Sinnonhyeon beef soup restaurant with a 4-dumpling plate: Geumnyeong

With the weather turning chilly lately, I've been craving hot soup nonstop. I happened to have an errand near Sinnonhyeon Station and stumbled onto an absolute gem!

Where Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch is and when it opens

Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch (금녕곰탕 역삼점) is a Gangnam restaurant located at 1 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, just 88 meters from Exit 4 of Sinnonhyeon Station on the Sinbundang Line and Line 9. Hours are Monday to Wednesday 10:30–22:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00, last order at 21:30, and closed on Sundays.

Just a heads-up that hours may be shortened or the shop may close during holidays like Chuseok, so keep that in mind!

Store info: group seating available, takeout, delivery, reservations, separate men's/women's restrooms, high chairs, wifi, a waiting area, and pets are welcome.

Outside Geumnyeong Gomtang, a Gangnam restaurant built for solo diners

This is Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch, a solo-dining-friendly Gangnam restaurant, and the exterior was so clean and tidy it immediately won me over. It's right at the entrance of an alley, so it was super easy to find! I walked in already imagining a hot bowl of gomtang (Korean beef bone soup) 😋

Inside Geumnyeong Gomtang: a wide, spotless dining room

I was genuinely surprised at how huge and clean the interior of Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch was!

The tables had generous spacing between them and everything was sparkling clean, not a speck of dust in sight ✨

A jar of kimchi and seokbakji radish kimchi on every table

As soon as we sat down, the owner brought over jars filled with kimchi and radish kimchi (seokbakji). I was touched by the thoughtfulness of giving one jar per table 😍

There was even a paper rest for chopsticks, which I loved! Don't worry about spoons — they come out together with the gomtang haha.

The self-serve bar: two pickled perilla leaves, dried radish, garlic and chili pickles, and big cucumber peppers

And the amazing part was this self-serve bar! Usually at gomtang restaurants it's just cubed radish kimchi and kimchi, but Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch had a huge variety of side dishes.

There were even two kinds of pickled perilla leaves, plus dried radish and garlic-and-chili pickles. On top of that, they had huge, fresh cucumber peppers piled up 🌶️

I only took what I could eat, but can you tell how fresh those cucumber peppers look?! They were so crisp and fresh, I want more already ㅠㅠ

What's on the menu at Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch

Looking at the menu, we had a happy dilemma over what to order. We decided on the fragrant minari gomtang (water dropwort beef soup), the hot rice noodles, and dumplings!

The dumplings are usually sold in units of 3 or 6. Since there were only two of us, we were debating over the quantity, and the kind owner offered to give us just 4 instead 😭

Four dumplings, plated for two

Steamed half meat, half kimchi, the wrapper was thin and the filling was packed full — genuinely delicious! The owner's warmth made them taste twice as good 🥰

Minari gomtang piled with water dropwort

Finally, the main dish, minari gomtang, arrived at the table! The fragrant scent of minari hit my nose the moment it landed — truly a work of art 🌿

Isn't that visual pretty, with the vivid green minari piled on top of the gomtang? It's an unusual combination, so I was curious what it would taste like and took a sip of the broth right away.

The broth was deep and clean, and the crisp texture and aroma of the minari made it amazing! The meat was so tender and soft that I mixed in a bowl of rice and finished it all in no time 👍

Rice noodles: soft noodles in Geumnyeong's gomtang broth

And when you're craving noodles, the rice noodles were also a real treat. Having soft rice noodles instead of rice in the hot, rich gomtang broth felt refreshingly different!

The broth had soaked all the way into the noodles, and I couldn't stop slurping them up 🍜 Since they're not wheat noodles, they were easy on the stomach and satisfying to eat.

Is Geumnyeong Gomtang comfortable for solo dining? Final thoughts

Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch has a spacious, pleasant space and a super kind owner, making it a place you can visit solo without any worries. On days like these with big temperature swings, or when you're feeling under the weather, a hot bowl here would melt away all your aches!

I genuinely stuffed myself full and left thinking I absolutely have to come back again.

If you're ever near Sinnonhyeon Station, be sure to stop by 👋