Jinju naengmyeon restaurant: switching from bibim to mul, Songgiwon

Why a main-branch regular comes to the Songgiwon Direct Store

Songgiwon Jinju Naengmyeon Direct Store (송기원진주냉면 직영점) is a Jinju naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodle) restaurant on Cheonsu-ro. I went for a summer weekend meal, because we figured, let's have a bowl of naengmyeon. Summer is summer, right? A weekend meal out is allowed. I used to visit the main branch a lot, but now that a direct store has opened close to home, and with the heat, I seem to go there more often. Once you go, you keep going, and now that it's getting hot, I think of it again the moment I turn around.

This is my honest review of Songgiwon Direct Store, a Jinju favorite.

Songgiwon Direct Store location and opening hours

The address is 49 Cheonsu-ro, Jinju, Gyeongnam, South Korea, 1st floor (Juyak-dong 360-4). It is open daily 10:30–20:00, with a break from 16:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, last order at 19:40, and it is closed every Tuesday.

• Groups welcome
• Takeout available
• Wi-Fi
• Separate men's/women's restrooms

The sign catches your eye with how bright it is.

And here's the exterior seen from the entrance. What's with this outside vibe? With the lights on, it looked soft and bright.

Inside Songgiwon Direct Store: good for groups and families?

The interior is really long and narrow, so it's good for group gatherings. I loved the pleasant space and the friendly staff. Wow, the customers are amazing. People kept coming in, and quite a few seemed to be travelers visiting.

The basic side dishes can be refilled yourself once you finish them, and you can also help yourself to warm broth, which is great. It's a slightly spicy warm broth. The kimchi was so good I went back for more, hehe.

There are also nice high chairs for little kids, which is good for family gatherings, and meals with a child are comfortable.

Songgiwon Direct Store menu and ordering

That day we ordered mul naengmyeon (cold broth noodles), bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed noodles), beef yukjeon (thin battered beef pan-fry) and a drink. Looking at the menu, it was straight to the cold Jinju naengmyeon, of course~~ and the yukjeon I always order when I come here, haha.

Songgiwon Direct Store is a Jinju favorite known for the deep flavor and chewy texture of its Jinju naengmyeon.

Today I was surprised by how fast the food came out as soon as we ordered.

Egg-battered Hanwoo beef yukjeon

The beef yukjeon had a very soft egg coating. It's a yukjeon I really like.

Just look at that shine~~~

At last all the food we ordered was out. It came super fast, which surprised me. The spicy-sweet sauce with the seafood broth is a work of art. I ordered the bibim naengmyeon this time too, and it's a fantastic collab with the beef yukjeon. A meal of Hanwoo yukjeon and soft bibim naengmyeon, so good.

How does Songgiwon's mul naengmyeon taste?

The mul naengmyeon at Songgiwon Direct Store is genuinely clean and cold, and at some point I started ordering it every time I come.

The noodles are unusual too, a different kind of taste. I fell for the chewiness and slurped away~~~

The nutty, mild yukjeon is good even without dipping in sauce,

and dipped in the sauce like this it gets even more savory. It just melts away. It was nutty and mild yet tender, with no gamey smell.

I took a sip of the cold broth, then another chopstick-full of mul naengmyeon from a Jinju naengmyeon specialist.

My taste moved from bibim to mul naengmyeon

I got a taste of the bibim naengmyeon too, hehehe, but now the mul naengmyeon tastes better to me. Tastes change, I guess. I'm already craving that cold flavor again.

Tender beef yukjeon with the grease totally gone, and I ate more.

Before I knew it the noodles were nearly gone, haha. A weekend meal out that I enjoyed so much.

Who is Songgiwon Direct Store for?

With its large dining room, parking and friendly service, I recommend Songgiwon Direct Store for family meals or group gatherings. The soft, chewy noodles have a great texture, and the spicy-sweet sauce with the seafood broth was fantastic. The melt-in-your-mouth yukjeon is a must~~~ If you're looking for things to do in Jinju, want to beat the heat, or are craving cold naengmyeon, I recommend Songgiwon Direct Store. The friendliness makes it a place I want to go back to.