Mild boneless jjimdak lunch with a foreign friend in Hongdae: Ongdarae

This time I met up with a close friend and her younger sister, who came to visit Korea from Taiwan, for lunch in Hongdae! Since I was hanging out with a foreign friend, I thought hard about what menu would work well — and the place I ended up choosing was..!

Ongdarae Jjimdak, a well-known restaurant near Hongik University Station

Cutting to the chase — after eating here that day, I thought, "I could totally bring foreign friends here" haha. Especially since my Taiwanese friend's sister, who's usually a picky eater, really dug in. So proud.

A 5-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station

Ongdarae Jjimdak is about a 5-minute walk from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station! It's right on the main road, so it's easy to find, and there's a bus stop out front too, making it convenient to get to.

• 📍 354-8 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• 🕒 Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00 / Sun 11:00–22:00
• ✔ Last order Mon–Sat 22:00 / Sun 21:00
• ⭐ Group seating, parking, pet-friendly

We arrived right at opening time, so we got to sit wherever we wanted with no rush — the restaurant is spacious and clean, making it a comfortable place to eat.

On one side there's a private area good for group use, which looked like it'd work well for family outings, get-togethers with friends, or group meals.

Jjimdak — a dish that's hard to get wrong — plus floor-to-ceiling windows and a pleasant atmosphere..! It seemed like a restaurant a lot of foreign visitors go to as well haha.

We sat at a window-side table! Each table has a tabletop kiosk for pre-ordering.

The basic side dishes were yuzu salad and dongchimi (watery radish kimchi). Dongchimi's refreshing tang pairs surprisingly well while eating jjimdak. :)

Mild jjimdak loaded with cheese

We ordered the signature Ongdarae Jjimdak boneless and mild, and added mozzarella cheese too. (It'd be a shame to skip the cheese..ㅠ) You can choose bone-in or boneless, and the spice level comes in mild, medium, or spicy, so it's easy to tailor to your taste haha.

The jjimdak has a soy-sauce-based seasoning that's nicely salty and a bit sweet — just right! It wasn't intensely spicy, so my friend's sister ate it comfortably without any trouble.

Adding the cheese in particular brought a nutty, creamy element that paired really well with the jjimdak. The glass noodles soaked up the sauce nicely, and with sweet potato and bok choy mixed in, there was fun in picking through all the ingredients.

Most of all, I was so satisfied seeing my friend's sister eat so well. Ordering it mild meant she could enjoy it without any pressure haha. Having tried it myself, it definitely seems like a flavor most people would like!

Don't skip the ongbap at Ongdarae Jjimdak!

And we couldn't leave without ordering the ongbap (crispy rice), Ongdarae Jjimdak's must-have side..!! I was so curious about this one.

It comes with rice toasted crisp like nurungji (scorched rice), served with stir-fried kimchi and seaweed — delicious even eaten plain.

We left a bit of jjimdak aside and tried mixing the ongbap into the sauce. Eating the crispy, nutty rice together with the jjimdak sauce, perilla leaves, stir-fried kimchi, and seaweed was so good. (This combo is truly heavenly haha!)

The fun of picking your own free desserts

After scraping clean every last bit of the jjimdak and ongbap, we looked around the restaurant and — wait, there's a free dessert corner along one wall?! It's literally free to use, and stocked with tea, coffee, scones, snacks, and barley crackers.

Unfortunately there were no scones left that day, but we made sure to grab coffee, tea, snacks, and barley crackers. Eating a hearty jjimdak meal and then getting dessert on top made for a satisfying finish.

Looking for a Hongdae restaurant to visit with a foreign friend?

This visit to Ongdarae Jjimdak was extra memorable because I got to share it with my friend's sister from Taiwan. The spacious, comfortable space with group seating and adjustable spice levels also looked great for visiting with several people.

Most of all, having tried it myself, this is a dish a foreign friend can enjoy comfortably without any worry, so it seems like a solid choice for anyone looking for Korean food to share with foreign friends in Hongdae. If you're craving a filling meal in Hongdae, try the jjimdak with ongbap together. :)