Namdong ramen restaurant for black garlic tonkotsu: Hongdae Gureume

Kumamoto-style ramen is a signature ramen from Kumamoto in Japan’s Kyushu region. Its house-made black garlic sauce gives it that distinctive black broth—such a delicious and unusual bowl. The broth may be black, but its flavor is, in complete contrast, bright and pretty like a flower 🌸

Sushi with tuna and salmon that you scoop up with a spoon—one of Hongdae Gureume’s special dishes.

Crunch, crunch~ menchikatsu (Japanese minced-meat cutlet) with a lovely chewy bite.

The mornings and evenings have become so pleasantly cool lately—such lovely weather. And when it gets cool, soup dishes immediately come to mind, so I hurried off to this excellent ramen spot in Incheon Nonhyeon.

I was quick on my feet and did an opening run, arriving as the very first customer.

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch: location and parking

It’s on the second floor of the Iplex Building.

• Unit 202, 2F, Iplex Building, 17 Nongogae-ro 123beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon
• Daily 11:30–21:30; last order 21:00
• Underground parking at Iplex Building available; free for 2 hours
• Less than a 3-minute walk from Incheon Nonhyeon Station
• Takeout and delivery available; high chairs and waiting chairs provided

A cozy interior that filled up quickly after opening

It’s a cozy space in warm wood tones.

I succeeded at my opening run and arrived first, so excitedly snapped away at photos and then sat down to eat solo—and groups started pouring in right away!!! If I’d been distracted and arrived five minutes later, I might not have had a seat. Phew~~~ What a relief.

There are photos of Japan taken by the owner, along with an explanation of Kumamoto ramen!! Cute, right?

So many coupon holders left behind by customers... that confirms this place is good, right??

A little message of comfort and luck~ Pretty handwritten phrases are waiting here. Pick one out and have a read~

Every table is full of the owner’s thoughtful touches. Hair ties and aprons are ready too, so you can get comfortable right where you’re sitting.

Menu and photo-review event

A Fukuoka food trip you can walk to!!

Their Kumamoto-style black garlic tonkotsu ramen sells more than 30,000 bowls a year!! My husband and mother-in-law love it so much that we ordered it again 😃😃 I really need to try all the other dishes too, honestly—sigh~

Join the photo-review event and choose one: 2 pieces of salmon sushi, 4 pieces of Osaka-style takoyaki, or a drink. Middle and high school students get a ₩1,000 discount coupon per person.

There’s even a lucky box event for orders over ₩30,000~~

Salmon + tuna spoonable sushi

We ordered the salmon + tuna spoonable sushi for ₩14,900 and the Kumamoto-style ramen + menchikatsu for ₩14,900.

Familiar sushi, but scooped up in a new way!!!! It’s a slightly special sushi dish~~ You’re not meant to mix it all together; apparently, you scoop it up just as it is with a spoon.

So I tried eating it one pretty spoonful at a time. There were chopped crisp cucumber and simmered mushrooms in it, which gently played off and deliciously lifted the salmon and tuna. They also gave a boost to what could have been a plain texture.

Lightly aged salmon and tuna! (The top-grade salmon flown in directly from Norway simply melts in your mouth.) There’s one piece of rolled omelet too, and it’s incredibly soft.

Kumamoto-style ramen with a subtle black garlic aroma

A wonderfully distinctive, delicious ramen: rich, savory tonkotsu broth deepened further by the nuttiness of roasted garlic.

It may not be the prettiest-looking bowl thanks to that savory roasted black garlic, but the flavor is that much deeper—a clean tonkotsu ramen with an incredible broth and none of the greasiness.

The crunchy bean sprouts give this ramen a great texture too.

The broth retains the weight of a proper tonkotsu stock, but the black garlic aroma rises gently, making it a little lighter to enjoy than regular tonkotsu ramen. With soft chashu, springy perfectly cooked noodles, and an umami-rich broth, this is the dish I always order when I visit this Incheon spot for Kumamoto-style ramen.

Extra-crispy menchikatsu

Menchikatsu with such an extra-crisp texture that you just keep reaching for it.

It’s a meat cutlet made by shaping minced meat into rounds, coating them in breadcrumbs, and frying them—crisp outside, tender inside, soft and savory.

When the cold wind starts blowing, I recommend a bowl of this distinctive Kumamoto-style ramen. It’s a great Incheon ramen spot for a rich yet clean, non-greasy broth. 🌸 The consistently kind service from the staff at Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch left an impression on me—I’ll be popping back again!