Tantanmen vs beef noodle soup at Surim Sikdang, a Hongdae ramen spot
In short
Surim Sikdang Hongdae is a noodle and ramen restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, sitting closer to Sangsu Station than to the main Hongdae strip. Two diners shared tantanmen (spicy sesame noodle soup), beef noodle soup (uyuk-tangmyeon) and eggplant mandu (dumplings), and the eggplant mandu was the most memorable — crisp outside, juicy inside — while the tantanmen grew spicier with every bite. The beef noodle soup at Surim Sikdang Hongdae suits anyone who prefers a clean, light broth.
Good to know
- Hours
- Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00
- Break time
- Weekdays 15:00–17:00
- Price range
- Most dishes in the low 10,000 won range
- Steamed rice
- Served free
- Ordering
- Order at the kiosk, then take a seat
- Group seating
- Inner tables given to parties of 6 or more who reserve ahead
- Amenities
- Coat rack, disposable aprons, self-service corner with side dishes and small plates
- Price reference
- ₩10,000 ≈ $7.4 (2026-09-15)
as written by the visitor on Sep 15, 2026
Where is Surim Sikdang Hongdae?
Surim Sikdang Hongdae is a tantanmen and eggplant mandu restaurant that's actually a bit closer to Sangsu Station than to Hongdae itself. I found it while looking for a Hongdae ramen place for dinner after a full afternoon of petting cats at Jipsa's Day (a cat café).
Random detail, but I made sure to brush all the cat fur off my clothes and scrub my hands clean before heading in (no one asked, I know).
📍 Surim Sikdang Hongdae
The atmosphere was so nice we just naturally walked in (?)
Like Jipsa's Day, Surim Sikdang is closer to Sangsu Station too. It's about 10 seconds (?) from Jipsa's Day.
⏰ Hours Mon–Sun: 11:00–21:00 Weekdays have a break time (15:00 to 17:00)
Menu, prices and how to order at the kiosk
Surim Sikdang Hongdae's signature dishes are the tantan-family noodles (?) and eggplant mandu. Prices are relatively low for a hotspot area like Hongdae — *mostly low ₩10,000s.
We decided to try tantanmen, beef noodle soup, and eggplant mandu. (Determined.)
You order at the kiosk, then take a seat.
Free rice refills. Why am I only seeing this now? Tantanmen or ramen with rice is such a good combo.
Seating, group tables and in-store amenities
Surim Sikdang Hongdae has wall-facing seats on both sides, a big table in the middle, and another big table further inside with a nice atmosphere that works well for groups.
Apparently the inner seats are assigned to parties of 6 or more if reserved in advance. On a quiet weekday evening, it looked like even pairs of two could sit inside.
Reserving the inner group seating in advance seems to be the way to go for larger parties.
A shot while waiting for the food.
There were coat hangers and disposable aprons here and there. We both wore white, so aprons were mandatory.
The self-service corner has side dishes and extra plates you can freely grab; cups and utensils are already on the table.
🍜 What the food looks like
(From left) beef noodle soup, eggplant mandu, tantanmen
Even while writing this post, seeing the eggplant mandu again made my mouth water.
A step toward becoming a food blogger. But not quite there yet, right?
(1) Eggplant mandu 🍆
At first I thought Surim Sikdang Hongdae's eggplant mandu was just fried eggplant, but the moment I took a bite there was dumpling filling inside too, and it was so good. It reminded me of the crispy-outside, juicy-inside dumplings you get in Hong Kong.
It was crispy and delicious enough that I understood why it's the signature dish. Eggplant mandu wins by a landslide (?) But since it's fresh out of the fryer, you need to eat it in small bites — otherwise you'll burn the roof of your mouth.
(2) Tantanmen 🌶️
The tantanmen broth was tasty, and it felt like it got spicier the more I ate. At first I thought, huh, it's not as spicy as I expected? But as I kept eating, the heat quietly crept up.
Still, the broth wasn't just aggressively spicy — there was a savory depth to it too, so I kept going back for more.
???: When are you ever gonna diet
Personally, I feel like adding a bit of garlic or chili would make it even better.
(3) Beef noodle soup (uyuk-tangmyeon) 🍜
The beef noodle soup was a bit more basic, so personally it felt a little plain compared to the tantanmen or eggplant mandu. That doesn't mean it wasn't good, though.
If you prefer a light, clean flavor over something more intense, the beef noodle soup would suit you better. The noodles themselves were chewy, and the texture worked well with the broth.
Which Surim Sikdang Hongdae dish to order first
To sum up my ranking of the dishes I tried (in my opinion..~)
- 🥇 Eggplant mandu
- 🥈 Tantanmen
- 🥉 Beef noodle soup
The eggplant mandu especially wasn't something I expected much from at first, but it ended up being the most memorable. If you like fried eggplant, you'll love this dish. If it were near my house, I'd probably order it to go all the time.
A place worth visiting when you're craving Hongdae ramen. The eggplant mandu especially gets my personal recommendation 👀
The eggplant mandu is the real kicker.
Where it is
19-19 Wausan-ro 21-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 마포구 와우산로21길 19-19 1층
