Around Chuseok, Korean rice cake shops fill with colorful songpyeon, small filled rice cakes traditionally steamed over pine needles. Their ingredients, shapes and fillings vary, but their place at the center of Korea’s autumn holiday remains constant.

This family-run restaurant near Jeongneung has been making buckwheat muk by hand since 1982, serving just 50 bowls a day alongside seasonal noodles and cabbage jeon.

When Seoul swelters, these six cold soups and noodle dishes deliver the city’s most refreshing answer to summer. Our mapped-out guide leads to the restaurants serving them at their best.