Hamheung Naengmyeon in Seoul: Ojang-dong and Beyond

Pyongyang naengmyeon gets the attention: the pale broth, the long queues, the arguments about whether it tastes of anything. Its northern neighbor works the other way. Hamheung naengmyeon is loud from the first bite: chewy starch noodles you need scissors to cut, a red sauce that is sweet, sour and hot at once, and slices of marinated raw fish on top. Its home in Seoul is two old shops in Ojang-dong, a few blocks from Dongdaemun, opened by people who fled the north during the Korean War. This guide is the companion to our Pyongyang naengmyeon guide.

What is Hamheung naengmyeon, and how is it different from Pyongyang's?

It is a starch-noodle dish from northeastern Korea, chewy where Pyongyang naengmyeon is soft. The National Folk Museum of Korea’s encyclopedia of food and dress, in an entry by food historian Joo Young-ha, defines it as noodles made from potato starch, served in broth or mixed with sauce. In Hamgyeong Province people call the dish 농마국수 (nongma guksu), nongma being the local word for starch, and the version topped with marinated flounder or pollock is hoe guksu. The same entry says the name “Hamheung naengmyeon” arose in response to the popularity of Pyongyang naengmyeon, and spread after the war when refugees from Hamgyeong Province settled in the Pil-dong and Ojang-dong area of Seoul. In the South the noodles came to be made with sweet-potato starch, mixed with some buckwheat.

The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture adds that in the South the raw flounder gave way to skate (hongeo), and the museum entry notes that cheap skate was the usual topping until the 1970s. Both sources make one point worth repeating: Hamheung naengmyeon is not only the spicy kind. Hamheung itself served noodles in broth as well as mixed, and Ojang-dong’s menus still offer both. For more northern dishes beyond noodles, see our North Korean food guide.

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Mul, bibim or hoe: which should you order?

Order hoe naengmyeon if you want the Ojang-dong experience, bibim if you don’t eat raw fish, and mul if spice is a problem. At the two Ojang-dong shops all three cost the same, so the choice is purely about taste.

🍜 Hamheung naengmyeon: three ways to order

	Hoe naengmyeon (회냉면)	Bibim naengmyeon (비빔냉면)	Mul naengmyeon (물냉면)
Topping	Marinated raw fish, cucumber, pear, egg	Sliced beef or pork, egg, cucumber	Beef, egg, pickled radish
Sauce or broth	Spicy-sweet chili sauce	Same sauce	Chilled beef broth, no chili
Heat	Hot	Hot	Mild
Texture	Very chewy noodles, firm fish	Chewy	Chewy, refreshing
Ojang-dong price	₩15,000	₩15,000	₩15,000
Choose it if	You want the classic	You skip raw fish	You don’t do spicy

Compared with Pyongyang naengmyeon, the noodle is the real divide, not the broth. Our summer food guide puts the two styles side by side, and our makguksu and kongguksu guide covers the other cold noodles of summer.

How do you eat Hamheung naengmyeon?

Cut, season, mix, and sip the warm broth between bites. The noodles are chewy enough that most people cut them, and the table seasonings are there for you to finish the dish yourself.

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How did Ojang-dong become Seoul's Hamheung naengmyeon street?

War refugees from Hamgyeong Province opened noodle shops there in the 1950s, close to the dried-fish trade of Jungbu Market. Seoul’s Future Heritage register records that Heungnamjip was opened in 1953 by No Yong-eon, passed to her daughter-in-law Kwon Gi-sun in 1968 and is now run with her son Yoon Jae-soon. Accounts differ on where the founder came from (Heungnam, Wonsan or Hamheung), but all describe a refugee from the north. Its neighbor, Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon, is also on the register; the same register page gives both 1953 and “1958 at the current location”, and a 2017 city article says it opened the year after Heungnamjip. We write “1953, at its current site since 1958” as the best reading.

According to Seoul city articles and a 2026 essay on the street, there were more than 20 naengmyeon shops in the area in the 1960s and 70s. A third well-known shop, Sinchang Myeonok, opened in 1980 and, by bloggers’ accounts, closed or moved to Pyeongtaek in 2017. Today the two Future Heritage shops are the street’s specialists, with a galbi house across the road serving cheaper Hamheung-style bowls. Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon was a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2018; no Hamheung naengmyeon shop is on the 2026 list.

Where should you eat Hamheung naengmyeon in Seoul?

We start in Ojang-dong and then spread across the city. Every shop showed dated reviews from 2025–2026 when we checked online in October 2026. Only Heungnamjip publishes its hours itself; other hours and prices come from Dining Code listings and recent reviews. Naengmyeon is always sold per bowl, so solo dining is never an issue. Heungnamjip’s website has English, Chinese and Japanese pages; English menus at the others are not confirmed.

1. Ojangdong Heungnamjip (오장동흥남집 본점) — the 1953 original

The longest-running Hamheung naengmyeon shop in Seoul, still at the same address and now on its fourth generation according to its website. Besides hoe and bibim naengmyeon it offers a mixed version (half fish, half beef), mul naengmyeon and hot noodles (onmyeon), all at one price. Its website explains the seasoning order quoted above. Arrive before noon or after 14:00 to avoid queues. 114 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu · Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Exit 6, 5 minutes; Euljiro 4-ga Exit 8, 7 minutes (official site) · 11:00–20:30 (last order 20:00), closed Wednesdays, or Thursday when Wednesday is a holiday · all naengmyeon ₩15,000, extra noodles ₩8,000, boiled beef ₩30,000, dumplings (4) ₩7,000 📍 Open in Naver Map

2. Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon (오장동함흥냉면) — next door, with the kettle

A few doors from Heungnamjip and its long-time rival, also a Seoul Future Heritage site and listed as a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2018. A recent reviewer mentions the kettle of warm broth brought to the table. The menu mirrors its neighbor’s, with bigger plates of boiled beef and spicy raw fish to share. Recent reviews mention queues even on weekdays, and a few complain about brusque service. 108 Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu · next to Heungnamjip · 11:00–20:00 per Dining Code (closing day not confirmed) · hoe, bibim, mul and hot noodles ₩15,000 each, extra noodles ₩8,000, boiled beef ₩40,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

3. Myeongdong Hamheung Myeonok (명동함흥면옥) — Hamheung noodles in the middle of Myeongdong

Tucked in an alley behind Myeongdong’s shopping streets, this is the most convenient Hamheung naengmyeon for most visitors; a 2022 Seoul city article noted that many foreign tourists come here. Reviewers say staff ask before cutting your noodles. Hoe naengmyeon is ₩1,000 more than the other two. 35-19 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu · Myeongdong and Euljiro 1-ga stations area · Mon–Sat 11:00–20:00, closed Sundays · hoe ₩14,000, bibim ₩13,000, mul ₩13,000, extra noodles ₩6,500, dumplings ₩11,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

4. Hamheung Naengmyeon, Yeongdeungpo (함흥냉면 영등포) — the west Seoul old-timer

A blogger dates this shop to 1967; we have not found an official year. It is a straightforward neighborhood naengmyeon house near Yeongdeungpo Market that keeps the warm-broth custom: a September 2026 review mentions both hot broth to drink and broth to pour over the noodles. Open all day without a break. 6 Yeongdeungpo-ro 42-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu · Yeongdeungpo Market Station area · 11:00–21:40 daily · hoe, mul and bibim ₩15,000 each, extra noodles ₩7,000, boiled beef ₩30,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

5. Asojeong (아소정) — ray hoe naengmyeon in Mapo

A Mapo naengmyeon house best known for its ray (gaori) hoe naengmyeon, the closest thing on this list to the old skate topping. It also has a half-and-half “seokkeum” bowl and a house special called Daewongun naengmyeon. There is a second branch in Cheongnyangni. 9 Baekbeom-ro 25-gil, Mapo-gu · Daeheung and Gongdeok stations area · 11:30–21:30 daily · ray hoe naengmyeon ₩14,000, mul or bibim ₩12,000

📍 Open in Naver Map

🥢 6 more Hamheung-style naengmyeon shops (menus checked October 2026)

#	Shop	Area	Hoe / bibim / mul	Notes	Access
6	Busan Galbi (부산갈비)	Ojang-dong	₩11,000 each	A galbi house on the naengmyeon street serving Hamheung-style bowls; the cheapest way to eat on Mareunnae-ro	Next to the two specialists
7	Hamheung Gombo Naengmyeon (함흥곰보냉면)	Sewoon Sangga, Jongno	₩14,000 / 13,000 / 13,000	On the 4th floor of Sewoon Sangga per reviews; 10:30–19:30	Jongno 3-ga / 4-ga area
8	Obok Hamheung Naengmyeon (오복함흥냉면)	Namyeong-dong, Yongsan	₩13,000 each	Featured on Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant; moved in front of the station; closed Wednesdays (per listing)	Sookmyung Women’s Univ. Station
9	Gyeongdong Hamheung Naengmyeon (경동함흥냉면)	Gyeongdong Market, Dongdaemun-gu	₩13,000 / 11,000 / 11,000	Opened 1995 (Seoul city article, 2022); warm broth; skate salad to share	Jegi-dong / Cheongnyangni area
10	Yu Jeong-u Hamheung Naengmyeon (유정우 함흥냉면)	Namseong Sagye Market, Dongjak-gu	₩12,000 / 11,000 / 11,000	Reviewers say it makes its own sweet-potato starch noodles; large size available; 11:00–19:30	Isu / Namseong area
11	Gitdaebong Naengmyeon (깃대봉냉면)	Venezia Mega Mall, Hwanghak-dong	– / ₩10,000 / ₩10,000	Seoul-style spicy bibim naengmyeon with 5 heat levels, not classic Hamheung; closed Mondays	Sindang / Dongmyo area

📍 Busan Galbi — Open in Naver Map 📍 Hamheung Gombo — Open in Naver Map 📍 Obok — Open in Naver Map 📍 Gyeongdong — Open in Naver Map 📍 Yu Jeong-u — Open in Naver Map 📍 Gitdaebong — Open in Naver Map

Branches help if you are elsewhere: Heungnamjip has outlets in Sillim and at Seoul Station, and Ojangdong Hamheung Naengmyeon has one at the Express Bus Terminal’s Famille Station. Other Hamheung-style shops we have covered: Somunnan Naengmyeon in Cheongnyangni Market, Gangnam Myeonok in Apgujeong and Heungmi Myeonok near the Express Bus Terminal. Ojang-dong is a 10-minute walk from Dongdaemun Design Plaza, so it pairs well with an afternoon there or with the dakhanmari alley in Jongno 5-ga.