On April 27, Korea held the historic inter-Korean summit, where the two leaders of the peninsula met to discuss their shared direction toward permanent peace in the land.
The meeting has brought a particular dish to the limelight. Crossing the border, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brought a noodle maker and the chef from a famous Pyongyang restaurant with him to deliver North Korea’s signature dish naengmyeon. Soon after the summit, #PyongyangNaengmyeon was brought to the top of Korean-language Twitter’s trending topics and people flocked to the nearest naengmyeon restaurants to form long lines.
If you want to join the naengmyeon craze in Korea, here is the list of places where you can find the best Pyongyang-style naengmyeon – at least in the Southern part of Korea.
Eulmildae
24, Sungmun-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Named as one of the six best naengmyeon places in Seoul, Eulmildae is renowned for its rich meat broth using Korean beef. The toppings comprise a classic combination of beef brisket, cucumber, boiled egg and pickled radish, served on top of buckwheat noodles neatly placed in icy broth.
Wooraeok
62-29, Changgyeonggung-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Wooraeok is the place where you can try the popular combination of Korean bbq and naengmyeon. Start your meal by grilling high-quality Korean beef bulgogi and conclude it with a sip of crisp naengmyeon broth.
Pildong Myeonok
26, Seoae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
A Michelin-listed Pyongyang-style restaurant, Pildong Myeonok is known both for naengmyeon and side dishes like steamed dumplings and sliced “pressed meat,” pyeonyuk. The broth here is known to be less salty and rather comforting.
Pyongyang Myeonok
207, Jangchungdan-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
The established naengmyeon parlor, which is continuing its business over three generations, serves various North Korean delicacies, as well as Pyongyang-style naengmyeon characterized by the clear broth.
By Heewon Kim
