Hansol Noodle

It was okay, I mean just okay. I had their Bibim Nengmyun and Galbi Combo twice and both times were somewhat of let-​down because they were just okay. They were good enough to curve my appetite for nengmyun and galbi combo, but not good enough to deliver that foodgasm I demand when I’m eating them.
The service has always been prompt, friendly and efficient although they were confused about who serves which tables on my last visit. It was humorous listening on that conversation. Although I would certainly step by for a meal if I’m in the neighborhood, I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to eat my favorite Korean combo meal.
Nearest Metro Station: Purple Line at Wilshire/​Western Station

Honestly, I’ve never had this kind of cold noodle before. It is definitely to die for. Usually with cold noodle, i would add vinegar and mustard to the broth as usual but for this one? It didn’t need to be changed at all. The noodles were the highlight, thin and chewy but not too much. Definitely the star of the dish. We ordered the combo which meant it came with galbi or beef ribs. I could have done without that because it came with like 6 square pieces?? but it was still good. The noodles are on the pricier side at 10 bucks a bowl, 19 for the combo. They also give you yooksoo in the beginning which is a beef bone broth. Very flavorful! I will definitely be back for the cold noodles, a dish I’m already craving again.

Expected a lot more from their nengmyun since that’s their «specialty.» The interior is upscale and comfortable. Service was great. The food however, not so much. I ordered their spicy nengmyun, my wife got their bibimbop, my other friends ordered mul nengmyun + beef rib combo and beef rib soup. The side dishes weren’t impressive. The hot yooksoo soup was the highlight of the meal. My nengmyun had too much red sauce in it. I was looking for the «it» factor but it wasn’t there. It was decent, but nothing special about it. My wife said her bibeambop was bland and too simple in flavors and didn’t even finish it. My friends didn’t rave about their entrees either. I read the reviews prior to coming here and so luckily, didn’t expect much.

Their cold noodles (nengmyun) is to die for. I love the soup, the noodles, the side dishes, everything. They also give you hot meat broth to drink and it just makes you feel so warm and good inside.
Also great is the seafood pancake-​it comes out on a hot skillet and is thick and meaty but crispy on the outside. The galbi is also good.
Really enjoy the design and atmosphere of this spacious restaurant. I’m craving this place already.

Ok. I think there’s a reason this place has such bad reviews. First off, the wait time for food is incredibly long. I was pretty annoyed because people who had come 20 minutes after us got their food before us.
Secondly, the food itself. We ordered a decent variety of food: cold noodles (mul naeng myun), spicy noodles (bibim naeng myun), beef dumplings (mandoo), dduk galbi & bibimbab. Everything gets. 1 star. I’ve had better mandoo buying a frozen pack from the k-​market and the dduk galbi came out super cold… (3 small saltine-​cracker size pieces for $ 15? Really?). And the naeng myun. I think anyone would be better off just buying a pre-​made pack and making it themselves or going to Yu-​Chun. Also, despite the fact that food quality was low, they ran out of everything. Yeah, it was a hot day and I get that a lot of people would go on such days, but it was 6 p.m. and the server was telling us that they were out of this and that. It was also incredibly understaffed and I felt bad for our server who was frantically running around trying to take orders and complaints.

Mando came out all stuck together which means that they were previously frozen. What kind of «nangmyeun» specialty restaurant have frozen dumplings?
They should of spent more time getting their food right instead of decorating this place.

Please be careful as the actual item is different than the picture. Please compare the pictures.

It was our first time in this place. Simply ordered cold Mul naeng-​myen noodle and spicy noodle with galbi combo.
It was not busy in the restaurant but servers were not friendly and service was bad. I don’t know who served our table, but we got no spoons, no water before the food so we asked server to bring us. (also no refilling water)
I already read another reviews I don’t understand how to forget the ‘spoon’ with noodle soup. because isn’t cold noodle famous in there?

Nangmyun tasted pretty good. But service was pretty terrible. Had to wait pretty long, servers were very slow and forgot everything. They didn’t even give me any utensils at first, and I never got any banchans :-/

Over priced.
Ordered Yuk Hwe (Raw meat), Mul naengmyun, hae naengmyun, and seafood jun.
Yuk hae — simple raw meat mixed with Korean pear, and egg York. The portion size is really small. York was too big for small amount of meat we got so York over powered the taste.
Over priced
Mul naeng myun (cold noodle) was good but served not chilled.
I like my cold noodle to be cold but hansol’s cold noodle was more like room temp. noodle.
Spicy noodle (hae naeng myun) — too much red pepper. Too little topping.
Service — mixed feeling. Another server who was serving other table was polite and nice BUT the server who served our table was =T I cannot say he was rude but it just felt like he didn’t care.
It was a younger male, not friendly, not polite,… but he did bring things we asked without answering yes or ok.
When we asked him to give us more water or napkins… he just looked at us and brought what we asked.
Really odd. Felt like I was mom who was asking my teenaged son to do something for me, and the server was like the teenager who was annoyed at his mom so he does not want to answer but he does things his mom asks because he knows he has to…
For the price I paid, I expect better food and better service.
I don’t think I will go back unless someone else asks me to go together.

One of the few naengmyun places I like in K-​town.
I’ve been here a couple of times all around noon during the week and I never really had to wait, so not sure about the slow services that everyone is talking about
The naengmyun, both mul and bibim both tastes good, but a bit harder to cut compared to the other places. The galbi combo is decent, but the dumplings aren’t good which is the lacking part, since I really like having it with my naengmyun.

Seems like a lot of people have complaints about the wait here. But for a Friday lunch there was absolutely no wait and service was excellent.
I really like the interior of the place. Modern yet traditional. We got a somewhat secluded/​private table compared to others. The place from what my mom says is famous for their cold noodles.
FOOD:
I split an order of bibimnengmyun (spicy cold noodle) + galbi combo ($ 19) or you can just order the noodles for $ 10. I really liked that the sauce tasted fresh, the noodles itself tasted like any other though. But their food in general has a pleasant freshness to everything. I tried their kimchijjigae (kimchi soup) and it was light and refreshing and not oily as it can be when cooked with a lot of fatty meat. And I love that they give you yooksoo (broth) as a drink. When a Korean restaurant gives you yooksoo you know it’s legit. Haha They keep their side dishes simple and few with a couple choices of different kimchi, broccoli with spicy sauce, and fish cakes.
SERVICE:
The waiters came by our table frequently and refilled our jug of yooksoo multiple times. And strangely they were all males, all attentive and polite.
PARKING:
There’s a lot free with validation depending on how long you stay. I actually got mine validated at the theater (4 hrs) within the same plaza so not sure if it’s same length of time everywhere else.

Goodbye Madang, Hello Hansol.
This location must be cursed because after Madang, another mediocre restaurant comes into town.
My mom was told that the bibim nengmyun was good here– so we decided to drop in since we were already in the plaza & hungry.
While the bibim nengmyun was good– it was nothing out of the ordinary. For just the nengmyun it’s $ 10, but you can add kalbi for the combo price of $ 19.
Mool nengmyun was bland. Needed to the squeeze the heck out of the vinegar & spicy mustard.
Father ordered the yookhwae and we felt so jipped. At $ 18, he only get a palm-​sized amount of meat. He said it didn’t taste good or taste fresh.
Pajeon was nice & big. It came out in the sizzling stone pan, but the heat died down pretty quickly. Although pajeon was tasty– it got soggy REAL fast.
Bulgogi– Comes out in a stone pot. Meat itself wasn’t bad, but the seasoning was incredibly bland & boring.
Whoever told my mom their bibim nengmyun was good… was right… technically… but she should have also mentioned that it’s the ONLY good thing here.

1:15pm Sunday no wait.
The dumplings were a major letdown, because they had already cooled down so that the skins were hardened.
The yooksoo (broth beverage) tastes clean and buttery. I could drink an entire pot of that to myself. I probably had 3 refills during my meal.
The cold noodles themselves are refreshing and mild in flavor. The noodle texture is perfection — chewy and delicately thin. The broth itself is a bit bland. I felt like it was missing a certain something… but it’s still one of the best in Koreatown.
Surprisingly I may just prefer the spicy noodle over the mool nengmyun. The sauce tastes more savory than sweet, with an addicting kick.

Why is there 2 and ½ stars ??
Nonsense. Best cold noodle spot in Koreatown. Head to head with Yuchun.
I highly recommend ordering the spicy cold noodles. I will warn you, it’s a bit on the spicy side.
Their yuksoo, which in english I do not know. But it is a hot broth drink that is served before you eat. Most places, it is really bland but Hansol manages to bring a very flavorful broth which I really enjoyed.
I can’t wait to go back.

The bibim nengmyun here is really good, but a meal at Hansol can’t be complete without the seafood pancake, so make sure to try that!
Nengmyun is… nengmyun, to me. Korean food, as well as Thai, are probably my least favorites, but I still enjoyed it here. The noodles weren’t as chewy compared to other nengmyun spots in Koreatown, however, one of the spiciest I’ve had, so that’s an easy plus in my book!
SEAFOOD PANCAKE! The first time I had it, so amazing! (Super crispy outer, gooey and flaaaavorful inner, and largely-​sliced stems of green onions). It wasn’t as flavorful during the second time, but still crispy and gooey. I should probably warn those who might expect an abundance of seafood meat tucked into the pancake… that there isn’t much, except some thin slices of squid and squid only. No clams, no shrimps, zilch. So just enjoy the pancake itself :], because it’s güd.
I was surprised there was already a wait list on a Wednesday before the restaurant even opened. We arrived around 10:30am-ish to a crowd, and were marked down somewhere along the far end of the sign-​in sheet. I don’t think it should be too much of an issue though. The restaurant space is decent, and service is super quick.
Also, don’t forget to ask for validation!

Lunch on Thursday, 9÷3÷15 (first time visiting)
This restaurant used to be called MaDang 621 Korean BBQ. It is now replaced by Hansol Noodle. There was a short wait in line for lunch (~15 minutes) on a week day for a party of 5. The restaurant looks exactly the same before it’s name change. It’s a casual place.
We ordered as soon as we sat down. Yes, they have menus in English and Korean. They also brought beef broth in small cups for us to drink. Remember to ask for the ban chans. The cold noodles were tasty although they were thin in appearance like angel hair pasta. It’s recommended to eat the noodles quick so they don’t stick together.
I ordered the spicy cold noodles, which doesn’t come with broth, along with calbi (beef short ribs). I really enjoyed the half order too. Calbi was brought to our table already cooked so we didn’t get to use the charcoal grill embedded in our table. It wasn’t very flavorful and it was a bit cool instead of being served hot.
I would definitely come back again for the beef broth drink they served. The cold noodles were good but I wouldn’t order the calbi that comes with the combo again. I haven’t gotten a chance to try other items such as the BBQ or the hot noodle soup dishes. Hopefully I’ll come back soon.

Review in #Haiku:
Sad state of affairs
When a place with «Noodle» name
Can’t make good noodles =(

I was down here with my wife on a Wed afternoon. We waited about 20 mins. We always wanted to try out this restaurant since my wife told me the cold noodles (naengmyun) was suppose to be delicious. After waiting, we were finally seated.
We ordered naengmyun and naengmyun-​galbi combo.
When I received the galbi, it was not so much, but the meat was ok but very tender and juicy. The naengmyn was not a disappointment. I wanted more broth, so the chef came out and brought me more broth. I loved the taste of the broth. It had some sweetness and it was exactly how I liked it. I didn’t have to add vinegar or mustard. The noodles were cooked perfectly.
We will be back again to the restaurant.

Tried it last night with the family. My brother-​in-​law said it was supposed to be really good, so we went. We got there around 6pm. Because it was a Saturday, the place was packed. Our wait time was 30 minutes. Not bad.
Got the bibin naengmyun (Korean cold spicy noodle) and, yes, it was pretty darn good. It’s been awhile since I’ve had bibin naengmyun that good. In fact, ironically, I find it hard to find a good bowl of it in Ktown. The only other place I like regular naengmyun is at Yu Chun. Their regular naengmyun is really good. But I think the bibin naengmyun is better here. It was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet. Banchan and yuksoo (hot beef broth) were pretty good, too!
So why the 4 stars? Service definitely needs improvement. The servers kept forgetting stuff… but to their defense, it was the second day of opening and the place was packed.
What was really shocking, though, was the galbee combo add-​on. For about $ 9 more, you can get galbee with your naengmyun. So a few of us got the add-​on, so we could share. There were literally 4 cut up pieces of galbee. That’s like one slab and a third of one slab of galbee. That’s crazy. I understand beef is expensive, but… wow. But to their defense, the naengmyun was so good and filling, I barely had 2 pieces of galbee. And the galbee did taste pretty good. The meat was tender and the marinade was spot-​on.
Bottom line: naengmyun is really good. It’s a must try.