Insadong Korean restaurant lunch with sister, no pork smell: Wolhadong

A clean, filling pork gomtang spot in a hanok — Wolhadong

It really feels like fall now, right? The weather's gotten so nice. My sister and I recently saw an exhibition at a gallery, and thought lunch in Insadong sounded great, so while looking for a place to eat we ended up at Wolhadong.

Finding Wolhadong in Insadong

Turn into the alley on the right and you'll find it right away!

It's tucked deep inside an Insadong alley, so as you walk slowly along the lane, Wolhadong's hanok (traditional Korean house) building comes into view.

Before going in, the entrance was so cute I took a photo :)

The interior makes the most of the hanok

It was impressive how they preserved the charm of an old hanok, and the quiet, timeworn atmosphere made it feel even more like Insadong.

There are a lot of restaurants these days going for a hanok interior, but at Wolhadong the gomtang menu and the hanok mood felt especially well matched!

If a foreign friend said they wanted to try a restaurant with a Korean atmosphere, this would be a great place to bring them, and I think my parents would love it too. The space is calm, so it's good for a leisurely meal, and it's a comfortable enough vibe for eating alone as well.

Ordering via the table QR code

You order through your phone using the QR code on the table :)

What I ordered that day was Wolha gomtang and cold pork!

What does the Wolha gomtang broth taste like?

I tried the Wolha gomtang first, and the broth was really clear and clean. That doesn't mean it was bland though — the more I drank, the more a quiet depth came through, and I kept going back for more! If you like broth that's mild but deep rather than spicy or intense, I think you'd especially love this one. I like pork gukbap (soup with rice) and eat pork broth dishes fairly often, but this had a different charm from your typical pork gukbap. Totally my style..♥ The broth wasn't heavy and was clean enough to eat comfortably for lunch, and after one bowl I felt properly full and satisfied.

The seokbakji (radish kimchi) and kimchi were tasty too!

Cold pork, tested by someone sensitive to pork smell

And personally, what I really loved was the cold pork (naengjeyuk). I'm extremely sensitive to pork smell — if there's even a hint of gaminess I can't touch it at all — but there was zero smell here, so I ate it happily. The meat was also soft and moist, great texture, and dipping it in the sauce that came with it worked really well.

I was so glad we ordered the gomtang and the cold pork together. Alternating between the warm broth and the soft cold pork was such a great combo. If I come back, I'd want to order a bigger size of the cold pork next time. Even writing this now, I'm craving it again...🤤💙

Final thoughts

Wolhadong has clean food and a beautiful space, so I'd highly recommend it if you're looking for somewhere to eat lunch in Insadong! If you're after Korean-style pork gomtang in Insadong specifically, it's worth a visit at least once. It's also close to Anguk Station, so you can enjoy the walk through the Insadong alleys on your way. A good meal plus a slow stroll through the surrounding lanes could make it a nice date course too.

On a day you want clean but properly filling Korean food, or when you're craving a pork gomtang with clear, deep broth, Wolhadong..❤ If you're looking for an atmospheric Korean restaurant in Insadong, go try a warm bowl of gomtang at Wolhadong. Definitely!!