Mapo Korean restaurant for naengmyeon and pork belly: Horangi Gotgan

My husband and I had an errand in the Gongdeok area, so we ended up having lunch together too. The place we found that day was Horangi Gotgan (호랭이곳간) Gongdeok Branch, a great-value Korean restaurant near Gongdeok!

It is close to Gongdeok Station, so it is easy to get to, and the menu runs from naengmyeon (cold noodles) to rice bowls, bibimbap, and sagolbap (beef bone-broth rice). It looked like a perfectly good spot when you are looking for a Korean lunch near Gongdeok Station.

Looking at the next table, lots of people were having bibimbap too.

True to its name, Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch has tiger drawings all around the restaurant. 😆

A Korean restaurant with a varied menu for lunch near Gongdeok Station

Rather than feeling like a typical Korean restaurant, it had a more casual, distinctive atmosphere. The staff were kind too.

The menu is more varied than I expected. There are sagolbap options, rice bowls such as pork belly bibimbap, beef brisket bibimbap, and grilled webfoot octopus rice bowl, plus naengmyeon and meat dishes—so it would be easy for a group to order to their own tastes. The portions were generous too; we walked out absolutely stuffed, haha.

We ordered the Hongdukae mul-naengmyeon and pork belly set, a grilled webfoot octopus rice bowl, and an extra order of pork belly.

Pairing Hongdukae mul-naengmyeon with pork belly

First up, the Hongdukae mul-naengmyeon! It comes with premium Hongdukae beef, chewy kudzu noodles, and chilled beef bone-broth soup. You can see from the photo that it is quite generous with the meat. 🥰🥰

Eating the chewy kudzu noodles in the cold broth, with pieces of Hongdukae beef in between, was much more filling than having naengmyeon on its own.

And when you are eating naengmyeon, you would miss meat if it were not there, right? Haha. I loved that there was a pork belly set like this ♡ Pork belly is love, so of course we added more too.

A whole plate of nicely browned pork belly came out, and as expected, it was such a good pairing with the naengmyeon. The pork belly was so tasty, haha.

A bite of cold, chewy naengmyeon followed by a piece of savory pork belly! Personally, I prefer having meat alongside naengmyeon rather than eating the noodles alone, so I was very satisfied.

Grilled webfoot octopus rice bowl and warm bone broth

We also shared the grilled webfoot octopus rice bowl. It is said to be a spicy rice bowl cooked over a fierce 700-degree flame for that smoky flavor. Seriously, it was so good.

There was a generous topping of egg and vegetables over the rice, with webfoot octopus underneath, so you just mix it all together and eat.

The spicy sauce, crisp vegetables, and soft egg all mixed together were truly amazing.

One thing I quietly loved was that the grilled webfoot octopus rice bowl came with beef bone-broth soup too.

The weather has started to get a little chilly lately, you know. A bite of spicy webfoot octopus rice bowl and a sip of warm bone broth—so good! Little details like that are surprisingly nice for a lunch meal.

Go a little early to avoid the lunch queue

When we arrived, I thought, “Oh, it is roomier than I expected?” But I was surprised when we came out after eating. Before we knew it, people had poured in and there was quite a queue. It seemed to be popular with office workers around Gongdeok Station at lunchtime. So if you are visiting for lunch, it might be a good idea to go a little early!

Horangi Gotgan Gongdeok Branch gave my husband and me a hearty lunch after we came out to run errands. It was a good option when you want Korean food but not the same old stew or set meal, and everyone wants to choose something different, such as naengmyeon, meat, or a rice bowl.

I especially recommend the Hongdukae mul-naengmyeon and pork belly combination!