Blue Ribbon gomtang restaurant in Hongdae, Seoul: lunch at Doonjeong

A review of my visit to Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch, a great spot for a hearty lunch in Hongdae 🍲 I came away completely satisfied with the clear gomtang (beef bone soup) — not punchy at all, but deep in flavor! (Blue Ribbon-rated restaurants really are on a different level, haha.)

How to walk to Doonjeong from Hongik Univ. Station

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is a 300m walk from Exit 1 of Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2) — just go around the CGV and walk straight! It's not far from the heart of the Hongdae streets, so it's an easy spot to reach for lunch.

This is what the storefront looks like.

Inside Doonjeong: solo diners and families with kids

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch felt like a space designed with care so that everyone — solo diners, friends, and families alike — could feel comfortable.

There's a separate waiting area, so even during busy hours you'd be able to wait comfortably. The whole store has a clean, calm tone, so stepping in from the chaotic Hongdae streets really does put your mind at ease, haha.

Group dining, takeout, and reservations are all possible, and with a waiting area and baby chairs available, it's a place you can comfortably use whether you're eating alone or with family.

Doonjeong's menu and what we ordered

✔️Check the menu board below

Clear hanwoo gomtang: how the broth tastes

That day we ordered clear gomtang, yukhoe bibimbap, and shrimp minari pancake. And the delicious kimchi that took the gomtang flavor to another level~

The clear gomtang looked exactly like broth simmered slowly and carefully from Korean female hanwoo (native Korean beef) — clear and clean in color from the start. One spoonful in, and a deep, subtle savoriness spread through without being punchy at all, haha.

The broth was so clean and oil-free that I kept sipping it without any hesitation. (They also have a spicy version of the gomtang, for reference!)

Hongdae is a neighborhood packed with punchy, trendy restaurants, so finding a Korean restaurant this refined and clean felt even more welcome. Plus, the meat in the gomtang was boiled soft and tender.

Shrimp minari pancake at Doonjeong

The shrimp minari pancake was made with plump shrimp and fragrant minari (water celery/dropwort) fried until crispy — crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, with the shrimp's springy texture fully intact.

The minari's aroma wasn't overpowering either, so I could enjoy it cleanly without the usual greasiness of pancakes. Paired between bites of gomtang and yukhoe bibimbap, it was a side dish I kept reaching for without ever feeling heavy. (I bet this would be amazing with makgeolli!)

Yukhoe bibimbap with the gomtang broth

We also ordered the yukhoe bibimbap, which is said to taste even better alongside the gomtang — fresh raw beef piled generously on top of the rice made for a satisfying visual from the start.

The yukhoe (raw beef) was fresh with no gamey smell, and had a subtle sesame oil aroma that built anticipation even before mixing it in. Alternating between it and the gomtang broth, the beef's nuttiness and the soup's clean flavor complemented each other perfectly — I understood exactly why they're recommended together, haha.

Looking at the menu, they also had gomtang made from different cuts — like spicy hanwoo gomtang, tendon gomtang, and brisket gomtang — so I'm planning to try other varieties on my next visit.

Who Doonjeong in Hongdae is best for

• Anyone who loves clean, light hanwoo gomtang
• Anyone curious about pairing yukhoe bibimbap with gomtang
• Anyone looking for a comfortable solo-dining spot near Hongdae
• Anyone who wants to eat with peace of mind using domestic ingredients
• Anyone who wants a comfortable family meal