Hongdae Seoul restaurant for a client meeting, chewy naengmyeon: Anok

What is Anok, the Hongdae gukbap and Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant?

Anok is a hanok Korean restaurant up an alley off Hongik-ro near Hongik University Station. Craving Pyongyang naengmyeon even after summer had ended, we searched for a well-known Hongdae gukbap restaurant and found it. The building's exterior and atmosphere won us over instantly — we were gasping and snapping photos the moment we walked up.

Just being a hanok, I can't imagine how much more famous this place will get as a Hongdae gukbap spot. It might soon have lines out the door. It's in an area with tons of foreign tourists passing through, and it looks like exactly the kind of place that would flood the results if you searched for Hongdae lunch spots — so we walked in with high expectations.

Now, before we go in, let's take a quick look at the price board. Gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon — honestly, that's all you need to hear. Add the hanok charm on top of solid Korean food, and my liking for the place shot up.

Does the Anok hanok exterior work for a client meeting?

Can a naengmyeon place really be this pretty? Since it seems fairly new, the exterior is spotless too, making it a spot I'd confidently recommend for a client meeting. Next time I have a meeting with a client company, I'll book this place without hesitation. It's right in Hongdae's core commercial area, but sitting up an alley, it has this hidden, almost time-slip feeling of discovering a secret spot.

What do I mean by that? You'll understand once you go. Just go and see.

Walking in, it might look more like a clean Japanese gyukatsu place than a Korean restaurant, but don't forget — this is a Hongdae gukbap spot and a Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon spot.

Anok's clean interior grabs your attention right away and boosts your confidence in the place even more.

Lunchtime wait at Anok and the hanok-view two-seat table

The hall was packed — did we need to wait? I panicked for a moment, but a staff member led us to an even cozier, more atmospheric spot, letting us enjoy a totally chill, peaceful lunch. Now let me brag about the hanok-view Hongdae gukbap and Pyongyang naengmyeon spot, Anok.

The atmosphere is seriously something.

The two-seat table here was unmatched. That cozy spot only fits two tables, and satisfaction was maxed out — good, good, the best.

Looking from outside — this seat! This is the one!

From straight on, it's right here!

Three dishes for two: clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, braised pork tail

Being excited was one thing, but we didn't lose sight of why we came — to eat at this Hongdae gukbap and Pyongyang naengmyeon spot.

• Clear gomtang
• Pyongyang naengmyeon (water broth)
• Braised pork tail (dwaeji kkorijjim)

Two of us picked three dishes and ended up stuffed with a teary ending of way too many leftovers — but hey, if we were happy, that's what matters.

Wait, no way! The food came out so fast after ordering. I figured it'd take a while during lunch hour, but it came out incredibly quickly, and my jaw dropped again — hello there, familiar naengmyeon!

The clear gomtang has that finely ground black pepper broth that only real go-to spots dare attempt, boasting a clean flavor. A Hongdae gukbap spot, a Hongdae gomtang spot, a Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon spot — yes, Anok is delicious too.

Since I love eating so much, I picked up the camera and snapped photo after photo of everything.

This dish that looks like sweet-spicy fried chicken or Cheogatjip seasoned fried chicken is actually the braised pork tail — and oh... it was truly delicious. We clearly came for naengmyeon, but first we fell for the hanok atmosphere, then for the great seat view, then a spoonful of clear gomtang melted away our morning bus motion sickness, and finally the pork tail jjim blew our minds. We were happy.

How does the clear gomtang at Anok taste?

Anok's clear gomtang, with its thick meat and clean broth, still makes me drool just writing this blog post now. It was a flavor that cured motion sickness — refreshing and clean. Anok truly is a Hongdae gukbap spot.

Pyongyang naengmyeon at Anok: chewy noodles and an unusual broth

The Pyongyang naengmyeon was clean and true to its roots. I wondered whether our tongues, marinated in the pork tail's seasoning and the gomtang's peppery kick, might fail to appreciate naengmyeon's charm. But naengmyeon is naengmyeon. Eat the light, refined naengmyeon first, then move through the others one by one — that's the way to do it.

The meat portion was fairly generous, and the noodles were surprisingly chewy — an interesting texture, not bad at all, and the broth was distinctive, almost like it was steeped with bean sprouts. Anyway, really clean! This does seem to be Anok's own signature charm as a Hongdae gukbap spot.

Braised pork tail at Anok is sized for three

Chewy braised pork tail, plentifully portioned — really a lot. If three people go and order this, it'd be just right. For two of us, the portion was quite a lot.

Side dishes included basic kimchi and something spicy-sweet, either pickled radish or burdock, not sure which.

Basic diced radish kimchi (kkakdugi).

Lunch in order at Anok: naengmyeon, then gukbap, then pork tail

So we savored our happy lunch slowly, taking in the amazing outdoor hanok view, going through naengmyeon, then gukbap, then pork tail jjim in order.

Every time I ate, the golden spoon caught the sunlight and sparkled, which was fun to photograph, but sadly the camera didn't quite capture it. Anok, the Hongdae gukbap spot, is great... I really want to bring people here for meetings...

I keep thinking about that flavor... I want to go again...

Happiness was at Anok.

Thanks for the meal. Anok, the Hongdae gukbap and Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon spot — glad we got to visit before it gets too famous. Good stuff.