Myeongdong Kyoja (명동교자) - Myeongdong - Seoul, South Korea.

Myeongdong Kyoja

Myeongdong Kyoja's restaurant has been around for a long time. With operations spanning for more than 50 years, there is certainly a long history behind the story to achieving the success they have managed to accomplish and sustain till today. Indeed it is very popular with locals and has become an attraction for visitors to Myeongdong. They are famous for their hand rolled noodles called 'Kalguksu' in Korean.

The main restaurant is located in Myeongdong and its branch is also located in Myeongdong. Both are in close walking proximity to each other and positioned within the same block. There is no other place in Seoul that you would be able to find this eatery as these are the only two.

This restaurant is relatively easy to locate as it is close to the cathedral. At the front of the store there are huge pictures of the menu items so it's hard to miss. Do pay attention to the logo with the bowl as this distinguishes them from competitors, in which many have tried to emulate their success.

The interior is decked with wooden tables and is clean, spacious and well lit. There are plenty of tables packed together on two levels so finding a table shouldn't be much of a problem. However, do expect to queue up during peak hour lunch or dinner as I've read it is continuously busy day in and day out but the lines move quickly. Do not be deterred by the long lines weaving out from the entrance.

Upon entry, the uniformed waitress shows you to your table and provides you with a menu. Then she returns to take your order and you have to pay straight away. I like this system as you don't have to wave down the waitress just to get the bill at the end of the meal.

Each person gets that own portion of kimchi and the waitress occasionally tops up the plate. The kimchi here has a lot of garlic and hot pepper.

Condiments are on each table and please note the cutlery are in the drawers under the table. We had trouble locating this and we had to ask the waitress who then pointed to the draws. Silly us.

The menu is limited which makes deciding and ordering very easy. There are four items to choose from and they are all priced at 8,000 KRW. This includes the Kalguksu (hand rolled noodle soup), Mandu (steamed dumplings), Bibim Guksu (noodles with vegetables and red pepper paste) and Kongguksu (noodles in cold soy milk broth). Everything here is thus very affordable and friendly on the wallet.

Before we even sat down, we already knew what we wanted. As we weren't very accustomed to eating cold noodles and wanted something meaty, that only left us with two choices.

The 'Kalguksu (KRW 8,000)' is a Korean handmade noodle dish. It is served in a hot chicken broth with dumplings, mince meat and vegetables. The broth is boiled down for many hours, giving it that deep and rich hearty flavour.The handmade noodles are knife cut and they were exceptional.  Soft, chewy and dense but still having that bite to it and as they call it 'al dente'. The perfect comfort food.

'Mandu (KRW 8,000)' are steamed dumplings. These are no ordinary dumplings. 10 big, plump and juicy dumplings. The outer shells are silky smooth and paper thing to the point of being near translucent. These are stuffed with a mixture of pork, leek and vegetable. These dumplings reminded me of the Chinese dumplings and were absolutely scrumptious! It was so good and till today I still have memories of eating these morsels.

These are best eaten warm so my tip is to eat quickly before it gets cold.

Ingredients are fresh, food is tasty and the prices are reasonable. If you're in Seoul then I recommend dropping by for a taste of authentic Korean cuisine.

Where?
29 Myeongdong 10-gil,
Jung-gu,
Seoul
South Korea

Phone no: 82 2776 5348/3424

Opening Hours
7 Days a Week
10:30am - 9:30pm

Website 
http://www.mdkj.co.kr/

*Refer to website for map