Japanese restaurant near Sorae Port, Incheon: Hongdae Gureume ramen

Hello, this is Halme. Today's restaurant is one I'd wanted to visit for a while — since there's only one location in Incheon, in Nonhyeon-dong, I'd saved it, and finally made the trip when I had an errand near Sorae Port Station.

With the yen so weak these days, everyone's dying to go to Japan — and this menu fits the mood perfectly! A Japanese restaurant in Nonhyeon-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon!! Here's my review of Hongdae Gureume~

Where is Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch, and where do you park?

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is just a 1-minute walk from Exit 4 of Incheon Nonhyeon Station on the Suin-Bundang Line — really close to the station. It's on the 2nd floor of the Ifleks Building.

You can park for free for 2 hours in the building's basement. The entrance is between Ginza Ryoko and Mega Coffee, so keep that in mind. There's also a parking lot on the main road, but that one's paid!! Make sure to use the building's basement lot.

The lot is fairly spacious, and even though I visited during Saturday lunch hours, it wasn't crowded.

For parking payment, you just enter your license plate number on the tablet at the counter when you pay~

Inside Hongdae Gureume: a Fukuoka-alley look and counter seats

What is this interior — it really gives off authentic Japan vibes. Thanks to the red chairs and the posters covering the walls, I felt like I'd walked into a restaurant tucked in a Fukuoka alley. The lighting throughout isn't too bright, giving it a comfortable atmosphere.

There's counter seating, which is great for solo dining, and partitions between the tables so you never have to make eye contact with the person next to you — makes for a relaxed meal.

Overall, it's the kind of place where you can eat comfortably in a cozy atmosphere.

See that massive line? I got lucky and caught a gap, so I only waited 5 minutes before I could eat right away.

Hongdae Gureume menu prices and review events

Hongdae Gureume's menu includes ramen, sushi, katsu, and in summer, soba (buckwheat noodles) too. There are set menus as well, so you can eat until you're full haha

There's also a solo set that's great for eating alone.

And of course, an event you can't miss~

• With a Naver photo review, you can pick one of salmon sushi, takoyaki, or a drink.
• With orders over ₩30,000, you get to draw for the lucky box event. 1st prize is salmon sushi, 2nd prize is a basic ramen.

The basic side dishes were napa cabbage kimchi and pickled radish.

Kumamoto-style special ramen, 17,500 won

This time I ordered the mountain-high Fukuoka Mount Aso pork loin katsu (₩19,900) and the special ramen (₩17,500). Hongdae Gureume's ramen comes in three styles — Kumamoto, Fukuoka, and Korean. The base is tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, but the Kumamoto style adds a black garlic sauce, while the Korean style comes with a spicy sauce.

After some deliberation, I went with the Kumamoto style, tonkotsu ramen with black garlic sauce. My first impression — the broth was black?? Huh?? — but once I tried it, the tonkotsu broth had a deep flavor with a subtle garlic aroma, so it wasn't heavy at all.

The tonkotsu broth was enhanced with black garlic sauce. It came loaded with chashu (braised pork), sous vide chicken, seasoned egg, fish ball (akabo), bean sprouts, and green onion — really generous.

The seasoned egg was well seasoned throughout, and the fishcake-like ball was tasty too. The bean sprouts were piled on generously~ Both the chashu and sous vide chicken were tender and moist.

If you find tonkotsu ramen too rich normally, you have to try this one. Thanks to the garlic sauce, it's deep in flavor but not heavy at all!!

The noodles were also thin, so I slurped it down and it disappeared in no time lol

Mountain-high Fukuoka Mount Aso pork loin katsu, 19,900 won

Next up is the mountain-high Fukuoka Mount Aso pork loin katsu. Just like the name says, a mountain of pork loin katsu is the star!!

Look at the sheer volume of pork loin katsu. The moment I saw it, I asked myself — can I really finish this?? And the answer was, of course I can lol

Salt and wasabi are essential with tonkatsu, and of course they were provided, along with two kinds of sauce. One's the classic tonkatsu sauce, and the other's a spicy sauce — like a spicy version of pizza sauce? — that you keep going back for.

The pork loin katsu was crispy and moist, not dry at all. It's well-fried tonkatsu — if you like tonkatsu, I highly, highly recommend it 👍

It's delicious with just a bit of salt and wasabi, but the red sauce's spiciness cuts through any heaviness haha Thanks to that, I finished the whole tonkatsu too~~

The notes of comfort and luck on every table

After finishing my meal, let me pull one of the comfort and luck messages sitting on the table! Every table has one~

The moment I read it, I got a little emotional ㅠ Let's all hang in there!!!

Is Hongdae Gureume worth it as a Japanese restaurant near Sorae Port?

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch gives off Fukuoka vibes right in Incheon, like a little trip abroad. The staff are friendly and solo dining is easy too, so if you're looking for a restaurant around Nonhyeon Station, I recommend it!!