Pyeongchang buckwheat restaurant on a KBS TV shoot day: Migayeon

A phrase posted all over Migayeon: "A bowl of buckwheat noodles made with a lifetime devoted to it." A Pyeongchang local favorite that puts as much heart into its marketing as into the buckwheat dishes themselves.

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon during the KBS Live Info shoot: what the restaurant felt like

I showed up around 12:30 on September 8, and they were mid-shoot! A face looked familiar somehow, and then I noticed the camera clipped to his apron. After I sat down, someone brought water and cups over, and when I asked "filming today?" they cheerfully said, "if you don't want to be on camera, we'll keep you off it!" haha

Turned out it was comedian Seo Tae-hoon, and he really went at it, working his way through the whole restaurant 🙌🏻 Lots of fixed cameras, and the place got pretty chaotic inside. There were even people who broke into song, so I wondered if they'd been cast for it, but apparently they had no idea it was happening either 😯! A lot of group guests arrived by bus, like a hiking club, and they're probably a big reason the show came here. It aired on September 11 as part of "Happy Birthday(and beyond)day," so I'm curious how it turned out.

This restaurant has a lot of certification marks by the entrance. Tucked in among them was a small piece of paper reading, "KBS 2TV Live Info filming in progress, thank you for your cooperation." Really, really small 😶! I didn't notice it at all going in 👀. Only spotted it after ordering, while taking review photos.

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon hours, parking and how the waitlist works

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon is open from 10:00 AM to last order at 5:00 PM, closed every Wednesday. Phone: 033-335-8805.

There's a dedicated parking lot right next to the restaurant. If it's full, single-line parking is possible along the side of the building.

For waiting, you enter your number at the machine by the counter and get notified via KakaoTalk. At my visit there was no wait and I got seated right away, but weekends probably see a line. Table turnover is fast and the place is spacious, though — plenty of people were sitting in the waiting chairs resting after their meal.

What we ordered at Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon and what it cost

Today's order: the signature migamyeon in broth (12,000 won), buckwheat sprout pork, domestic (30,000 won), and buckwheat jelly salad (12,000 won). I didn't take part, but leaving a Naver photo review gets you buckwheat makgeolli or buckwheat tea 🙂

After the jelly salad and the pork, the migamyeon in broth arrived. Side dishes were pickled peppers, pickled radish and seasoned greens. The seasoned greens went really well with the buckwheat and tasted great. It was nice that it wasn't served in the usual makguksu bowl but arranged neatly in pretty dishware 🌱

Buckwheat jelly salad, 12,000 won: the buckwheat sprouts make it

First, the buckwheat jelly salad. The whole point of this place is the buckwheat sprouts! They're kind of like thin bean-sprout-flavored sprouts, the kind that comes packed thick when you buy sprout vegetables, and it was great to eat a lot of them together at once like this. The soft buckwheat jelly paired well with the slightly bitter buckwheat sprouts. Good texture, too.

Buckwheat sprout pork, 30,000 won: pork with spicy salted shrimp sauce

Next, the buckwheat sprout pork. The pickles that came as a side, the buckwheat sprouts, and seasoned salted shrimp — this combination was great. Not just plain salted shrimp, but with a bit of spice added, giving it savoriness and a clean finish! The pork was boiled soft and well, though my mom thought it was a bit fatty. Apparently if you ask for a leaner cut when ordering, they'll accommodate you 🙂

Migamyeon in broth, 12,000 won: three ways to eat it, plus kelp vinegar

Last, the migamyeon in broth. It came out looking like perilla oil makguksu, and they explain that if you dip it into the accompanying broth it eats like soba, and if you pour the broth over it, it eats like water-style makguksu. They also suggest drizzling on the kelp vinegar, and that kelp vinegar was pleasantly sweet and delicious.

All three ways were good 😃! Nice that it wasn't spicy or overly strong. Being able to adjust it to your own taste made it even more enjoyable. It also went well with the seasoned greens and sprouts served as sides. The combination of these three dishes was great! The buckwheat pancake (9,000 won) is popular too, and apparently people often order it alongside 🙌🏻

Is Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon good for groups and family meals?

Spacious, clean, and there are baby chairs 🙂 There were tons of group guests, and the tables and space are big enough to match. There are as many private rooms as there are main tables, so it seems great for a family meal too. (In fact, there were nearly as many families as tour groups.)

Buckwheat products for sale and the awards on display

True to a buckwheat specialty restaurant, they also sell various buckwheat foods and snacks! That day, a lot of the tour group bought kelp vinegar. Gangwon tourism gift certificates could be used too.

This restaurant has a huge number of awards, plaques and medals. Notable ones included a Presidential Iron Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit for small business promotion, a Korea Happiness Sharing Volunteer Award, and a Korean Cuisine Forum Master Chef honor. There were also lots of photos with Edward Lee's Buldak Country Cook and Handsome Guys. Come to think of it, the owner was there during the shoot too, in a white-and-green striped outfit, checking on the restaurant the whole time. He was so busy and hands-on that I figured he must be the owner — and looking at the interior photos now, I was right 😌

Ate well and headed out! A Pyeongchang makguksu spot that pours a master's sincerity into the everyday comfort of buckwheat. The word that came to mind most was clean. If I'm in Bongpyeong again, I'd go back! The end 😊🌱