Wangsimni solo dinner: minari rice noodle soup at Geumnyeong Gomtang

Today I had a slightly different kind of gomtang (Korean beef bone soup) in Wangsimni! When you hear gomtang, you usually think of pouring rice into the broth, but this place, Geumnyeong Gomtang, actually sells a menu where they put rice noodles into the gomtang broth...! As someone who loves noodles, I couldn't just walk past that. I'm also pretty into minari (water dropwort), so I ordered the minari rice noodle soup — ate it once as noodles, then again as rice, and had a really filling dinner haha. For anyone looking for a good solo dining spot in Wangsimni, let me introduce the place and the food!

Where is Geumnyeong Gomtang, and what are its hours?

Geumnyeong Gomtang is at 11 Wangsimni-ro 20-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, about a 2-minute walk from Wangsimni Station Exit 1. It's really close to the station, so accessibility was great.

• Address: 11 Wangsimni-ro 20-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Weekdays 10:30–22:00 / Saturday 10:00–22:00
• Break time 15:00–17:00, last order 21:30
• Closed on Sundays
• Parking: Not available
• Note: Groups, takeout, delivery, reservations, high chairs, corkage available

It's tucked into a residential alley, but there's a vertical sign that says Geumnyeong Gomtang right on the street, so it wasn't hard to find!

From the outside, it feels a bit more like a house than a restaurant... with a brick building and a wooden deck attached, it had a different vibe from your typical gomtang place.

Inside Geumnyeong Gomtang: seating that works for solo diners

The inside of Geumnyeong Gomtang was quietly more spacious than I expected from the outside, with seating on both the 1st and 2nd floors. Overall it had the feel of a comfortable neighborhood restaurant! I visited on a weekday evening and it wasn't too crowded, so I could eat at ease.

Looking at it from outside, I didn't expect it to have a second floor, but the seating was more generous than I thought haha.

Geumnyeong Gomtang's menu: ordering the minari rice noodle soup (14,000 won)

Geumnyeong Gomtang sells everything from basic gomtang to minari gomtang, rice noodle soup, minari rice noodle soup, seasoned pollack sashimi, and boiled pork slices. What I was curious about was the menu that puts rice noodles into gomtang broth...! I wondered how it would differ from the rice noodle soup I usually eat, so I ordered the minari rice noodle soup haha.

But then, since I was at a gomtang place, I also wanted to pour rice into the broth, you know,,, lol. I figured since I'm strong with noodles, I could slurp down the noodles and still handle the rice easily, so I added a rice bowl too.

• Minari rice noodle soup: ₩14,000
• Rice bowl: ₩1,000

Once you sit down they bring you water, and the water bottle caught my eye first. It was a glass bottle that reminded me of old-school Del Monte juice bottles lol.

The basic side dishes were kimchi, seokbakji (diced radish kimchi), and dried radish strips, along with a dipping sauce for the meat. Kimchi and seokbakji are a must with gomtang haha.

What does the minari rice noodle soup taste like?

Finally, the minari rice noodle soup I ordered arrived! It's a dish served in a brass bowl with gomtang broth, rice noodles, meat, and minari all together. My added rice bowl came out alongside it too haha.

The first thing that surprised me was the amount of minari. It was almost completely covering the surface of the broth lol. There was so much finely chopped minari piled on that the aroma really hit me too,,,,

There was meat in the middle, and as I ate, it turned out there was actually a decent amount of it. It was hidden under the minari so I didn't notice at first, but it went well with the noodles.

I tried the minari and broth first. The first thing I noticed was how refreshing, cool, and clean the gomtang broth tasted! It was full of minari aroma, but the broth itself had that familiar gomtang taste we all know, which I liked. Personally I love minari, so I was happy they didn't hold back on it haha.

This time I tried the noodles, and even though the broth was clearly gomtang, once the rice noodles and minari came together it had a strangely exotic feel,,,, When I just had the broth it felt strongly Korean, but eating the noodles brought out that distinct rice-noodle-soup vibe. Minari really is such an interesting vegetable haha — it kept the familiar Korean feel while also bringing something different when paired with rice noodles.

Slurping down the noodles while adding in bites of meat here and there, the bowl disappeared fast. Eating it along with the seokbakji, I wrapped up round one pretty quickly haha.

Round two: adding a 1,000-won bowl of rice to the leftover broth

Round two was, of course, pouring rice into the broth haha. I poured rice into the leftover broth and ate it with the meat. This time, it really brought out that familiar gomtang feeling we all know!! It was interesting how the same broth felt different eating it with noodles versus with rice poured in. It was like starting off with rice noodle soup and finishing with gomtang haha.

That said, the minari rice noodle soup itself is a pretty generous portion, so adding rice on top made me really full,,, lol. At first I confidently ordered thinking I could handle both noodles and rice, but if I visit again, I don't think I'd need to add the rice bowl. Of course, if you want to eat both noodles and rice, ordering like I did is a good option too!

Is Geumnyeong Gomtang worth it for solo dining in Wangsimni?

Geumnyeong Gomtang was a place where I could enjoy familiar gomtang in a slightly different way. The minari rice noodle soup I ordered had so much minari that the broth was fragrant yet clean and refreshing. It was fun how eating it as rice noodles gave it a slightly exotic feel, while pouring in rice brought it back to a familiar gomtang taste haha.

Above all, a single bowl is pretty filling on its own, so it's worth remembering if you're looking for a place to eat alone in Wangsimni or want to settle a meal with warm broth. If you're hunting for a solo dining spot in Wangsimni and craving a soup dish a bit different from usual, give Geumnyeong Gomtang's minari rice noodle soup a try haha.