Hongdae Korean restaurant for two ordering three dishes: Anok

With the good-weather weekends probably running out soon, my friend Doodoo and I decided to head to Mangwon Hangang Park — but first we wanted lunch in Hongdae. There are tons of good restaurants in Hongdae, but I found one serving gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon inside a quiet, old-style hanok. Neither of us had ever tried Pyongyang naengmyeon before, so we decided to give it a go along with the gomtang. The place is called Anok, and it felt totally different from the modern Hongdae vibe outside.

Anok · 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul · Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00 · Closed Mondays

Finding Anok from Hongik University Station

Anok, this Hongdae gomtang spot, is about 8 minutes from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station. We took the bus and got off at a stop in Seogyo-dong, then walked. Passing Egg Drop, we turned into the alley next to it, which turns into a staircase — right in front of it is a village bus stop. If you get off at the Seogyo Prugio Apartment stop, the alley leading straight to Anok is right there.

The staircase itself has that hip Hongdae feel, but once you climb it, you find the quiet hanok that houses Anok. Walking in, a courtyard opens up — great for photos, and honestly nice just left empty too, though I think it would also have some charm if there were a spot under the eaves for a post-meal dessert.

Seating and group tables

Inside, there are 2-seat and 4-seat tables, and the ones facing the courtyard are 1 four-seat and 2 two-seat tables. Group seating for up to 12 is available if you call ahead. The restroom is shared and accessed through the inside corridor. There were just two of us, but we sat at a 4-seat table since we'd come planning to order three dishes.

What's on the menu at Anok

This Hongdae restaurant has solo-friendly dishes like gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl),

and dishes meant for sharing, like pork tail jjim (braised pork tail), chilled pork, yukhoe, pufferfish platter, Korean beef bulgogi hot pot, deodeok gui (grilled bellflower root), cheese potato pancake, and kimchi pancake,

plus a wide range of drinks to go with it all — regular liquor, traditional liquor, distilled spirits, makgeolli, and non-alcoholic drinks.

We had planned to order clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and pork tail jjim, but the pork tail jjim was sold out, so we got a chilled pork plate instead.

The banchan: gochuji and burdock root

The utensils were neatly set at the table already, and the water and banchan came out first. The side dishes were gochuji, burdock root, kkakdugi, and napa cabbage kimchi. At first I saw the gochuji and wondered if it was a spicy dipping sauce, but the staff explained it's meant to be eaten together with the meat. If you want more seasoning, there's salt and pepper on the table. The dishes came out one by one, and we shared everything from the middle of the table.

First time trying Pyongyang naengmyeon: mild medicinal-herb broth

This was my first time trying Pyongyang naengmyeon, and it was at Anok. The broth was extremely clear, and I first thought I was tasting garlic, but it was actually the flavor of medicinal herbs. Apparently Anok makes its broth from carefully selected herbs like milkvetch root and burdock, skimming the fat over 48 hours. It tasted like something that was good for you — I get why Pyongyang naengmyeon is divisive, since the flavor can seem almost too subtle. Eating it alongside other dishes, I felt like you'd lose that subtle, mild flavor that makes it what it is. It was a shame we couldn't try the pork tail jjim, but honestly, eating it together probably would have drowned out the naengmyeon's flavor anyway. Because it's so mild, you keep eating it, and it went really well with the cool napa cabbage kimchi and kkakdugi. There was a generous amount of meat in it too, and paired with the chilled pork, we got to eat all the protein we wanted.

Clear gomtang and Korean pork suyuk

Anok's gomtang uses the same clear broth base, with Korean pork suyuk (boiled sliced pork) and rice added in — same broth base as the naengmyeon, but with a bit more fat to it. Similarly, it didn't feel overly seasoned, but after eating the naengmyeon, the gomtang tasted plenty seasoned by comparison. It's the kind of dish you keep spooning up, and one parents would love. The suyuk in the gomtang was delicious paired with the gochuji, which felt like red pepper flakes turned into a sauce. Doodoo said this was the best part of the whole meal. No surprise — it really is a great gomtang spot in Hongdae.

The chilled pork plate and minari salad

The chilled pork plate we ordered to share came with suyuk and a minari (water dropwort) salad dressed in vinegar. Doodoo loves minari, so this was perfect for her. At first I thought there wasn't much meat, but there were apparently several layers to it, because more kept appearing from underneath haha. We really ate our fill of suyuk. Because the pork was so generous, the minari alone couldn't quite cut through it by the end, but eating a piece of the burdock root at that point brought it back into balance with its tanginess — it had almost a danmuji (pickled radish) quality to it. The texture was different from the gomtang's suyuk, but similar to the naengmyeon's, which made me wish we'd tried the pork tail jjim for a different texture altogether — though then again, it might have thrown off the naengmyeon's flavor. Quite the dilemma.

What to order next time

This time we went with the gomtang, naengmyeon, and chilled pork combo, so next time I'll have to try the pork tail jjim set. Or honestly, coming alone and just having a meal seems fine too — there were solo diners there. If you're into Pyongyang naengmyeon, I bet you'll be curious enough to check this place out. Oh, and I think there was pop music playing, which I didn't even notice while eating along to the rhythm, but Doodoo wondered how it would've felt with Korean songs instead.

If you're near Hongik University Station looking for a place to eat with a foreign friend or your parents and trying to decide on a Korean restaurant, check out Anok — this quiet hanok restaurant known for its gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon in Hongdae!