Hongdae Korean restaurant for Pyongyang noodles and gomtang: Anok

Looking for a neat, satisfying meal in Hongdae? Today, I’m introducing Anok (안옥), where you can enjoy Pyongyang naengmyeon and gomtang together in Hongdae. ✨️ It’s a Hongdae restaurant I’d been curious about, a good fit not only for people who love Pyongyang naengmyeon but also for anyone who enjoys rich gomtang broth or special dishes. This time, I ordered Pyongyang naengmyeon, gomtang, and braised pork tail and properly tried all three 💗

Anok · 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul · Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00 · Closed every Monday

What is the atmosphere like inside Anok?

When you enter Anok, the overall feel is clean and calm. It differs a little from Hongdae’s characteristically lively energy, with a comfortable atmosphere that lets you focus on your meal, so it was nice for either lunch or dinner. The tables are neatly arranged and the entire space feels tidy, making it a good match for clean, understated Korean dishes such as Pyongyang naengmyeon or gomtang. It doesn’t feel awkward to dine alone, and it also has a nice atmosphere for coming with companions, ordering several dishes, and sharing them! In particular, if you’re on a date in Hongdae or having a meal with friends and want somewhere calmer rather than overly noisy, it seemed like a good option.

I ordered Pyongyang naengmyeon, gomtang, and braised pork tail together

Anok menu

Looking over Anok’s menu, there is a wide selection that includes Pyongyang naengmyeon, gomtang, meat dishes, and side dishes. From the many options, I ordered Pyongyang naengmyeon, gomtang, and braised pork tail.

The banchan (Korean side dishes) included napa cabbage kimchi, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), gungchae pickles, and meat sauce, with pepper and salt available too.

Rather than eating each dish separately, ordering several and tasting them together made it fun to compare their individual characteristics. When you’re craving something cool and clean, go for Pyongyang naengmyeon; when you need a warm, hearty meal, gomtang; and add braised pork tail to make the meal feel really abundant 😋👍 If you’re wondering what to choose, I also recommend the Pyongyang naengmyeon + gomtang + braised pork tail combination 👍

Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon loaded with meat

The first thing I ordered at Anok was, of course, Pyongyang naengmyeon! Pyongyang naengmyeon is a dish for enjoying the delicate, clean flavor of the broth rather than an intensely punchy taste, so it may divide opinion. Anok’s version was overall a style that was easy to enjoy cleanly. First of all, there was SO much meat!!! There was still meat left even after I finished the noodles, and it was so delicious.

Eating the noodles with the broth, you can taste the characteristic nutty aroma of buckwheat, and the soup is not heavy, so it doesn’t become tiresome over the course of a bowl! Especially in hot weather, the combination of chilled broth and buckwheat noodles works well, making it a nice lunch option too. If you’re looking for something a little different from the naengmyeon places commonly found in Hongdae, Anok could be worth a visit. If you love Pyongyang naengmyeon, it’s a place worth trying at least once!

Clean and hearty gomtang

The second dish was gomtang (Korean beef soup). Personally, I think the flavor of the broth matters most in gomtang, and Anok’s gomtang became a hearty meal when eaten with rice. You can have meat alongside the steaming soup, which gave it a charm completely different from the cold noodles. While Pyongyang naengmyeon is clean and chilled, gomtang feels warm and filling. That’s why it was nice to order them together and share them—you can eat while comparing their different charms. If you’re looking for a soupy lunch dish in Hongdae, gomtang like this is quite a good choice!

In particular, if you prefer clean, hearty Korean food over strongly seasoned dishes, this is a good Hongdae gomtang spot to remember. If, like me, you love both cold noodles and gomtang, I recommend trying the two together at Anok.

Braised pork tail ordered as a special dish

And the dish I was personally most curious about on this visit was braised pork tail! Cold noodles and gomtang are familiar, but braised pork tail is not something you come across often, so I ordered it too. It features tenderly cooked pork tail eaten with seasoning, and it definitely felt different from Pyongyang naengmyeon or gomtang.

It was spicy but not overly salty, so it paired well with the Pyongyang naengmyeon and gomtang. If you like meat dishes, it works well as a side, and I thought it would be a good dish to share when visiting with several people. Having braised pork tail alongside the delicate Pyongyang naengmyeon and warm gomtang made the spread feel much more plentiful! If you visit Anok, I’d recommend looking beyond the standard dishes and checking out special dishes like this too.

Choosing a Hongdae lunch menu?

There are so many restaurants in Hongdae that deciding where to go at lunchtime can often be difficult. The best part of Anok, which I visited this time, was being able to enjoy Pyongyang naengmyeon and gomtang together. In particular, there are many menu choices, so it seemed easy to visit with people with different tastes and each choose what they want. If you want something chilled, choose Pyongyang naengmyeon; if you want a steaming, hearty meal, choose gomtang; and if you want a slightly unusual meat dish, choose braised pork tail! That’s how I think you can pick your menu. So, if you’re looking for neat Korean food in Hongdae, I recommend Anok.

I’d recommend it as a Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon spot for people who love Pyongyang naengmyeon, a Hongdae gomtang spot for people who love gomtang, and a Hongdae lunch spot for anyone looking for lunch.

My food combination at Anok this time! Pyongyang naengmyeon + gomtang + braised pork tail ✨️ From the cool, clean Pyongyang naengmyeon to the warm, hearty gomtang and braised pork tail that makes for a lovely special dish, each menu item had a different feel, making it fun to eat several together. Recommended if you’re looking for Korean food in Hongdae that is a little different from the usual! Especially if you love Pyongyang naengmyeon or clean broth dishes such as gomtang, add it to your list of places to visit.