Perilla-oil naengmyeon and pork bossam after hiking: Sosa Myeonok

Bossam near Gunja Station after a hike and a marathon

Over the weekend I did a night hike up Yongmasan to watch the World Fireworks Festival and crashed at a friend's place. My friend was wiped out from two days straight of hiking-marathon-hiking, so I went looking for somewhere to refuel and we ended up at Sosa Myeonok, a bossam spot near Gunja Station.

It's a 5-minute walk from Gunja Station Exit 6 and about 7 minutes from Children's Grand Park, so a lot of families visiting the park on weekends end up here too.

Sosa Myeonok also shows up on lists of Korean restaurants near Children's Grand Park, known for its bossam. For parking, just pull up onto the sidewalk in front of the restaurant and back in diagonally.

The exterior has that old-fashioned hanok (traditional Korean house) charm.

The interior, seating, and the wait at 11:20am on a Sunday

Just as it looks from outside, the inside of Sosa Myeonok is pretty spacious.

There's a big room separated off by sliding doors, which looked perfect for family gatherings, group meetups, or company dinners.

There are also tables well suited to solo diners.

We walked in around 11:20am on a Sunday — not quite peak lunch hour, so I figured it'd be relaxed, but people kept streaming in right behind us. Good thing we came early 👏🏻 👏🏻

Seeing the number-ticket machine, the Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon stickers, and the ample waiting seats, it really hit me that this is a place with a wait. Turns out it's a longtime neighborhood naengmyeon spot in Gunja-dong that's even been on TV.

They've got plenty of phone chargers and a coat rack in the waiting area too — nice attention to detail!

What to order at Sosa Myeonok for two

On Naver, Sosa Myeonok ranks as the #1 naengmyeon spot near Gunja Station, specializing in hamheung-style noodles. Mul-naengmyeon, bibim-naengmyeon, kodari-naengmyeon, and deulgireum-naengmyeon are the signature dishes. Every other table around us had a bowl of naengmyeon too. We went with the small bossam set and the perilla-oil hamheung noodles.

They brought us a kettle of warm broth first, so I poured a cup and drank it. It really wakes up your appetite.

They bring out the side dishes first, and any extras you want you grab yourself from the self-serve bar.

Small bossam set and perilla-oil hamheung noodles — the best combo for two 💚

Small bossam set — dried pollock on top of the pork

The boiled pork, bossam radish, and bossam kimchi all come on one plate, and they gave us dried pollock (kodari) to go with it too.

We followed their tip and put the dried pollock on top of the pork — genuinely delicious. Having the pollock included was such a nice touch.

Piling the pork onto the napa cabbage leaves with chili, garlic, ssamjang (dipping sauce), and salted shrimp that come alongside is the way to go.

The meat was soft and delicious, with no gamey smell at all.

Perilla-oil hamheung noodles — finish with rice mixed in

Sosa Myeonok's hamheung noodles are tossed in perilla oil and their special sauce.

The noodles were sweet and nutty, and there's a nice chewy bite to it too. Best noodle dish. I really wish they sold this perilla oil and special sauce 💚

When you're almost done with the noodles, mix in the rice that comes with it — it's ridiculously good.

I'd really recommend ordering both dishes together.

Next time: yukjeon, bibim-naengmyeon, and makgeolli

There are side menu items too — jeyuk, yukjeon (beef pancake), handmade mandu — and next time I want to order yukjeon, bibim-naengmyeon, and makgeolli (rice wine), pile the bibim-naengmyeon on top of the yukjeon, and wash it down with a glass of makgeolli. 🍶

Sosa Myeonok is a well-known Gunja bossam spot among Sejong University students, families, older folks, and hikers alike.

On a hot summer day, Sosa Myeonok's mul-naengmyeon is great for solo dining without feeling self-conscious. A mul-naengmyeon and mandu combo, or bibim-naengmyeon and mandu, would probably be great too.

After watching the fireworks from Yongmasan and Achasan, I loved it so much I'm already planning to go hiking again — and every time, I'll be stopping by Sosa Myeonok.

With parking right out front and plenty of room for family gatherings, group meetups, or company dinners, Sosa Myeonok is a bossam spot near Gunja Station and a Korean restaurant near Children's Grand Park that's well worth a visit.