Chungmuro soba restaurant: three soba sets compared, Nagwon-ui Soba
In short
Nagwon-ui Soba Bossam Kalguksu Chungmuro Station Main Branch is a soba and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) restaurant with house-made noodles on Seoae-ro, between Chungmuro Station and Dongguk University in Jung-gu, Seoul. At lunch, three sets were ordered at once for comparison: the Jeonju-style soba set at 17,700 won, the tomato cheongyang soba set at 20,000 won and the lemon soba set at 18,000 won, and although all three use the same buckwheat noodles, the broths go in completely different directions. Jeonju-style is the pick for classic soba, while the tomato cheongyang and lemon sets at Nagwon-ui Soba are for anyone after something unusual.
Good to know
- Location
- 2F, 2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (near Chungmuro Station and Dongguk University)
- Hours
- 10:30–22:00
- Jeonju-style soba set
- 17,700 won
- Tomato cheongyang soba set
- 20,000 won
- Lemon soba set
- 18,000 won
- Menu lineup
- Soba, pork cutlet, kalguksu, bossam (boiled pork wraps)
- Side dishes included
- Pickled vegetables, napa cabbage kimchi
- Price reference
- ₩17,700 ≈ $13 · ₩20,000 ≈ $15 · ₩18,000 ≈ $13.5 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 6, 2026
Nagwon-ui Soba is a soba and kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) specialist on the 2nd floor of 2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, between Chungmuro Station and Dongguk University. It's open from 10:30 to 22:00.
Hello! This is Chugu, traveling on the run. I was mulling over lunch options in Chungmuro and ended up at Nagwon-ui Soba! Chungmuro is packed with old, beloved restaurants, but that day I wanted something a bit refreshing and different, so I went with soba.
Nagwon-ui Soba is also conveniently located near both Chungmuro Station and Dongguk University, so it's a solid option for anyone searching for Chungmuro restaurants or Dongguk University restaurants.
Nagwon-ui Soba menu and prices for the three soba sets
The menu at Nagwon-ui Soba ranges from soba to pork cutlet, kalguksu, and bossam (boiled pork wraps), and the three sets ordered that day were the Jeonju-style soba set at ₩17,700, the tomato cheongyang soba set at ₩20,000, and the lemon soba set at ₩18,000.
Looking at the menu, the options are more varied than expected. There's soba, pork cutlet, kalguksu, and bossam, so it seems like a great spot for a group where everyone can order to their own taste. Of course, soba was what caught my eye most! We ordered the Jeonju-style soba set, the tomato cheongyang soba set, and the lemon soba set that day so we could each try a different flavor.
- Jeonju-style soba set: ₩17,700
- Tomato cheongyang soba set: ₩20,000
- Lemon soba set: ₩18,000
First, the side dishes arrive: pickled vegetables and napa cabbage kimchi.
Tomato cheongyang soba set: how spicy is it?
The tomato cheongyang soba set at ₩20,000 was the most distinctive of the three. The freshness of tomato layered with the sharp heat of cheongyang chili pepper took it in a completely different direction from the Jeonju-style or lemon soba.
Tomato, cheongyang chili, and soba — it's a combination that's hard to picture just from the name. Nagwon-ui Soba seems to lean into that refreshing-yet-spicy character as the dish's signature.
The tomato's freshness plus the cheongyang chili's sharp heat gave it a flavor clearly different from the Jeonju-style or lemon soba. If you like spicy food, this one's definitely worth trying.
For anyone who might find soba alone a bit lacking, the set that comes with pork cutlet should hit the spot.
Lemon soba set: lemon squeezed to order
The lemon soba set is ₩18,000, Nagwon-ui Soba's signature unusual menu item. It's said to be made by squeezing fresh lemon right when you order, and the aroma was fresher and cleaner than regular buckwheat soba.
Honestly, the lemon soba caught my eye from its looks alone.
It's one of Nagwon-ui Soba's representative unusual menu items, made by squeezing fresh lemon the moment you order. Unlike regular buckwheat soba, the distinctive fresh lemon aroma gives it quite a clean feel.
The meat was thick too!
Dipped in the sauce, it tastes amazing.
What comes with each set: pork cutlet and Gyeonghyang-style sauce
Every Nagwon-ui Soba set comes with pork cutlet, and we added Gyeonghyang-style sauce on top. The peanuts doubled up the nuttiness, and the sauce had a ketchup base with a hint of seasoned fried chicken flavor.
Nagwon-ui Soba's Jeonju-style soba is said to use handmade buckwheat noodles with a broth simmered from shrimp, hairtail, and squid.
Pork cutlet with the added Gyeonghyang-style sauce. The peanuts doubled the nutty flavor.
With a ketchup base, it also had a slight hint of seasoned fried chicken.
Pork cutlet paired with a chicken-style sauce — how could that not be delicious?
I scraped up even the sauce, it was that good.
Jeonju-style soba set: the classic choice
The Jeonju-style soba set at ₩17,700 uses handmade buckwheat noodles with a broth simmered from shrimp, hairtail, and squid. It's the most classic of the three, so I'd recommend this one to anyone who wants to focus on the harmony between noodle and broth rather than a twist.
The first thing you notice on the first bite is the refreshingly cool broth! Adding the scallion and grated radish served on the side doubles the flavor.
It's less about a flashy twist and more a dish where you can properly enjoy the harmony of buckwheat noodles and broth, so if you like classic soba, I'd recommend the Jeonju-style out of the three.
Slurping the springy noodles down with the broth felt clean and satisfying at the same time.
Which of the three soba sets should you order?
If you want to try a slightly different take on soba in Chungmuro, Nagwon-ui Soba is the place. I tried all three this time — the Jeonju-style soba set, the tomato cheongyang soba set, and the lemon soba set — and even though they all use the same buckwheat noodles, each dish has such a clear personality that picking your favorite is genuinely fun.
If you're going with a group, I'd recommend ordering different soba sets so you can compare them.
Where it is
2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 중구 서애로 2 2층
