Whole ginseng yukhoe bibimbap at Baengni Gomtang, a Hongdae restaurant

Finding Baengni Gomtang in a Hongdae alley

Baengni Gomtang (백리곰탕) only just opened, so when I showed up for opening time I wandered around a quiet alley entrance where there wasn't even the sound of another person, thinking... is it here? But then I spotted a sign so big it couldn't be missed and went ah~ this is it ٩(๑°▹｡)۶ Don't worry though — just follow Naver Map or Google Maps and you'll land right at the door!

• 7-minute walk from Hongdae Station
• No parking; use the nearby Donggyo 1 public street parking lot
• Open daily 11:00 AM–11:00 PM / last order 10:00 PM
• Break time 3:00 PM–5:00 PM

Yukhoe bibimbap is the main event, but of course there's also beef gomtang (bone broth soup), a seasoned boiled beef dish, and hot pot! There are even mini menu items, which is great if you just want a side dish.

Inside Baengni Gomtang: clean, and easy for solo diners

These days I feel like I pay more attention to how clean a place looks wherever I go. The interior isn't huge, but since it's a newly opened restaurant, it was well kept and tidy (˵• ̀⩊•́˵)

As expected of Hongdae — a neighborhood full of single-person households and young people — there were 1–2 seats set aside for solo diners, plus charging spots under each table! Have you ever left your portable battery at home and ended up watching YouTube on a dying phone right around mealtime? Maybe that's just me haha, but it definitely felt like a restaurant made with solo diners in mind!

Orders are placed through a kiosk.

While waiting for the food, I looked around at the framed menu introductions and cute little decorations, and before I knew it the meal arrived. You could see the owner's care in every corner of the place.

What I ordered: Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap ₩13,000, handmade tteokgalbi ₩9,000.

Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap topped with a whole ginseng root, 13,000 won

I ordered the Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap, and the whole ginseng root on top really stood out haha! Mixing the soy-sauce-based rice well filled up my hungry stomach in no time!

And the really, really great part is the price. In this era of sky-high prices, being able to get yukhoe bibimbap in Hongdae for ₩13,000 is such a relief for anyone living alone 🥹 Plus you get an energy boost from the ginseng as a bonus!! 💪 I think I've found a great restaurant for fellow solo-dining lovers +_+

On the table there was salt and pepper so each guest could season to their own taste. I tend to like my food on the saltier side, but I always used to feel too awkward to ask the owner for extra salt, so I'd just eat it as served haha. But this time!! I could comfortably season it exactly to my taste 😉 If you're someone who likes strong seasoning like me, keep this in mind!

You know that trick of adding a spoonful of broth on top of the mixed rice, right? It makes it even better haha ✨

Handmade tteokgalbi, 9,000 won, and a clean-tasting broth

The handmade tteokgalbi had a very soft texture — honestly, it felt closer to a hamburg steak than a typical tteokgalbi haha. Curious, I tried a bite with the ginseng, and as someone who loves vitamins and supplements, it tasted like it was doing me good!

The tteokgalbi was also so soft it was easy to cut apart with chopsticks alone, which made it easy to eat! If you're a parent visiting with kids who can't handle raw beef, ginseng, or gomtang, this tteokgalbi seems like something they'd happily gobble up — worth keeping in mind if you're bringing little ones!

The broth had just the right clean taste to pair with either the tteokgalbi or the bibimbap! I love pepper, so I sprinkled some on top like this and ate it together!

They're currently running a review event where the ₩9,000 handmade tteokgalbi comes free, so keep that in mind! 😉

The free black-and-white photo booth at Baengni Gomtang

And finally, there's a free black-and-white photo booth out front, so I snapped a picture haha. The owner kindly said, 'Take a photo before you go~~😄' and, almost hypnotized, I found myself doing it haha. A satisfying, budget-friendly meal and a fun little solo memory to take home with me :)