My previous report from Seoul was of dinner at Nampo Myeonok. That meal was centered on naengmyeon. My report today is of a lunch at another of Seoul’s venerable restaurants. This meal was also centered on noodles and noodle soups, none of which were naengmyeon. We were at Myeongdong Kyoja, a restaurant, famous for their food and also for only having four dishes on the menu between April and October (and only three between November and March). We were there in July. There were four dishes on the menu and there were four of us there to eat, and so we got one of everything; it was the right thing to do.

The name of the restaurant tells you two things: that they are located in Myeongdong (though there is also a branch in Itaewon) and that they serve kyoja or dumplings. You might think therefore that they are a dumpling specialist but in fact what they are best known for is their kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup)—presented here with mandu and a scattering of ground beef over the top. Indeed, the restaurant’s original name was Myeongdong Kalguksu—as per the menu, they changed it to the current name in 1978 in order to distinguish themselves from the many copycat kalguksu restaurants that sprang up in their wake. But you might say that they’re best known for everything on their menu as, again, there are only two other things on the menu. The other regular dish is their bibimguksu, or cold noodles in a spicy dressing. The seasonal dish is kongguksu or noodles in a cold soy milk-based soup.

Myeongdong Kyoja has been around since the early 1960s, though not at the location we ate at (the original is also in Myeongdong but it’s no longer the main branch). It’s even older than Nampo Myeonok, which opened in the early 1970s. Like Nampo Myeonok, they have received Michelin recognition for some years now—though, unlike Nampo Myeonok, they currently hold a Bib Gourmand. This inevitably means that we were not the only tourists in the restaurant. But it’s not foreign tourists that are keeping them going: the place was stuffed to the gills with Korean diners as well. And there’s quite a lot of the place to stuff at the main branch: the restaurant is spread over three floors. And so though it is very popular, there are a lot of tables. And with an ultra-focused menu, the food comes out very quickly and turnover is pretty rapid. Service is efficient, brisk and impersonal even by Korean standards—there are even robot servers used to send food out to tables and bus used plates etc.

We were lucky to be seated right away on the first floor (second floor in American parlance) at one of the long tables that run through the dining room. In theory you’re sharing your table with strangers on both sides; but if you’re in a group of four, you’re effectively at your own table. It didn’t take very long to get our order in (and you pay as you order) and it didn’t take very long for the food to arrive. There’s almost no banchan; indeed, all you get is their famous garlicky kimchi, of which there are containers on every table.

For a closer look at the restaurant and the food, launch the slideshow below. Scroll down to see what we made of the food, how much it cost and to see what’s coming next.

We enjoyed all the food, though—as at Nampo Myeonok—I wouldn’t make very large claims for any of it. There’s a lot of very good kalguksu and mandu/dumplings in Seoul and while Myeongdong Kyoja’s versions are very good, they don’t really stand out in the crowd. Indeed, I might have liked the bibimguksu (wheat noodles made green with chlorella) more than the kalguksu. Whatever you make of it, it’s always nice to eat in restaurants that have been around for more than 60 years.

The total cost for the meal was 48,000 won or just about $35. That’s pretty good value.

My next restaurant report will also be from Seoul. That’ll go up on Tuesday. On Wednesday I’ll have a report on the lunch we are scheduled to eat at Grand Szechuan in less than 12 hours.