Jung-gu Seoul soba restaurant with cheese katsu: Nagwon-ui Soba

On a weekend family outing, we visited 'Art in Marché' at the National Theater of Korea and then stopped by Nagwon-ui Soba nearby in Chungmuro. It's known for bossam (boiled pork wraps) and buckwheat noodles, and I was especially excited since they make their own fresh buckwheat noodles in-house.

Where is Nagwon-ui Soba and what are its hours?

Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro Station Main Branch is on the 2nd floor of 2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, 295m from Exit 1 of Chungmuro Station. Hours are 10:00–22:00, with last order at 21:00.

• 🌱Location: 2F, 2 Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul / 295m from Chungmuro Station Exit 1
• 🌱Hours: 10:00–22:00, last order at 21:00

Walking from Chungmuro Station Exit 1, you'll spot Nagwon-ui Soba on the 2nd floor.

Let's head up to the 2nd floor, reading the food description along the way.

On the way up, the owner's history caught my eye. Nagwon-ui Soba makes its own buckwheat soba noodles, featuring seasonal seafood like shrimp, hairtail, and baby octopus — Korean-style buckwheat noodles made with fresh ingredients from Korean seas.

Inside Nagwon-ui Soba: seating and window tables

The interior of Nagwon-ui Soba is clean and tidy. Big windows let in a view of the outside, so I never felt cramped while eating. Personally, I love restaurants with big windows like this. 😊 The restroom is located indoors.

Here's the table where my family ate. We were comfortable and enjoyed our meal, and the staff were super friendly too.

Nagwon-ui Soba has a variety of tables. There are also 1–2 person seats, great for solo diners. With soba and tonkatsu on the menu, Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro Station Main Branch is also a great pick for solo meals in Chungmuro. 👍

Nagwon-ui Soba menu and what the family ordered

Opened in 2018, Nagwon-ui Soba specializes in handmade buckwheat noodles and other house-made dishes. The main reason we visited was curiosity about their homemade soba. I also wanted to try the bossam — they boil fresh raw pork three times a day. Since I love both bossam and buckwheat soba, I was excited for the flavors.

Along with bossam, I debated between lemon soba and Jeonju-style soba, but it was so hot that day that I craved something cool and tangy. 🤔 I immediately went with lemon soba! My kid is a cheese tonkatsu lover, so there was no hesitation there — cheese tonkatsu it was. (The green onion tonkatsu, made with green onion and buckwheat flour, is also popular and now I'm curious about it too.)

🌱Our family ordered small bossam (₩36,000), lemon soba (₩13,000), cheese katsu (₩16,000), and Jipyeong makgeolli (₩5,000). There's also a Naver review event going on, in case that's useful to know.

How does the lemon soba taste? Refreshing house-made buckwheat

The lemon soba arrived first. It looked exactly like the photos — with lemon on top, it was both pretty and generously portioned. This was actually my first time trying lemon soba, so I was curious what it would taste like.

Wow, the lemon really made it refreshing. It wasn't overly sour — just a pleasantly tangy flavor. Exactly what I was craving. 👏🏻 I wanted something cool and refreshing, and this hit the spot.

The broth, made with seasonal seafood, had great umami, but the buckwheat noodles themselves were the real star. The texture and aroma unique to buckwheat were excellent, and it definitely felt gentle on the stomach thanks to the buckwheat.

Cheese katsu, 16,000 won: the kid's pick

The cheese katsu arrived. My kid picked this cheese tonkatsu dish and ate it happily. 🫶🏻 It was loaded with cheese.

I tried a bite of the cheese tonkatsu too — since it's fried fresh to order, it was crispy and nutty. They also gave us plenty of cabbage salad and rice, which was nice.

Small bossam, 36,000 won: what comes with it and how the pork tastes

The small bossam arrived too. It serves 2 people with 350g of meat, along with pickled radish, kimchi, pollock salad, garlic and chili, salted shrimp, ssamjang (dipping sauce), napa cabbage, perilla leaves, and soup. The portion was generous, and the soup was spicy, savory, and delicious.

Fresh lettuce wraps for the bossam came along too, and we enjoyed wrapping it all together.

Bossam needs makgeolli as its partner, obviously. 😎

I especially loved wrapping perilla leaves with pollock salad, garlic, and meat — it was seriously delicious. 🫶🏻 Looking at the photos again makes me want to eat it all over. The pickled radish and kimchi were also great alongside the meat.

And the most important part — how was the meat? The bossam pork had absolutely no smell and was so tender and soft. The pieces were also cut to a perfectly bite-sized size. Eating it alongside the tangy lemon soba was a great combination.

Is Nagwon-ui Soba worth it for a family meal in Chungmuro?

If you're looking for a place near Chungmuro for solo dining, group gatherings, or a family meal, I recommend Nagwon-ui Soba Chungmuro Station Main Branch. With buckwheat soba, bossam, kalguksu, and tonkatsu all on the menu, it was great for dining with a kid too. And if you're not a fan of tangy flavors, I'd suggest the Jeonju-style soba instead. The staff were kind, and the whole family left full and happy.