A Bowl of Buckwheat Soba and the Warmth of White Waxy Barley: Everyday Food Gunsan Locals Line Up For

In the food culture of Gunsan's old downtown, one genre with roots as deep as baking and Chinese food is soba, Japanese-style buckwheat noodles. 'Daejeong Soba' in Wolmyeong-dong is a long-running 100-seat restaurant open 10:00–20:00 all year round. Tray soba, chewy buckwheat noodles served with a rich dipping broth, hot soba and udon are loved in every season.

'Myeongdong Soba' in Jangmi-dong is also a soba specialist that is good to drop into on an old downtown walk. Besides classic mori soba, it has buckwheat noodles mixed with nutty perilla oil, sweet and spicy mixed buckwheat noodles and crisp buckwheat pancakes. You can try a range of buckwheat dishes to suit your taste.

Gunsan white waxy barley, grown on large reclaimed land in the West Sea wind, is very sticky and soft in texture. It is a local specialty registered under the Geographical Indication system. The place to enjoy the true worth of this barley as a hearty meal is the Korean restaurant 'Arirang'. It serves white waxy barley mixed rice bowls with grains that pop, golden grilled tongue sole set meals, and barley pork cutlets and barley cold noodles with spicy raw fish that children like too.

If you want to enjoy barley as a dessert, head to 'Ppang Gumneun Onammae' on Oryong-ro in Myeongsan-dong. Its signature item is a fluffy, soft white waxy barley bousse, and it bakes wholesome, nutty barley goods such as barley walnut glutinous bread and waxy barley choco pies.

The Seongsan-myeon and Napo-myeon area, home to the Geumgang Estuary Bank and the Geumgang Future Experience Center, is a cluster of large local restaurants with ample parking and seats. Side by side on Cheolsae-ro in Seongsan-myeon are two knife-cut noodle soup restaurants. 'Geumgang Haemul Kalguksu' has 200 seats and parking for 100 cars and serves abalone knife-cut noodle soup and pork cutlet. 'Singane Kalguksu' serves red bean knife-cut noodle soup, littleneck clam knife-cut noodle soup, hard clam knife-cut noodle soup, black soybean noodle soup and a homemade king pork cutlet. Their knife-cut noodle soup, in a refreshing broth made from West Sea shellfish, soothes a traveler's stomach.

'Onggojip Ssambap' on Seowang-gil in Napo-myeon has 400 seats and parking for 100 cars, and serves generous leafy greens and spicy pork rice wrap set meals all year round. 'Gunsan Bokjip', a 150-seat restaurant near the old downtown, adds class to meals with elders with its clear, deep-broth puffer fish soup, monkfish stew and pollack stew.

For a light, quick lunch in the old downtown, Daejeong Soba or Myeongdong Soba turns tables quickly and saves waiting time. For a neat Korean set table, Arirang or Gunsan Bokjip suits you.

On days when you drive the eastern outskirts, such as the Geumgang Estuary Bank, the Geumgang Future Experience Center and Cheongamsan Mountain, choose Geumgang Haemul Kalguksu, Singane Kalguksu or Onggojip Ssambap, where parking is no worry. They fit your route perfectly.