Late-night Wonju udon shop, mild fish cake udon: Haengbokhan Udong

A late-night meal in Dangu-dong, Wonju: Haengbokhan Udong Gage Dangwan Branch

Haengbokhan Udong Gage Dangwan Branch (행복한우동가게 단관점) is an udon place in Dangu-dong, Wonju, open until the early morning, so it works as a late-night snack spot or a proper meal. I had missed dinner and kept wandering around until I got hungry. I searched for somewhere I could still eat at that hour and ended up here, a place that suits both a late-night bite and a real meal.

Since it's open until the early morning, it felt easy to walk in, and I was in the mood for udon anyway, so I went right in.

What's the atmosphere like at Haengbokhan Udong Gage?

The lighting is a little dim and the music is quite loud, so it feels more like a pub or izakaya (Japanese-style pub) than a typical udon shop. When I opened the door, it was a bit different from the udon-shop vibe I had imagined. I expected it to be quiet at that hour, but customers kept coming in and delivery orders never stopped, so I guessed it has lots of regulars.

The tables were neatly kept and spaced generously, so it was comfortable to sit. You order on the tablet at each table, and the menu shows photos, which made choosing easy.

Haengbokhan Udong Gage menu

I thought it would be udon only, but there was quite a range: pork cutlet, rice bowls, fried rice and even soba.

• Udon: gagi udon, fish cake udon, bibim udon (mixed udon with spicy-sweet sauce)

• Soba (buckwheat noodles): mori soba, tray soba, perilla oil soba
• Pork cutlet: handmade pork cutlet, old-style diner pork cutlet, cheese pork cutlet
• Rice: kimchi fried rice, spicy pork rice bowl, squid rice bowl
• Dumplings: bibim mandu, boiled dumplings

These are mostly the meal dishes, and there are other items for drinking snacks too!!

That day I ordered fish cake udon, bibim udon and cheese pork cutlet. The food came out fast without a long wait, and it was nice to eat the hot dishes while they were still hot. It was late, so I planned to just fill my stomach and leave, but I ended up enjoying it more than expected haha.

Everything was delicious.... Maybe I'm a pretty lucky person to have found a place like this..

Mild fish cake udon: how are the broth and noodles?

The broth of the fish cake udon was clean and refreshing rather than harsh, and you can choose mild, regular or spicy. The fish cake udon came out first.

I took a spoonful of broth first, and the first impression was refreshing and clean rather than intense. I ordered the mild one, but there are regular and spicy too, so if you like it hot, no questions asked, go for the spicy udon, let's gooo.

The hot broth was perfect for a late night and felt soothing on the stomach. There was also more fish cake than I expected, so it was fun to pick through it.

The noodles were also a little different from the ones at ordinary udon shops. They weren't too thick and didn't go soggy easily, so they stayed chewy to the end. They felt a bit like jjolmyeon (chewy wheat noodles) to me, and I personally liked that texture even more.

Is the bibim udon like jjolmyeon?

The bibim udon was a sweet-and-sour dish closer to jjolmyeon than I expected, and it wasn't too spicy. The next dish to arrive was the bibim udon.

This one felt closer to jjolmyeon than I expected. The sweet-and-sour sauce coated the noodles well, and it wasn't too spicy, so it was easy to eat.

It comes with plenty of toppings: lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, seaweed flakes and egg.. For something you might think of as a pub snack, the portion is huge.

Alternating with sips of the fish cake udon broth worked well as a combination. In summer, I thought this dish alone would be enough.

Cheese pork cutlet at an udon shop: portion and taste?

The cheese pork cutlet was crispy outside with plenty of cheese, and with 4 pieces plus rice the portion was large. Honestly, I hadn't expected much from it. It's an udon shop, so I figured it would be just so-so. But after one bite, it was better than I thought.

The outside was fried crisp and there was generous cheese inside, so every bite was rich and savory. It was labeled 100% natural cheese, and it was quite nutty and went well with the meat.

The meat was fairly thick and satisfyingly chewy, and finishing all 4 pieces leaves you really full.. Even some grown men might not finish one plate. And rice comes with it too haha.

The cutlet is also fairly large, so the portion was generous. Since rice comes with it, I still had a filling meal even though I ordered udon as well. Considering prices at pork cutlet specialty shops these days, it isn't a heavy cost, so I thought the value was good too.

Late-night food in Dangu-dong, Wonju: what to order at Haengbokhan Udong Gage

If you're looking for somewhere to eat late in Dangu-dong, Wonju, Haengbokhan Udong Gage Dangwan Branch is worth a stop. Fish cake udon when you crave hot broth, bibim udon when you want something tangy, and cheese pork cutlet if you want a hearty meal; you could order them together. On a day when you need a late-night snack or late dinner like I did, I'd recommend keeping this restaurant in mind!