Seongcheon Makguksu 성천막국수

A brush-written sign on the wall reads 'drink first, noodles later', and the meal follows it: jeyuk (sliced pork) with soju, then buckwheat noodles. Mul-makguksu, the cold version, holds nothing but thick house-made buckwheat noodles in a mild dongchimi (radish water kimchi) broth, a taste that splits people much like Pyongyang naengmyeon. Jjanji, thin slices of aged dongchimi radish, gets dressed at the table with seasoning sauce, mustard and vinegar and goes well with the pork. The shop opened in 1966 as Pyeongnam Makguksu. Because noodles are pressed to order, even a quiet hour means about a 10-minute wait.