Hongdae restaurant in Seoul: spicy vs clear tripe soup at Doonjeong

I was looking for somewhere solid for lunch near Hongik University Station and ended up at Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch!

What kind of restaurant is Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch?

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is a Korean restaurant near Hongik University Station serving gomtang (beef bone soup), jeongol (hot pot), and jeon (savory pancakes). When you think of Hongdae, meat restaurants, bars, and cafés usually come to mind first, but this time I went for a slightly different kind of Hongdae meal — Korean home-style food.

It was a good option when I wanted a clean, satisfying meal in Hongdae. The lunch menu, with items like hanwoo gomtang and spicy hanwoo gomtang, suits anyone hunting for a Hongdae lunch spot, while in the evening the hanwoo gopchang jeongol (beef tripe hot pot) and jeon dishes pair nicely with a drink, making it work as a Hongdae bar option too. The place is also clean and tidy, so it seemed like a good spot to bring foreign guests!

• 📍 183-12 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (1st floor)
• ⏰ Mon–Sun 11:00–21:00
• Break time 15:00–17:00 / Last order 14:30, 20:30
• 🚗 No parking ❌
• ✨ Group-friendly, takeout, reservations, waiting area, high chair

How to get to Doonjeong from Hongik University Station, and the dining room

It's close enough to Hongik University Station that getting there by public transit is easy. Since it sits along an alley, the atmosphere felt calmer than the crowded main streets of Hongdae. If you're meeting people near Hongik University Station, the accessibility is decent, so it's worth keeping in mind for a Hongdae gathering or work dinner spot.

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is set back in an alley, a bit removed from the main Hongdae street. That actually made it feel like a good place to duck into for a meal.

Hongdae draws so many people that restaurants on the main street can feel hectic, but being tucked in the alley meant I could eat in a relatively calm atmosphere.

Out front, there was a menu board so I could check what they served before going in, and since it's mostly Korean dishes, picking something wasn't hard.

If you're looking for a Hongdae Korean restaurant, this place has a range from gomtang to jeongol to jeon, so it seemed useful for both lunch and dinner.

Walking inside, it was cleaner and more orderly than I expected.

It's mostly table seating, so it looked good for groups too. Coming alone for a bowl of gomtang didn't feel awkward either.

The space is fairly large with generous gaps between tables, so it was a comfortable place to eat.

What we ordered at Doonjeong and what it cost

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch offers a range of Korean dishes centered on hanwoo (Korean beef) gomtang.

• Spicy hanwoo yang gomtang (large) ₩18,000
• Clear hanwoo gomtang (regular) ₩13,000
• Shrimp minari pancake ₩19,000

The table had chopsticks, spoons, and napkins neatly set, and the basic side dishes were kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi).

Kimchi and kkakdugi are a must with gomtang, and they went great with the broth — especially the kkakdugi with the clear gomtang, which kept it from feeling heavy and kept things clean-tasting.

Overall it felt less like a flashy Hongdae hotspot and more like a clean Korean restaurant built for focusing on the food.

Spicy hanwoo yang gomtang (beef tripe soup), large, 18,000 won

First, the spicy hanwoo yang gomtang I ordered! Being the large size, the portion was quite generous.

This was clearly a different animal from a typical clear gomtang.

The broth was spicy but leaned more toward warming and soothing than sharply hot.

With beef and tripe in it, eating the meat and rice together felt more filling than just drinking the broth alone.

Especially for people who like gukbap (soup with rice) or gomtang, I think this spicy version would have broad appeal.

When you want lunch in Hongdae that's not too heavy but also more than a light salad, this spicy hanwoo gomtang hits the right spot.

Eating the rice with the broth naturally fills you up, making it a satisfying one-bowl meal.

More than anything, the spicy broth gave it a different charm from the usual clear gomtang.

Clear hanwoo gomtang (beef soup), regular, 13,000 won

The clear hanwoo gomtang I ordered alongside it felt completely different from the spicy version.

The broth was clear and clean, seeming to suit people who don't love strong flavors.

The rice comes already soaked in the broth, so you get the mild, clean taste characteristic of hanwoo gomtang together with the rice in every spoonful.

Gomtang can get tiring after a few spoonfuls if the broth is too heavy or greasy, but this one stayed fairly light and easy to keep eating.

Pairing it with the kimchi and kkakdugi that came alongside worked well with the mild flavor of the broth.

Personally, I'd say: if you like spicy broth, go for the spicy hanwoo yang gomtang; if you prefer clean and mild, go for the clear hanwoo gomtang.

If you're visiting with someone, ordering one of each to compare is a good idea.

Shrimp minari pancake, 19,000 won

And the shrimp minari pancake, which I liked more than expected!

Gomtang alone felt like it might not be quite enough, so we ordered this too, and sure enough, adding one pancake made the meal much more filling.

With shrimp and minari (water celery) together, you get the fragrant scent of minari alongside the texture of shrimp.

The pancake itself wasn't too heavy, so it paired well with the gomtang.

Having shrimp in the pancake gave it more chew than a plain flour pancake, and the distinct minari scent worked like a palate cleanser between bites.

This kind of jeon works well as a meal, but it's also a good drinking snack, so if you visit in the evening it should go nicely with traditional liquor or soju.

Dessert: shine muscat grapes

Dessert was shine muscat grapes! Super sweet and delicious haha.

Spicy or clear? Final verdict on Doonjeong Hongdae

• ✔️ A Korean restaurant in Hongdae with good accessibility, walkable from Hongik University Station
• ✔️ A good place to visit when you want a filling Hongdae lunch, from clear hanwoo gomtang to spicy hanwoo yang gomtang
• ✔️ A wide range of dishes — like shrimp minari pancake and hanwoo gopchang jeongol — that work as meals or drinking snacks
• ✔️ Gomtang for lunch, jeongol or jeon for dinner, making it a solid pick for a Hongdae gathering or work dinner
• ✔️ A good Hongdae Korean restaurant for days you want clean, mild food rather than something strongly flavored