Hongdae Seoul restaurant for first-time naengmyeon eaters: Anok

My partner and I went on a Hongdae date and stopped by Anok for naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) and gomtang (clear beef bone soup). We ordered naengmyeon, clear gomtang, and braised pork tail. Today too!! I was sure that would be plenty... haha. But as we ate, I kept getting curious about the other menu items, and we ended up adding yukhoe bibimbap even though we were already full haha.

This is a place that won my heart before I even ate anything, just from the entrance. The hanok atmosphere was so pretty that I kept looking around as soon as we walked in haha. For anyone looking for a Hongdae naengmyeon restaurant, let me show you what we ate and the vibe that day :)

Where is Anok in Hongdae, and what are its hours and parking?

Anok is located at 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:00, and closed on Mondays.

Business info can change, so please double-check before you visit :) There's no dedicated parking lot, so if you're driving you'll need to use a nearby lot — public transit is recommended.

Anok's hanok entrance: pretty from the first step

Walking down the alley, the hanok exterior just appeared in front of us. I love this kind of atmosphere haha. From the roof tiles to the wooden gate, everything was so pretty that I kept saying to my partner, "Wait, what? This is so pretty," "Oh this is really my style, is this the restaurant?" as we walked in haha.

Past the gate, a stone path leads into a small courtyard. We're right in the middle of Hongdae, but once you step inside, the atmosphere completely changes from outside.

Quiet and serene, I guess? Haha. We came to eat, but I ended up sightseeing from the entrance onward. (Everything about the interior that day was exactly my style, so my phone got bombarded with photos..^^)

Seating and atmosphere inside Anok

It's not just pretty outside — you can see the courtyard from inside too. The wood-toned furniture and lattice windows matched Anok's atmosphere really well.

There were table seats and window seats. According to the signage, there are seats for 2 to 12 people, and you can call to inquire about renting the space. We came as a couple, but I thought this would also be great for a date or for coming with parents haha.

Afternoon sunlight in the Anok courtyard

I visited in the afternoon, and sunlight streaming through the lattice windows cast a grid pattern right onto the tables and chairs. I'm someone who can't just walk past something like this... haha. I kept taking photos and staring at it.

When I visited, I could see green leaves through the window along with the tiled wall and courtyard, which was lovely. It made me wonder what Anok looks like in other seasons — I'd love to come back in winter haha.

What we ordered at Anok and what it cost

Our first order was three dishes: naengmyeon (water broth) for ₩14,000, clear gomtang for ₩13,000, and braised pork tail for ₩29,000. Menu items and prices are as of our visit, so please double-check before you go :)

At this point we were thinking, "This should be plenty." ...Yeah, that was just the beginning haha. Spoiler: yukhoe bibimbap comes later.

Anok's side dishes arrive before the mains

While we waited after ordering, they brought out the side dishes first — and the side dishes here are seriously good.

Especially the gungchae jangajji (pickled aster stem)!! The crunchy texture kept me reaching for more haha. And the important thing — the kimchi here is delicious. We nibbled on the side dishes one by one while waiting.

The staff were also really kind. When they saw we'd finished the side dishes, they brought out more without us even asking haha (I'm the type who can't easily ask for more). Small gestures like that make this food lover happy haha.

Two naengmyeon beginners try Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon

The first thing that arrived was the naengmyeon! Neither my partner nor I have eaten a lot of pyeongyang naengmyeon — we're what you'd call naengmyeon beginners haha. So at first we were like, "Can we actually enjoy this?" but it turned out we both ate it comfortably.

What I especially liked was the broth. It was clean, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy. This is definitely not a seasoned opinion from someone who's had a lot of naengmyeon haha — just a beginner's take: I ate it without any trouble! That's about the level of my review haha.

If you're like us, looking for a good Hongdae naengmyeon restaurant but still a bit unfamiliar with pyeongyang naengmyeon, take this as a reference point :)

Anok's clear gomtang did the heavy lifting

Then came the clear gomtang. Honestly, the gomtang here was... much better than I expected haha.

It wasn't just loaded with meat at the start — there was enough meat to eat alongside the rice pretty much until the end of the bowl. Sometimes with gomtang you finish all the meat first and are left with just rice and broth. But that day, we had meat and rice together until the very last bite haha.

And topping it with a piece of kimchi — rice + meat + kimchi was my favorite combo haha. Partway through eating, I looked over and noticed salt and pepper on the side. "Oh, this was here?" haha. We were already enjoying it so much we didn't add any. The base seasoning was just right for us haha.

Anok's braised pork tail: tender and falling apart

Then the pork tail jjim (braised pork tail) I'd been curious about. It's not something I eat often, so I was intrigued. In photos, the sauce color looks pretty deep and dark. But when I actually ate it, it wasn't spicy. And the texture was truly tender and soft haha (the kind where I wanted to feed a piece to everyone around me haha).

The seasoning suited my taste too, so I kept picking off pieces between bites of naengmyeon and gomtang.

Okay. At this point we should stop eating, right? (I know, I know... haha.) We were already pretty full haha. But the dishes had all been so good that we got curious about what else was on the menu. And so, eventually...

Adding yukhoe bibimbap at Anok while claiming to be full

Yep. We added yukhoe bibimbap for ₩18,000. Haha. Honestly, even while ordering I thought, "Can we actually finish this..." But that worry turned out to be pointless ^^

Can you see how much yukhoe (raw beef tartare) is piled on top? Even while taking the photo I said, "Wow, that's a lot of yukhoe" haha. We mixed it up and took a bite, and... honestly it would've been a shame to leave without eating this haha.

We clearly said we were full, but our spoons kept going anyway. I guess if you're curious, you really just have to try it haha. In the end, we finished even the last add-on dish.

The person I kept thinking about all through the meal

Throughout the meal I kept thinking, "I want to bring mom and dad here." There are Korean dishes like naengmyeon and gomtang, and the space is calm and quiet, so it would be great to come here with them. I decided I should bring my parents next time haha.

Who should come to Anok in Hongdae?

People who, like us, are still new to naengmyeon can enjoy it here, and so can anyone who loves Korean food like clear gomtang. Since you can eat calmly in a hanok setting, it would come to mind when looking for a place for a family meal in Hongdae. Coming with my partner, ordering several dishes, and sharing bits of everything was also something we really enjoyed :)

Why I want to go back to Anok in Hongdae

And here's the result of that day. Haha. We really did eat well, didn't we? From the naengmyeon that even two beginners ate comfortably, to the clear gomtang I especially enjoyed, the tender pork tail, and the yukhoe bibimbap we added despite being full. Trying one dish after another, this is how it turned out haha.

The food was great, but the hanok atmosphere flowing from the entrance to the courtyard to the interior stayed with me too, along with the pretty afternoon sunlight through the lattice windows. Add the staff's thoughtful care on top of that :) I visited as part of a sponsored campaign, but this is somewhere I'd like to come back to again.

If I go again, the clear gomtang is basically a given haha. Yukhoe bibimbap too... maybe the pork tail as well, depending on how hungry I am that day haha. If you want clean, comforting Korean food in Hongdae, or you're looking for a decent lunch spot or a place for pyeongyang naengmyeon in Hongdae, give Anok a try :) Next time I'll bring my mom and dad 🩵