Hongdae Korean restaurant open all afternoon, no break time: Anok
In short
Anok is a hanok-style Korean restaurant in the middle of Hongdae, Mapo, Seoul. With no break time, a late-afternoon visit meant a relaxed meal of clear gomtang (clear beef bone soup), Pyongyang naengmyeon (buckwheat cold noodles), and braised pig's tail, with the broth's savory depth and the tail's springy texture standing out most. Anok is a solid pick if you want a Korean meal that isn't overly spicy or heavy.
Good to know
- Address
- 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- Ordered
- Clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, braised pig's tail
- Break time
- None — open through the late afternoon
as written by the visitor on Sep 7, 2026
Anok
Hanok charm right in the middle of Hongdae
Hanok vibes right in the middle of Hongdae
I was looking for somewhere to eat in Hongdae and found a place with a bit of a different atmosphere. This time I visited Anok, known as a clear gomtang (clear beef bone soup) spot in Hongdae.
When you think of the middle of Hongdae, you usually picture busy streets and casual restaurants, but Anok — true to its name — is a very Korean space, so the mood felt different the moment I stepped in. Being able to feel this kind of hanok (traditional Korean house) charm right in the heart of Hongdae was subtly appealing.
It's a good spot for a date, for bringing along older relatives, and especially for eating with foreign friends when you want a meal in an atmosphere that's a bit different from the usual.
What I liked about there being no break time
The interior is spacious and neat!
And personally, what I loved was that there's no break time. If you go to eat at an in-between hour, you often run into a break time somewhere, but at Anok I could sit down and eat comfortably even in the late afternoon. It'd also be convenient for a late lunch or early dinner while running errands in Hongdae.
The three dishes we ordered
That day we ordered clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and braised pig's tail.
How was the clear gomtang?
First, the clear gomtang looked exactly as its name suggests — clean and clear — but when I actually tasted the broth, the savory depth was quite intense, which impressed me.
Rather than being intensely rich, it was clean but kept my spoon coming back for more!
If you like broth-based dishes, this would satisfy you. Now I understand why people recommend this as one of the best gomtang spots in Hongdae, haha.
Pyongyang naengmyeon, hard to find in Hongdae
And the Pyongyang naengmyeon (buckwheat cold noodles) I'd been looking forward to! It's surprisingly hard to find a good naengmyeon spot in Hongdae, but Anok's naengmyeon really exceeded expectations!
I expected the typical plain, subtle flavor of naengmyeon, but the subtle savoriness rising up from the broth was really good.
It wasn't intense but it wasn't bland either — the kind of style where the broth's flavor keeps coming through the more you eat, and I really enjoyed it. I think broth is the most important thing in naengmyeon, and Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon was genuinely fun just for tasting the broth itself. If you're looking for Pyongyang naengmyeon in Hongdae, it's worth a visit at least once. If you've been searching for the best Pyongyang naengmyeon spot in Hongdae, keep this one in mind!
The most memorable dish: braised pig's tail
And one of the most memorable dishes of the day was the braised pig's tail!
The braised pig's tail came out more generously portioned than I expected, so it was satisfying just to look at, and the sweet-spicy sauce paired really well with the tail. The sauce wasn't too intense but kept pulling me back for more, so it went well with rice and would also make a great drinking snack. Best of all, the tail's signature springy, chewy texture really came through, which was fun.
The chewy, bouncy texture stayed lively all the way through, so it was satisfying to chew, and there was a generous amount too — before I knew it, the plate was empty, haha.
Three dishes for two, generous portions
We ordered three dishes at Anok, and the portions overall were on the generous side, so the two of us left quite full.
Anok wasn't the kind of restaurant you'd typically find in Hongdae — the combination of hanok atmosphere plus gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and braised pig's tail was special in itself. I especially liked being able to visit at a relaxed hour with no break time, and the food let us really enjoy the broth's savory depth and the ingredients' textures rather than relying on intense flavors, which was incredibly satisfying. If you're looking for a good-atmosphere Korean restaurant in Hongdae, or somewhere with a distinctive menu, this is one I'd genuinely recommend!
