Hongdae Korean restaurant for clear beef soup: Doonjeong

Seriously, the temperature swing has suddenly been so intense these past few days that I’ve been feeling pretty worn outㅠ In the past, even when the seasons changed, I thought as long as I ate something filling, that was enough—but as I get a year older each time^^;; when mornings and evenings get a little cool like this, I start craving hot soup so badly. And rather than something spicy, I find myself looking for a mild gukbap (rice soup) or gomtang (beef bone soup)..

But I’d saved this place because I heard a great gomtang spot had opened in Hongdae late last year, and I finally got the chance to go with friends!

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch location

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch (도온정 홍대직영점) is about a four-minute walk from Exit 1 of Hongik University Station, and I liked it even more because it isn’t right in the middle of the busy area! The original branch is in Goyang, and this Hongdae direct branch is its second location, so I had a feeling it would be just as good as the original.

We arrived in front of the restaurant.. I didn’t realize this wasn’t just any gomtang—it was made with hanwoo cow beef, no less;;

And it was a Blue Ribbon-recognized restaurant for two consecutive years, 2025 and 2026!

Gomtang and pancake menu

Here’s the menu. We ordered one hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef mixed rice) for ₩16,000, and the gomtang comes in four options: regular, tendon, premium, and brisket, so you can choose whatever you like. We got two clear premium hanwoo gomtang bowls with tendon and a variety of cuts, at ₩18,000 each!!

For sides, there’s seasoned beef for ₩11,000, beef and garlic chive pancake for ₩17,000, beef and kimchi pancake for ₩18,000, and shrimp and minari (water dropwort) pancake for ₩19,000. They also have boiled beef, hanwoo hot pot, and even hanwoo beef tripe hot pot, so it’s perfect for a meal at lunch or pancakes or boiled beef with a drink at dinner..

They brought the side dishes in these cute little bowls too. Kimchi and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi)~~ Essential sides you just can’t do without at a gomtang restaurant..

A dining room with customers even at 5 p.m.

We visited at around 5 p.m., but there were quite a few customers, you know? Three parties were dining alone, and two other parties had two and four people respectively!

There are tables for two or four, and there’s plenty of seating, right?

The food took about 10 minutes to arrive. I was planning to share the yukhoe bibimbap with my friends haha

Clear premium hanwoo gomtang

When the food arrived, the first thing that caught my eye was of course the gomtang served in a brass bowl, right?? There was plenty of rice and meat in the clear broth, topped with finely chopped scallions.. Exactly the mild, comforting look I wanted right then.

With hanwoo gomtang, you absolutely have to try the broth first! I served some into a small plate first.. True to its name, the broth is clear and clean. It isn’t greasy at all; first comes a gentle savory depth from the cow beef, then a light, clean finish..!

You can dip the meat in the sauce that comes with it. Since we ordered the premium size, there was a generous amount of meat too.

The thinly sliced hanwoo goes down so tenderly with the broth, and with tendon and other cuts mixed in, it’s fun to eat!

Maybe because the rice had been torieom—briefly simmered in the broth—the broth had soaked nicely into every grain. And perhaps because it came in a brass bowl, the soup felt like it stayed warm easily throughout the meal!! Absolutely the best..

The combination with hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap

And finally, yukhoe bibimbap.. my beloved raw beef mixed rice.

Doesn’t the meat look incredibly fresh..? Instead of ordering three bowls of gomtang, wasn’t it such a smart move to add one yukhoe bibimbap?

While the gomtang is mild and clean, the yukhoe bibimbap has more of a bold personality, so it’s great to alternate between them with spoonfuls of broth in between!!

There was seriously enough minari for a whole month’s worth of eating it.. I was just happy haha It wasn’t tough at all, only fresh-tasting! I was so pleased with that crisp texture.

If you visit Doonjeong with a group like we did, try ordering a variety of dishes with the yukhoe bibimbap and clear premium hanwoo gomtang! This was such a delicious gomtang for the changing seasons :-) Service 100, taste 100, the best!