Goyang Korean restaurant for abalone flounder soup: Haenon Miyeok

Ever since I lived in Jeju a few years ago, I’ve really come to love miyeokguk (seaweed soup). As the weather turned cooler, a warm, nourishing bowl of seaweed soup naturally came to mind. Jeju was much too far away, but I heard there was a great place for nourishing seaweed soup in Aenigol, Ilsan, so off I went.

True to its roots as an original specialty restaurant for nourishing seaweed soup that began in Busan in 2015, it had a neat table setting and deep flavors—such a lovely spot to bring your parents or dine out with the kids.

Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch: location, parking, and hours

Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch (해논미역 일산직영점) is on Aenigol-gil in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. There are spacious dedicated parking lots in front of and behind the standalone building, so parking was easy even during the weekend rush.

• Location: 30 Aenigol-gil, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Hours: 11 AM–9 PM
• Break time: Weekdays, 3 PM–5 PM
• Open year-round
• Parking: Building parking lot

A calm, upscale interior with a gallery-like feel

Haenon Miyeok felt tidy and upscale right from the entrance. Once inside, the dining room felt even cozier.

The dark wood grid ceiling and soft indirect lighting created a calm mood, while a subtle art wall depicting rolling waves and seaweed stretched along the wall. It almost felt like stepping into a gallery.

There was plenty of space between tables, making it great for an intimate family meal, and the roomy group tables farther inside made it a good choice for company dinners too!

A neatly arranged self-service corner on one side of the restaurant let us help ourselves to more side dishes. With japchae (stir-fried glass noodles) and crispy eggplant tangsuyuk (sweet-and-sour fried eggplant) included, it was as generous as a buffet and made the meal even more satisfying.

Table ordering and seaweed soup set meals

Ordering through the table-order system was convenient. The notice board said one menu per person was required, and steamed rice came with unlimited refills when ordering. Takeout was available too.

I ordered two of the bestsellers: the abalone and flounder seaweed soup set meal and the beef seaweed soup set meal.

A full set meal, from japchae to fried flounder

The spread before the seaweed soup even arrived was already so good! Japchae, seasoned cockles, eggplant tangsuyuk, kimchi, vegetable banchan (side dishes), seasoned seaweed, and more were served beautifully. The japchae had springy noodles seasoned just right—it was the kind that kept drawing my chopsticks back.

The crispy fried flounder with its spicy seasoning was a total rice thief! So, so good! There was eggplant tangsuyuk with an incredible sweet sauce and chewy seasoned cockles too. It was a thoughtful assortment of side dishes that paired beautifully with the seaweed soup. 👍👍👍

Abalone and boneless flounder packed into seaweed soup

Haenon Miyeok’s bestseller: abalone and flounder seaweed soup! Bubbling away in a large ttukbaegi (earthenware pot), it sent up such a rich ocean aroma that it tickled my nose before I could even dip in my spoon.

The seaweed soup was packed with abalone and boneless flounder! I fell in love with flounder seaweed soup when I had it in Jeju before, but this was even tastier.

The abalone was wonderfully chewy, and the thick flounder flesh was wow... seriously tender. It was so soft it flaked apart the moment I touched it with my chopsticks. And because it was boneless, there were no fish bones. The best! ♥️♥️♥️

The rice was great too! It had hijiki seaweed mixed throughout the grains, which paired even better with the seaweed soup. Soaked in that rich broth, it made for a comforting meal that warmed me right through.

Beef seaweed soup loaded with tender meat

Next up was the beef seaweed soup! This familiar, back-to-basics dish tasted delicious from the piping-hot steam rising from the ttukbaegi and its savory aroma alone.

Every generous ladleful brought up plenty of tender beef. There was lots of seaweed too, and the broth was so rich that I just kept reaching for another spoonful.

As I enjoyed the delicious seaweed soup, I thought of my cute daughter at academy class, so I packed some up for her! Next time, I’ll plan to get takeout and bring a container from home, haha.

A warm, healthy, healing meal for everyday life

Haenon Miyeok Ilsan Direct Branch served a proper Korean meal that was easy on the stomach and warmed my whole body. From the nourishing abalone and flounder seaweed soup filled with whole abalone and tender boneless flounder, to beef seaweed soup, healthy hijiki rice, japchae, and eggplant tangsuyuk, I was happy with everything.

If you’re looking for deep, rich, traditional nourishing Korean food in Aenigol, Ilsan, I recommend stopping by!