Surging Popularity of Summer Noodle Dishes
Pyongyang Naengmyeon Leads the Trend Among Young Adults
With the early onset of hot weather, interest in summer noodle dishes has surged. More customers are seeking out restaurants specializing in summer dishes such as naengmyeon, cold udon, and soba. In particular, interest in Pyongyang Naengmyeon has far surpassed that of Hamheung Naengmyeon.
On June 20, Ward, a company specializing in integrated solutions for the restaurant industry, announced that keyword searches related to naengmyeon on 'Catch Table' have risen noticeably. The number of visits to naengmyeon restaurants has also increased, indicating that online searches are translating into actual offline consumption.
An analysis of search and visit data on Catch Table over the four-week period from May 19 to June 15 revealed that the number of customers visiting naengmyeon restaurants increased by an average of 38%. In particular, the popularity of Pyongyang Naengmyeon has grown, with searches for Pyongyang Naengmyeon exceeding those for Hamheung Naengmyeon by more than 11 times. Explosive interest has been observed among people in their 20s and 30s, with this demographic accounting for approximately 84% of related keyword searches. The proportion of visitors in their 20s to naengmyeon restaurants increased from 16.5% in 2024 to 22.6% this year, making up a larger share among all age groups.
Summer noodle restaurants are also seeing remarkable growth in waiting times. As of the third week of June, the Pyongyang Naengmyeon specialty restaurant Seoryeong recorded an average of about 1,000 people waiting per day. Gogi-ri Makguksu, Paldang Chogye Guksu Main Branch, Daegwol Makguksu, and Dongmyeonsik Milmyeon have also attracted attention amid the hot weather, entering the top 100 in waiting rankings.
A Catch Table representative stated, "As the hot weather has arrived earlier than in previous years, interest in refreshing noodle dishes has increased and is naturally leading to higher consumption. This is expected to have a positive impact on the sales growth of related restaurants."
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