Gangnam gomtang restaurant with rice cakes in the broth: Geumnyeong

Where is Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch, and when is it open?

Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch is at 1 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 1st floor, just 88m from Exit 4 of Sinnonhyeon Station. Hours are Mon-Fri 10:30-22:00, Sat 10:30-20:00, with a break time from 15:00-17:00, last order 30 minutes before closing, and closed every Sunday.

It's really close to the station.

It had a clean, cost-effective look that even the fussiest regulars would appreciate. It also gave off an upscale vibe and looked like it had opened fairly recently, which caught my eye.

It's tucked neatly into a villa building, but you don't have to walk upstairs, which was a nice plus for the location. Right next to the station too — everything about it worked well.

Seating at Geumnyeong Gomtang: solo tables, group tables and a room

The inside of Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch is quite spacious. The tables are spread far apart too, so you can sit comfortably without worrying about the next table over. Turnover is also pretty fast — everyone seemed to eat quickly and head out.

And even though the place already looks big from here, there's even more seating further inside. There are several group tables too, for larger parties — you could probably push tables together if needed.

There was also a private room further in, which can seat groups as well. With all these different seating options, it's very convenient whenever you visit!

Minari gomtang prices on the Geumnyeong Gomtang menu

At Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch, the Minari Gomtang is ₩14,000, and the Minari (Special) Gomtang is ₩16,000. Since I'm a bit of a glutton, I went straight for the special without a second thought — and the portion looked like it was about 1.5 to nearly 2 times bigger.

The menu is stacked with heavy hitters. It feels like a lineup of Korean food classics with one Vietnamese rice noodle dish thrown in? But looking at the photo, I'm guessing that noodle dish leans more toward a gomtang-style broth with rice noodles added, rather than an actual Vietnamese pho.

There was a little spoon rest in the drawer next to the table. It gave off a bit of a high-end Korean restaurant feel. The drawer only had chopsticks inside, but the spoon comes stuck in your dish when it's served, so don't worry that it's missing from the drawer haha.

The kimchi came in a little jar-like container along with radish. It had a slightly tangy taste that went surprisingly well with the deep broth.

How does the minari gomtang taste? Beef shank and tteokguk rice cakes

The Minari Gomtang at Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch arrives with a spoon already stuck into the broth. Beyond the spoon, the minari (water dropwort) underneath is finely chopped and packed in densely, and the beef shank is absolutely loaded on top.

I don't know much about gomtang, but is it normal for a place to give this much meat? I kept being amazed the whole time I ate.

They say it's Korean beef gomtang simmered for a long time with medicinal herbs and beef shank, and you could really smell that deep herbal aroma. The broth had that rich, long-simmered feel to it.

This is genuinely something you have to experience in person — the deep aroma the moment it arrives already tells you it's the real deal. The flavor really delivers that deep, slow-cooked taste all at once.

That slightly tangy kimchi from earlier — genuinely delicious. Definitely not a flavor anyone would dislike. The combination was excellent.

Combined with the fragrant aroma of the minari, it had a really compelling flavor. The broth was so good I wanted to just pick up the bowl and drink it! And the rice comes already mixed in.

Self-serve side dish corner at Geumnyeong Gomtang

There's a self-serve corner with a variety of side dishes you can help yourself to.

We grabbed some dried radish strips and perilla leaves, I think. Sweet and tasty side dishes.

Regular vs special gomtang: how much bigger is the bowl?

Here's the size comparison shot. The one on the left is the regular gomtang, and the right is the special — the diameter alone is already noticeably different between the special and the basic bowl, and the height is nearly double too. It genuinely felt like almost twice the portion. But the price difference is only ₩2,000, which is really good value. Everyone, get the special haha~ (That said, the regular size isn't small either. Every table around me was ordering the regular gomtang.)

Genuinely insanely good. You could just scoop up the broth alone and it'd already be delicious

but pile on some beef shank too and it becomes a ridiculous level of good.

And then when you dig out the hidden friend? The rice cake dumplings tie everything together perfectly, it's amazing. The rice cake was so soft it became the highlight of the dish. The meat is tender, has no gamy smell, and is completely savory!

Isn't the little shovel kind of cute? This is salt — if you feel it needs a bit more seasoning, you can add some. It felt like salt mixed with pepper! But the gomtang as served was never bland or off-balance, so I didn't really need to add any.

Not sure what this is, but it looked like a heater so I snapped a photo. And that wraps up this incredibly delicious meal~

Would I go back to Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch?

Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch had a rich broth and a generous amount of meat, making it a satisfying full meal. The subtle minari aroma especially gave it a charm that set it apart from a typical gomtang.

If I visit again, I think I'd order the special minari gomtang again without a second thought haha. Highly recommend it to anyone near Sinnonhyeon Station looking for a hearty Korean restaurant or a great gomtang spot!