Incheon Nonhyeon Japanese restaurant, Kumamoto ramen lunch: Hongdae

It was so hot this summer I was just hiding indoors, but once the weather cooled down a bit, my husband and I went on a date to Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch, famous as a date spot in Incheon =)

Where is Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch, and what are the hours?

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is at 17 Nongogae-ro123beon-gil, 2nd floor, Unit 202, I-Flex Building, Namdong-gu, Incheon. Hours are daily 11:30–21:30 (last order 21:00), no break time. Parking is available in the building's underground lot.

The entrance already had that good-restaurant vibe ✨ As Japanese food lovers, our hearts were pounding ><

The hours were neatly written on the standing sign out front — 11:30–21:30 (last order 21:00), just so you know ><. There's also an outdoor menu board with so many options I get a bit of choice paralysis, but hey, no worries — order everything you want and the paralysis disappears, haha. With hearts racing, we walked straight in!!

Inside Hongdae Gureume: solo dining seats and high chairs

Ta-da~ here's the inside of Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch. The warm wood interior was totally my style ><. And solo diners, shout out to you~~~~ there's a dedicated space for people eating alone at a restaurant like this!! Isn't that great? Haha. Plus baby chairs for families with kids!! A space full of thoughtful little touches.

How long is the wait at Hongdae Gureume? None if you arrive at opening on a weekday

Wow.. this is really a well-known restaurant in Nonhyeon, Incheon. The wait seems intense ㄷㄷ. We came on a weekday and basically did an opening run, so we didn't wait at all — but it looks like most people do end up waiting. There are chairs set up indoors for waiting customers, so you can wait comfortably! Just so you know ><

While looking around, I noticed the head chef's career history posted on the wall!! Wow.. now I get why this place is so famous in Namdong-gu — an incredibly impressive résumé!! Featured multiple times on broadcast media, and the chef's technical career certificate and cooking license were both issued in Japan ㄷㄷ. I'm getting so excited, haha, is it even okay to be this thrilled ><💛

Ordering the lunch sets: hearty lunch ramen and cold soba katsu set

Here's the menu. Since we came right at opening on a weekday, the lunch menu was still available =) Now I get why this place is known as a top spot for lunch in Nonhyeon-dong, Incheon haha. The lunch sets were so generous! I read through every single item very carefully. Should've studied like this back in school.. sigh ㅜ

After much deliberation, we picked the hearty lunch Kumamoto-style ramen with extra chashu and egg, and the cold soba katsu set, and ordered easily through the kiosk installed at each table =)

Kumamoto-style ramen was new to me, but the illustration made it look so delicious that I picked it right away =) haha

Review event gift and the amenities at each table

A good restaurant needs a review event, right? At Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch, the review event prize is a choice of salmon sushi, Osaka-style takoyaki, or a drink. Wow~ the quality is a cut above haha. Unlike other places, they were also running a prepaid point top-up benefit event! Regulars might want to check that out. There were also aprons and hair ties for eating, plus a phone stand for solo diners — great for anyone eating alone or looking for meal company.

There's also a fun lucky box and a comfort-and-luck message draw, so give it a try while waiting for your food ><

Kumamoto-style ramen: how rich is the broth?

Finally the food arrived!! Yaaay ><. Everything was plated so neatly and prettily. I'm drooling but I'll hold it in and explain it piece by piece!

Kumamoto-style ramen included in the set, with chashu and egg. The chashu made from pork belly and the seasoned egg were seriously good!! The meat was so tender and soft, with zero gamey smell and just the right seasoning — really delicious! The seasoned egg had well-soaked flavor and was boiled to a nicely moist doneness — good!! The bean sprouts, an essential ramen ingredient, were nice and crunchy and paired well with the noodles.

But the real star was the broth.. wow.. seriously rich!! Not just rich but incredibly deep — highly recommend!!

The tuna onigiri included in the set! The rice was cooked just right and nicely seasoned, so I ate it happily! There was also tuna filling inside, which made it even tastier ><

Cold soba katsu set: chilled soba plus crispy, juicy pork katsu

Now for the cold soba from the second set. It came as pan-moba (flat-plate soba), a style I love. The soba broth was rich and the buckwheat noodles were nice and springy — I kept saying it was delicious the whole time I ate haha.

The katsu, part of the second set.. everyone, this katsu is insane.. can you tell how crispy the outside is?? ㄷㄷㄷ

Along with the crispiness, the inside was so juicy. The meat juices soaked in (slurp). Thick, yet not tough at all, with strong meaty flavor — a really delicious katsu. It was so good that we asked for wasabi and salt instead of sauce to dip it in! You know the better the food, the less sauce you need, right? It's seriously that good, you have to try it!!

We were so full but the ramen broth was too good, so we ended up finishing it with rice mixed in 🍚 Ramen is a dangerous friend. I couldn't stop haha haha

See how clean it is? haha, we practically did the dishes for them =)

Is Hongdae Gureume worth it for a Nonhyeon-dong date or a meal near Soraepogu?

If you're looking for a date restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Incheon, or a good place to eat near Soraepogu, I highly, highly recommend Hongdae Gureume — go visit and have as delicious a meal as we did! Another successful hunt today ><💛