Hongdae gomtang restaurant with traditional liquors in a hanok: Anok
In short
Anok is a hanok gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant up a staircase in a back alley off the main road by Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul. Past a wide gravel courtyard, the ground-floor hall of Anok serves clear pork gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon and pork tail jjim, and the 48-hour clear pork broth and the mild, not-spicy pork tail jjim stood out most. With traditional liquors such as Munbaeju and Yigangju on the list, Anok works for both a full meal and a drink alongside it.
Good to know
- Location
- 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
- Hours
- Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00
- Closed
- Every Monday
- Menu
- Clear pork gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, pork tail jjim, donbok platter, hanwoo bulgogi jeongol, yukhoe bibimbap, yukhoe (raw beef), cold jeyuk platter, grilled deodeok root, kimchi jeon, cheese potato jeon and more
- Traditional liquors
- Yigangju Emile Bell, Munbaeju, Andong Soju Hahoetal and others
- Seating
- One ground-floor hall, tables for two to four
- Ordering
- Tablet ordering at every table
as written by the visitor on Sep 14, 2026
I visited a brand-new restaurant in Hongdae today. Apparently a new gomtang (Korean bone/meat broth soup) and Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) spot with hanok vibes just opened there!
Just looking at it warms you up from the inside — here's my review of today's new find, Anok (안옥).
Where Anok is in Hongdae, plus hours and menu
Anok is located at 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, right in the back alley just off the main Hongdae street. It's open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 22:00, and closed every Monday.
- 📍Location: 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- ⏰Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–22:00 (closed every Monday)
- 📖Menu: Clear pork gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, pork tail jjim, donbok platter, hanwoo bulgogi jeongol, yukhoe bibimbap, yukhoe, cold jeyuk platter, deodeok gui, kimchijeon, cheese potato jeon, and more
Anok sits right in the back alley off the main Hongdae street. Next to Tanghwa Kungfu there's a painted, hip-looking staircase — climb it and Anok is right there in front of you.
I never imagined a hanok (traditional Korean house) like this would exist right in the middle of Hongdae, so I was genuinely surprised to walk through the front gate and find a wide courtyard! The hanok atmosphere really hits, and the whole yard is covered in gravel — I loved the space so much I thought it would be great to lay out low floor tables under the eaves on a nice day and have a drink there.
Inside Anok: the hanok hall, seating and tablet ordering
Walk into the building on the right side of the courtyard and you'll find a spacious ground-floor hall. Seating ranges from tables for two up to four, so it works for a quick meal, a couple's date, or a group of friends.
There's a menu board at the entrance so you can see everything at a glance, and each table has a tablet where you can order while looking at photos of the dishes.
Besides the main dishes — pork gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon — there are good bar-food style dishes and matching traditional liquors (Yigangju Emilejong, Munbaeju, Andong Soju Hahoetal, and more), so it looks like a good spot for both Koreans and foreigners who love Korean food. After some deliberation, we ordered the clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and pork tail jjim today.
How does Anok's 48-hour clear pork gomtang taste?
Anok's clear gomtang comes piled high with meat, so the portion is really generous. The neat side dishes arrived first — the perfect pairing to go along with the gomtang and naengmyeon.
The clear gomtang was served first. Thinly sliced meat is piled on top of the soup, and there's really a lot of it.
The thin meat shreds apart easily so it's easy to eat, and lifting the meat reveals rice loaded underneath. Taking a spoonful of rice with the broth, the soup is really clean and just salty enough — it really hits the spot and settles your stomach.
Simmered for 48 hours with medicinal ingredients like hwanggi (milkvetch root) and burdock, skimming off the fat as it cooks, the broth is genuinely clean and deep in flavor. It's hard to believe it's pork broth — this is top-tier stuff.
Pyongyang naengmyeon in Hongdae: how was Anok's bowl?
Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon came out not long after the gomtang. There aren't many places serving Pyongyang naengmyeon in this neighborhood, so it's great to be able to try it right in the middle of Hongdae!
The meat on top of the Pyongyang naengmyeon seemed thicker than the meat in the pork gomtang. Wrapping the thick meat in the noodles was great texture and tasted amazing — especially the naengmyeon's signature mild, understated meat broth, which wasn't harsh at all and was easy on the stomach, and the noodles had that slightly bitter buckwheat flavor with just the right chewy bite. Because it's Pyongyang naengmyeon, the flavor isn't bold, but it's the kind of subtle taste you end up craving after you've walked away — I'm missing it even while writing this review.
Is the pork tail jjim at Anok spicy?
Anok's pork tail jjim (braised pork tail) looks very red and like it would be bold and spicy, but when you actually eat it, it's not spicy at all, so even people who can't handle spice should be able to enjoy it. It's a great dish to have alongside the gomtang and naengmyeon.
It tastes similar to seasoned jokbal (braised pig's trotters) or seasoned ganjang gejang (crab), but it's not greasy — much cleaner in flavor, which I loved. Even the chili peppers on top aren't spicy haha.
Who is Anok best for?
Great for a filling meal near hip Hongdae, great for a date, and great to enjoy with foreign friends too — I highly recommend this Hongdae pork gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon spot, Anok.
