Bongpyeong buckwheat noodles with no wait on weekdays: Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

When you're in Bongpyeong, Gangwon, it's buckwheat! Let me introduce Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon, made with hand-milled buckwheat and famous enough to have appeared on chef Edward Lee's cooking show — a place where you can taste the pure flavor of the buckwheat itself.

Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon hours and parking

• Hours: 10:00 – 17:00
• Closed: every Wednesday
• Parking: available across the street

Any wait on a weekday?

The exterior alone screams Korean-food destination! There's usually a long wait, but since we went on a weekday, there was no waiting for us. Still, the inside was packed with people — proof this is the real deal. We walked in with high expectations.

This place is famous enough to have appeared on Edward Lee's Country Cook TV show — are we really eating here with zero wait?! At the entrance you'll see lots of photos of chef Edward Lee.

Room or hall — where to sit?

Inside there are several semi-private rooms where you can eat with a bit more privacy. Each room has about two tables, so think of it as fitting around two groups.

The hall, outside the rooms, feels wide and open. It was full of people and had that lively restaurant buzz! Lots of families come, and plenty of older guests too — we visited as newlyweds.

What we ordered and the prices

• Migayeon mul makguksu ₩12,000
• Buckwheat-sprout boiled pork (domestic) ₩30,000
• Total ₩45,000

The chopsticks and spoons come hygienically packed in a case! The basic side dishes were kimchi, pickled radish, and chopped chili — all clean, no-frills, and genuinely delicious.

Buckwheat-sprout boiled pork, ₩30,000 — boiled in buckwheat noodle water

Our boiled pork arrived! Wow, the meat looked tender just to look at. Boiled with buckwheat sprouts in buckwheat noodle water, it turned out even softer, chewier, and cleaner-tasting. This isn't ordinary boiled pork — it has real depth of flavor, and once you pile on the buckwheat sprouts, salted shrimp, and pickles, you'll understand exactly why people come to Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon!

It's been a long time since I had boiled pork this soft and flavorful. Being domestic pork, there's no gamey smell at all — it's meat you can trust. The price is a bit high, but it's worth every won. If you're curious, try the small size first.

The tastiest way to eat it is with buckwheat sprouts, pickled radish, kimchi, salted shrimp, and pickles all together! The pork is so good on its own that you should also try a single piece by itself — the clean, savory taste is no joke!

Migayeon mul makguksu, ₩12,000

This is the ₩12,000 Migayeon mul makguksu! It's tossed with fragrant perilla oil and soy sauce, and I'm told it's the restaurant's signature dish. The added perilla powder pairs beautifully with the buckwheat's natural flavor, and it seems easy on the stomach even for people with weak digestion. What I liked most was that there was no bloated feeling afterward — just clean and light. Topped with buckwheat sprouts for extra texture, it's a dish where you can experience taste, texture, and aroma all at once!

If you dip the noodles into the accompanying broth, soba-style, the salty depth adds even more variety to the flavor.

The buckwheat sprouts are coated in seaweed flakes and perilla powder, and their crunchy bite goes really well with the buckwheat noodles, so be sure to eat them together! The sprouts were fresh, and tasted nothing like the radish sprouts I've had before!

The noodles at Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon are made from 100% buckwheat by an owner recognized as a Korean Food Master, so you can taste the buckwheat's pure flavor exactly as it is. If you love tasting ingredients in their natural form, this dish will really do it for you. I loved the buckwheat's aroma — it had this fresh, grassy quality, like standing in a green field!

Two ways to eat the mul makguksu

First, dip the noodles in broth

Here are two ways to enjoy the mul makguksu. The first is dipping the noodles into the broth served alongside! If you find the noodles too mild on their own, this will hit the seasoning just right.

Second, add a drop of vinegared kelp

The second method is dropping in a bit of vinegared kelp and eating it together! This was my favorite. The combination of vinegared kelp, buckwheat noodles, and perilla oil was incredible. The tang from the kelp really brings out the aroma and flavor of the clean buckwheat noodles!

I also tried the noodles together with the boiled pork, and oh, this was great too! In the end, whether it's the pork or the buckwheat noodles, the ingredients are so good that any combination tastes delicious.

Pets are not allowed inside, and you can enjoy coffee for dessert!

An Edward Lee-featured restaurant made with 100% Bongpyeong buckwheat

What we loved about Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon

This is our honest review after a delicious meal at Bongpyeong Memil Migayeon 💗

• Featured on chef Edward Lee's Country Cook show
• Buckwheat makguksu made by a certified Korean Food Master
• You can genuinely taste the fragrant, natural flavor of buckwheat
• All the ingredients are fresh