Jinmi Pyeongyang Naengmyeon: Michelin Bib Gourmand in Seoul

2019-06-29 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

To wrap up 2018 on a high note, I wanted to eat something pretty nice for dinner, but surprisingly, nowhere was open today. After wandering around Gangnam for 30 minutes, the older brother I was having dinner with suddenly muttered, "I know a place," like he was possessed by a shaman, and brought us to Jinmi Pyeongyang Naengmyeon.

I had never eaten there before, but I'd heard the name since it's so famous among Pyeongyang naengmyeon (cold noodle) enthusiasts. I knew it was well-known, but still, I couldn't understand why we were getting cold noodles on a freezing day like today. But that slight disappointment quickly turned into curiosity and anticipation when he ordered a dish I had never heard of in my life: eobok jaengban (North Korean beef platter).

Exterior of Jinmi Pyeongyang Naengmyeon (cold noodle) restaurant with its sign lit up on a dark night.

Menu specializing in Pyeongyang Naengmyeon and alcoholic beverages hanging on the restaurant wall. — The food and the soju are mostly on the pricey side, but let's not forget we're right in the middle of Gangnam.

After a little while, something massive arrived. It was half meat and half vegetables, and it looked so visually stunning that my mouth watered the moment I saw it. The pre-meal presentation is so impressive that you could easily polish off half a bottle of soju just from the smell and the table setting. The server, speaking with a Korean-Chinese accent (though they might actually be from the North), told us the food was already somewhat cooked and to eat it after letting it simmer just a bit more. Since it's a North Korean restaurant, the server's accent actually boosted my trust in the food.

Once the food was roughly cooked, I took a bite and immediately thought, "Ah! This is the ultimate soju appetizer." I don't know if the restaurant was opened by someone from the North, but I looked it up and it's run by a former chef from Pyeongyang Myeonok, so they definitely know the key points of North Korean cuisine. My family is also originally from the North, so I've sometimes had dumplings or soup that tasted almost bland because they were so lightly seasoned, and this tasted exactly like that. However, according to what I've heard (though I'm not sure if it's reliable), that blandness actually comes from dumping a ton of salt into it. Maybe that's why the soju goes down so smoothly after eating it. It really was the perfect place to spend the last day of 2018.

Hot pot dish generously filled with boiled beef slices, crown daisy, perilla leaves, boiled egg, and mushrooms on a brass platter.

Close-up of thinly sliced boiled beef, green vegetables, and enoki mushrooms served on a brass platter.

Eobok-jaengban (beef and vegetable hot pot) full of meat and vegetables placed on a portable gas stove on a table.

Brass platter stand placed on a portable gas stove with a blue flame lit. — The bowl for the eobok jaengban looks custom-ordered. This brass platter is also an essential element.

It's hard for beef to taste bad, but I really enjoyed this. I heard that eobok jaengban is a dish from the Pyeongan Province region of North Korea, meaning any place that sells Pyeongyang naengmyeon will usually sell it too. But since the style varies slightly from restaurant to restaurant, figuring out those differences is part of the fun. The eobok jaengban we had today at Jinmi Pyeongyang Naengmyeon had fewer noodles and a lot of vegetables, which made for a great texture when eaten with the meat. The platter looked shallow at first, which was a bit disappointing, but as we ate, we realized it actually held a surprisingly large amount of food.

I'm not sure when I'll be back, but it seems like a great place to visit whenever you want to boost your energy, whether you're celebrating something good or dealing with something bad.

Boiling Eobok-jaengban hot pot with wilted vegetables mixed with boiled beef slices.

A piece of thickly sliced boiled meat held up with chopsticks.

Pyeongyang Naengmyeon with clear broth, noodles, and a boiled egg in a stainless steel bowl.

Cold noodles with neatly coiled noodles, cucumber, and a boiled egg in clear broth. — I was full, but since it's their signature dish, I still had a bowl of Pyeongyang naengmyeon.

Revisiting Jinmi Pyeongyang Naengmyeon in July 2019

Hot pot dish with meat, mushrooms, vegetables, and a boiled egg on a brass platter, with a sauce bowl placed on perilla leaves in the center.

Hot pot with thinly sliced boiled meat, enoki mushrooms, and green vegetables in a shallow broth. — The boiled pork slices are still delicious, and the incredible pairing with soju remains the same.

Three large, glossy steamed dumplings placed on a white plate. — I was super full, but I tried the dumplings I missed last time. For North Korean-style dumplings, they aren't bland and are actually well-seasoned. Just as the rumors say, they are incredibly delicious.

Cold noodles in clear broth accompanied by a piece of meat and half a boiled egg. — The person I went with said they usually don't eat Pyeongyang naengmyeon because it tastes bad, but they slurped this right up, saying it was delicious.

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