A Myeongdong Kyoja Seoul Review 2026- good enough that we ate there a few times when in South Korea, but we didn't love every dish!
Myeongdong KYOJA 명동교자 is a noodle restaurant in Seoul that became super famous after it was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
A family-owned enterprise since 1966, it has a very simple menu specializing in dumplings and Kalguksu Noodles, with only 3-4 items. (When I went in April for lunch, the Noodles in Soybean Soup were not served. (It's a seasonal dish only available in summer.))
If you're traveling alone in Seoul, you'll be happy to hear that Kyoja accepts solo diners. (Some restaurants in Korea- not so much in central Seoul, more in Busan- will only accept tables of 2 or more.)
Menu
The 4 dishes on the menu are:
- Kalguksu noodle soup (Knife-cut noodles in chicken broth)
- Bibimguksu spicy noodles
- Mandu dumplings
- Kongguksu noodles in cold soybean soup (Only available in the summer. Click here for tips if visiting Seoul in June.)
You'll get very affordable prices here: I was very impressed by the quality and quantity of the food for the price! (The best kind of food.)
I've tried everything except Kongguksu, because I try not to be in Seoul during the summer! (Too hot.) Everything was delicious- but not suitable for everyone, more on this below- and this is a great place to get a hearty Korean breakfast in Myeong Dong. (I prefer to go for breakfast as the queue isn't quite as long then.)
The website says that they use the "best and freshest ingredients" which I fully believe, because everything tasted so good!
Fun fact: the website also says that farm produce tastes the worst in April to June- who knew?
Our Experience
I dined here twice on my last trip:
- The first time was with my 75 year old mother for breakfast after checking in at Lotte Hotel. (We were waiting for my Aunts to finish their Sulwhasoo facials.) Despite arriving just as the restaurant was opening, we had to join a queue on the ground floor and move up to another floor where the restaurant is located. Luckily the queue moved fast
- The second time was a solo lunch for myself. The queue for lunch was longer than for breakfast.
Breakfast
On entering Myeongdong Kyoja restaurant, you'll find pictures of the menu (4 items) on the walls, so that the customers can decide what to order whilst waiting. Within 10 minutes we were able to share a table with 2 other customers (whom we did not know.)
We ordered:
- pork dumplings
- chopped noodles served with minced chicken.
The service was extremely efficient: our soup noodle and pork dumplings arrived very shortly after our order.
The piping hot noodle soup comes with minced meat and dumplings.
It was delicious- despite having a very light broth, it was full of flavor and you could taste the smokiness of the meat in the soup. The hand-cut noodles were smooth and slippery, with just the right amount of bite. The robust soup flavor almost tricked me into thinking it was a pork broth!
The steamed dumplings were rather large and filled with juicy meat. The thin skin was almost translucent- it's a bit like an oversized Xiao Long Bao- but I think the most memorable thing about them was the amount of meat. Apparently, all the pork is from a female pig (and mixed with leeks, veggies, and sesame oil.) Best eaten with their signature garlic-laden kimchi!
Note: the noodles come with dumplings in the soup, so you don't need to order the dumplings. I was just being greedy and wanted to try both, since the 2 dumplings are a little different. (Expect hefty portions, so just only 1 if you're a small eater.)
Both dishes were good, but if I had to choose only 1, I'd go for the Knife Cut handmade kal-guksu noodles.
Almost every table ordered the dumpling soup noodles and the restaurant was fully packed despite their limited menu.
Kimchi is available at the side of the restaurant and is one of the specialties of the restaurant. It's stored for at least 3 years and a must try! But note that it is spicy. (The staff of the restaurant will not point the location of the kimchi out to you- feel free to look and go help yourself.)
Lunch
This time I ordered the Bibim Cold Noodles.
I normally LOVE spicy food, and Korean cold noodles is one of my faves. So I was really surprised by how spicy the Bibim Guksu was! So spicy I wondered if I would get a tummy upset!
Note: if you can't take spicy food, try these chili-free Korean foods.
Location
Address: This famous restaurant actually has 2 outlets in the heart of Myeongdong (so if the queue is long at one, you can always try the other- they're located very closeby!)
- 8 Myeongdong 10-Gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
- 29, Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
You can get there by taking the subway to Myeongdong Station (Seoul Subway Line 4) Exit 8. After exiting Myeong-dong station, turn left on to Myeongdong 10-Gil Road and after about 150 meters, you'll find the first restaurant on your right. Another 130m or so later, the 2nd will be on your left. (Remember that Google Maps doesn't work here, so you'll need Naver or Kakao Maps.)
Note: there's also a 3rd outlet near Itaewon (136, Noksapyeong-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul)
Operating hours: 10.30 am - 8.30 pm, Mondays to Sundays
Reservations not accepted
Expect to spend about 10,000 - 20,000 Korean Won per person
Ambience
The food is good but this is a cheap eats kind of place. (Prices are in-line with other Mom-and-pop restuarants in Korea, so it's not really cheap for Seoul, but it is VERY good value.)
Despite its nod from Michelin, it has a simple décor.
Like the typical Korean family restaurant, there's free water and tissues on the table.
Tables are small and quite cramped. Don't expect much service here! (The food comes super fast though.) And don't expect the staff to speak Korean, but you should be able to get by with Papago, one of the must-download free apps before visiting Korea.
You'll find both locals and foreign tourists here. (A good mix.)
Seniors' Tip: The tables are so close to each other, I'm not sure you could get a wheelchair in here. If you look at the photo above, it was just my Mom and I dining but we were SO close to our neighbours, it looked like we were together!
Would I return?
The Michelin guide can be hit-or-miss in Asia, but I had a very good meal at Myeongdong Kyoja- it wasn't the BEST meal I've ever had in Korea but it's near the top.
Whilst everyone has different taste buds, I definitely think it's worth trying at least once (as long as you don't have to wait longer than 15-20 mintues and don't mind casual dining at an inexpensive restaurant.)
We would definitely return!
Any questions about eating at Myeongdong Kyoja? Let me know in the comments!
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