Hongdae restaurant in Seoul with sliding-door window seats: Anok
In short
Anok is a hanok-style Korean restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, down an alley just off the main strip, a 7-minute walk from Hongik University Station. Anok serves Pyeongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), clear pork gomtang (bone broth soup) and spicy braised pork tail, and because the gomtang and the naengmyeon use the same broth, the noodles taste as if they were dropped straight into the soup. The window seats, with sliding doors you can close as far as you like, make Anok a calm place to eat in busy Hongdae.
Good to know
- Location
- About a 7-minute walk from Hongik University Station, down an alley
- Dishes eaten
- Pyeongyang naengmyeon, clear pork gomtang, braised pork tail
- Broth
- The same broth is used for both the gomtang and the naengmyeon
- Seating
- Main hall tables, window seats with sliding doors, group table for up to 12
- Reservations
- Group bookings are hard to make; seating is first-come, first-served
- Parking
- No dedicated parking; use nearby paid lots
as written by the visitor on Sep 26, 2026
In always-crowded Hongdae, I found such a pretty, quiet hanok-style restaurant that's amazing for the atmosphere alone!
It's about a 7-minute walk from Hongik University Station, but tucked in an alley just off the busy Hongdae streets, so the hanok (traditional Korean house) feel of the place already set it apart.
I had a whole spread — Pyeongyang naengmyeon, clear gomtang, and even pork tail jjim.
Anok pours the same broth into its gomtang and its naengmyeon
Unusually, this place uses the same broth for both the gomtang and the naengmyeon — a clear, deep broth made in-house, so it tastes clean and light. Not spicy or heavy at all, so it'd suit anyone who likes their food on the mild side.
They also give you vinegar, mustard, and other seasonings to adjust to taste, so you can add them as you like.
Pyeongyang naengmyeon built on gomtang broth
The naengmyeon here tasted like nothing I'd had before. Since it uses the same broth as the gomtang, it felt like eating naengmyeon dropped into gomtang. Clean and light, with absolutely no saltiness.
If you like it plain and mild, eat it as is — if you want more seasoning, add vinegar or mustard.
I added both, and it brought out a nicer tang.
Since the broth is gomtang-based, salt or pepper would probably work well too. Naturally I only thought of vinegar or mustard for naengmyeon at the time, so if you feel it needs more seasoning, try scooping some into a side dish and adjusting there.
There's a ton of meat in the naengmyeon too.
The same thinly sliced meat that goes into the gomtang is piled generously into the naengmyeon, so it was nice to eat them together.
Clear pork gomtang at Anok
The pork gomtang came out freshly boiled and piping hot, the kind of thing that feels like it's restoring your energy.
True to its name, the broth is clear and clean, but there was real depth to it, probably from being simmered in-house. The pork had been simmered well into the broth, making it quite filling.
Rice comes with the gomtang, and the portion was pretty generous.
A spoonful of rice topped with a piece of meat, eaten with the light broth, is really satisfying.
The amount of meat is huge too. This place is generous with meat across the board.
Spicy braised pork tail, full of collagen
The pork tail jjim (braised pork tail) was cooked down until it was extremely tender.
It had a bit of a jokbal (braised pig's feet) feel to it, but since it's from the tail, most of it was collagen.
It was mildly spicy, just the right amount, and paired well with the soup dishes.
A hanok mood that is hard to find in Hongdae
Anok doesn't feel like Hongdae at all.
It's actually closer to an Insadong vibe — the atmosphere shifts completely right around Anok, and that unbalanced contrast made it even more appealing.
Who could just walk past a place this pretty? Given where it is in Hongdae, there were quite a few foreign tourists around, and I noticed most of them stopping to stare for a while as they passed by.
What are the sliding-door window seats like?
Anok has cozy main hall seats, but the window seats where you can catch the breeze and enjoy the view were the unique part.
The courtyard here is wide open and quite spacious, decorated with that distinct hanok feel, so eating quietly at the window seats was really pleasant.
I ate at a seat with a sliding door — if the breeze bothers you, you can close the door as much as you want, and it's also a great spot to just space out while eating. The space itself was really lovely.
Since it's tucked in an alley, it wasn't noisy either.
It really captures that distinct hanok feel, so it's a great place to take parents or guests.
Group tables and parking near Anok
They do have a group table that seats up to 12, but since the restaurant isn't very large, group reservations are apparently difficult, and seating goes by order of arrival. There's no dedicated parking space, so if you're driving, you'll need to look for nearby lots. Since it's close to Hongik University Station, public transit would be much more convenient.
If you want to spend some quiet time at a place with an incredible view like this, definitely give Anok a try.
