Hongdae Seoul restaurant open at 11am for weekend lunch: Anok

Today I'm bringing you news of a cozy hanok-style Hongdae lunch spot I found for the first time in my three years living in Hongdae! So if you're looking for a place in hip Hongdae where you can enjoy gukbap (soup with rice) and Pyeongyang naengmyeon with a surprising twist, come along on this Anok visit :)

Where is Anok? Hongik University Station Exit 9, next to the campus

Anok is a Hongdae gukbap restaurant sitting smack in the middle of Hongdae's main area. It's close to Exit 9 of Hongdae Station, and Hongik University is right nearby. If you're someone who loves a clean-style gukbap, or a foreign tourist looking for something unique, this is definitely the place — honestly it feels like a spot the professors at Hongik would come to more than the students. Hahahaha.

Bukchon atmosphere in Hongdae: the entrance and interior at Anok

It was a sunny weekend, perfect for a nap, but too precious to waste doing nothing with a friend, so we decided to just grab a meal near home — that's how we ended up at Anok, this Hongdae gomtang spot. From the entrance it really feels like stepping into a hanok village, so now I feel like I won't even need to drag my foreign friends all the way to Bukchon when they visit haha. This basically is Bukchon at this point, lol.

The interior is also decorated in a very Korean style that foreigners would love — living in Hongdae, I always see so many foreign tourists and used to wonder, why isn't there a hanok-style restaurant around here? And now one has finally opened, properly done too haha. (I actually remember this spot used to be a famous burger place — hope the owner is doing well!) Hahaha.

What we ordered at the 11am opening: gomtang and Pyeongyang naengmyeon

Anok's opening time is 11am, so my friend and I did the opening rush right away, excited to have gomtang and naengmyeon again after a while. I eat gomtang pretty often, but naengmyeon maybe once a year? So I'd really been craving that mild, subtle flavor. (Thinking back, the last time I had naengmyeon was two years ago at Eulmildae... haha.) With so many Korean dishes on the menu, this place could become a new go-to for Hongdae's Korean-food lovers. It felt like getting comfort from a hanok and healing from gomtang and naengmyeon after a tiring stretch of daily life, if that makes sense haha. My friend's team gomtang, I'm team naengmyeon!

Side dishes at Anok: the sokbakji refills kept coming

Neat side dishes, nice tableware, and friendly staff made for a really comfortable meal at Anok, this Hongdae gomtang spot. A gomtang place lives and dies by its kimchi, and sure enough it was so good we kept refilling it haha. The sokbakji especially — amazing! Haha. I got a little self-conscious about how many times we refilled it, but the staff were 100% friendly and kept smiling while bringing more, which was really nice. Haha.

How Anok's clear gomtang and Pyeongyang naengmyeon taste

Ta-da! Ta-ra-ra-ra-raaa! Haha. The hot gomtang and the naengmyeon with its charmingly mild flavor arrived — the generous chunks of meat had an overwhelming visual impact. This clear-broth gomtang style that's trendy right now, and the Pyeongyang naengmyeon that's always appealing — both were great because neither was overly strong-flavored. Haha.

Sweet-and-spicy braised pork tail at Anok

But you know a meal isn't complete without at least one spicy, punchy dish for balance! So we ordered the spicy-sweet pork tail jjim too, which holds a lot of memories for me and always gets me a little emotional whenever I see it — eating it brought back the day I first fell for it, haha. It suddenly took me back to a happy moment years ago when I made this at home for the first time. Food really does stir up all sorts of emotions in a person, which is why every single meal feels meaningful to me, lol. Of course, this time I felt more happy energy than nostalgia. Haha.

Who should you bring to Anok?

As fall gets chillier and I keep hunting for spots to satisfy that autumn appetite, I sometimes revisit old favorites and get nostalgic — but honestly, looking back, right now is always the happiest moment. If you want to feel a different vibe in Hongdae and are looking for a unique date-spot restaurant, I recommend visiting Anok, a great Hongdae lunch spot best enjoyed as a pair rather than alone.