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Dish guide · Noodles and dumplings

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Kalguksu

칼국수

Knife-cut noodle soup

♨️ Served hot🙂 Not spicy🥬 Not vegetarian

Fresh wheat noodles, cut by hand with a knife, in a hot, comforting broth. The name means "knife noodles".

What it is

  • The dough is rolled out thin, folded and cut into strips, so the noodles are soft and slightly uneven.
  • The broth depends on the restaurant: anchovy and kelp, clams, chicken or beef bone. Vegetables such as zucchini and potato are often added.

How to eat it

  1. 1It usually comes with kimchi, often a fresh, garlicky one. Eat a bite of kimchi with the noodles.
  2. 2Use the spoon for the broth and chopsticks for the noodles.

History

  • The first known recipe that clearly describes kalguksu is in the Eumsik Dimibang, a cookbook written around 1670 by Jang Gye-hyang. Older references to noodles are too vague to be sure.
  • Wheat flour was expensive for a long time. After the Korean War, imported wheat made noodles cheap, and kalguksu became an everyday meal.

Allergies and diet

Usually contains

wheat
  • The broth is almost always made from anchovy, clams, chicken or beef.
  • Some restaurants top it with minced meat or dumplings.

Recipes differ between restaurants. If you have an allergy, always ask the staff before you order.

🗣️ Allergy card for the staff

Pick your allergy to see the sentence in Korean.

📍 Where to try it

Sources

We check every fact against at least two sources and write it in our own words. Last checked: 2026-10-26.