

Topped with boiled egg, ground perilla seeds, and seaweed flakes, it looked really appetizing. The bibim makguksu's spicy sauce, mouthwatering just to look at, went really well with the buckwheat noodles.

The sauce had a tangy-sweet flavor that wasn't harsh at all but full of savory depth — delicious, and not too salty.

The buckwheat noodles' distinctive nutty aroma and clean flavor also came through subtly, pairing well with the sauce.

Since they're buckwheat noodles, the texture was soft rather than chewy. Mixing the noodles evenly into the sauce and taking a bite gave me both the spicy-tangy flavor and the noodle texture at once — it really woke up my appetite.

Perilla seed buckwheat kalguksu with gamja-ongsimi (potato dumplings)

This is the perilla seed buckwheat kalguksu at Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu. The rich, nutty perilla broth clings to the tongue in the best way.

The first sip fills your mouth with the distinctive nuttiness and toasty aroma of perilla. It's seasoned lightly rather than salty, so you keep spooning up the broth on its own.

There were also gamja-ongsimi (potato dumplings) in it — I loved their bouncy, chewy texture.

The buckwheat noodles were much chewier than regular kalguksu noodles, and the more you chew, the more that distinctive slightly bitter, clean buckwheat flavor comes through. The soft broth and chewy noodles blend together seamlessly. Thanks to the hot, thick broth, it left my stomach feeling settled and the meal ending on a clean, satisfying note.

Meat mandu at 9,000 won with the bibim makguksu

This is the meat mandu (dumplings) at Bongpyeong Gohyang Makguksu. The wrapper was chewy yet soft to bite into, with great texture. Inside, ground meat and vegetables were well balanced, giving a clean but savory flavor, with a subtle meaty richness coming through too.

It wasn't overly seasoned, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy, and the flavors of the filling came through naturally the more I chewed. Eating it warm brought out the juices and nutty flavor even more, and dipping it lightly in soy sauce added a salty note that made it even tastier. It went really well alongside the bibim makguksu.