Hongdae lunch before a play: minari yukhoe bibimbap at Doonjeong
In short
Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is a Korean restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, a 7-minute walk from Hongdae Station Exit 1 and listed in the Blue Ribbon Survey two years running. For a weekend lunch before a play, the writer ordered hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl, 15,000 won) buried under minari (water dropwort), a regular bowl of spicy hanwoo yangtang (beef tripe soup, 15,000 won) and a meat kimchi pancake (18,000 won), and the spicy broth tasted clean rather than harsh with chilli flakes. Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is the Hongdae lunch spot for anyone tired of heavy, over-seasoned food who still wants a filling meal.
Good to know
- Location
- 1st floor, 183-12 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul (7-minute walk from Hongdae Station Exit 1)
- Hours
- Mon-Sun 11:00 - 21:00
- Break time
- 15:00 - 17:00 (last orders 14:30 and 20:30)
- Closed
- 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month
- Parking
- No parking in front of the restaurant; use the nearby Toros parking tower
- Amenities
- Groups welcome, takeout, reservations, waiting area, Wi-Fi, high chairs
- Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap
- 15,000 won
- Spicy hanwoo yangtang (regular)
- 15,000 won
- Meat kimchi pancake
- 18,000 won
as written by the visitor on Aug 31, 2026
A Hongdae lunch spot, a Hongdae favorite — Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch. I was going to see the play Scar, so I decided to eat lunch in Hongdae. It's been so long since I've been here... Since I usually eat a lot of spicy, intense food, I wanted something gentle and filling, so I went looking for a good Hongdae restaurant.
Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch has been listed in the Blue Ribbon Survey for two years running. The main branch is in Deogyang-gu, Goyang, and this Hongdae location is the only direct-run branch. Doonjeong's signature dishes include clear gomtang (beef bone soup), spicy hanwoo gomtang, yukhoe bibimbap, and gopchang jeongol (tripe hot pot) — a wide range of Korean dishes to choose from.
Where is Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch? Hours and parking
Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is located at 183-12 Donggyo-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and it's open Mon-Sun 11:00 - 21:00. Break time is 15:00 - 17:00, with last orders at 14:30 and 20:30, and it's closed on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month.
- Location: 183-12 Donggyo-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Hours: Mon-Sun 11:00 - 21:00
- Break time 15:00 - 17:00 / Last order 14:30, 20:30
- Closed on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month
- Parking: none in front (use nearby parking lot)
- Group seating, takeout, reservations, waiting area, Wi-Fi, high chairs
This Hongdae lunch spot is a 7-minute walk from Hongdae Station Exit 1, so it's very close to the station. ❗️There's no parking right in front of the restaurant, so you'll need to use the nearby Toros parking tower.
What the dining room at Doonjeong looks like
The interior was clean and spacious. Since it was a weekend lunch, true to its reputation as one of the top Korean restaurants in Hongdae, there was even a group of foreign tourists, and customers kept coming in and out nonstop.
Doonjeong's menu and what we ordered for lunch
The menu has meal dishes and cooked dishes separately. And on the back of the menu, true to a good Korean restaurant in Hongdae, there's a nice variety of traditional Korean liquors to pick from.
- Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef and rice bowl)
- Spicy hanwoo yangtang (regular)
- Meat kimchi pancake
The side dishes at Doonjeong
The side dishes were two kinds of kimchi: napa cabbage kimchi and kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi).
Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap piled with minari (15,000 won)
The hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap arrives neatly plated in an elegant brass bowl, which felt quite special.
Unlike the yukhoe bibimbap you usually know, Doonjeong's version — a well-known restaurant and drinking spot near Hongdae Station — comes uniquely piled high with minari (water dropwort).
Once mixed thoroughly, the sweet sesame oil aroma rises up and gets your mouth watering.
The hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap is made with fresh top-grade (1++) hongdukkae (eye of round) beef, so it was very soft and delicious to chew. Since the seasoning wasn't overpowering, the sauce really let the natural flavor of the ingredients shine, so every bite was enjoyable without getting tiresome.
How does the spicy hanwoo gomtang (regular, 15,000 won) broth taste?
Next up is the regular spicy hanwoo gomtang that my partner ordered. It's a clear hanwoo gomtang broth with a spicy kick added. The clear gomtang is made by simmering hanwoo female cow bones carefully for a long time, giving it a deep flavor without being overly intense.
I heard that all the ingredients used at this Hongdae restaurant are hanwoo female cow and domestic ingredients, so you can eat with extra peace of mind.
The spicy hanwoo gomtang has a clean, smooth broth ❤️. It's not a heavy or gritty red-pepper-flake flavor that lingers in your mouth — instead it's a refined spiciness that melts away smoothly. It pairs really well with the hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap. Especially eaten together with the kkakdugi and kimchi that came with it, it's basically the ultimate Korean meal.
Meat kimchi pancake (18,000 won)
It felt a bit lacking to end with just the meal dishes, so we also ordered the meat kimchi pancake ❤️. It's a rich pancake made with plenty of aged kimchi and heaps of hanwoo beef.
The tangy flavor of the aged kimchi lingers pleasantly in your mouth, and the edges of the pancake are crispy while the inside stays chewy, so you can enjoy it however you like. I especially thought this meat kimchi pancake would go great with a variety of traditional Korean liquors.
My one-line verdict on Doonjeong Hongdae
Overall the menu lineup felt substantial, and I could feel the care put into every single dish, which warmed my heart while eating. If you're trying to decide on a Hongdae lunch spot, I recommend Doonjeong ⭐️
Where it is
183-12 Donggyo-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 마포구 동교로 183-12 1층
