Hongdae restaurant for tendon gomtang and chive pancake: Doonjeong

I was looking for a Korean restaurant in Hongdae and found a good spot. Since I was visiting with my mom, I picked dishes I thought my parents would enjoy.

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch: a short walk from Hongik University Station

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is close to Hongik University Station — really close to Hongdae Station, actually!

The exterior looked clean from the start — Doonjeong has won the Blue Ribbon Award two years in a row.

A bowl that delivers warmth

The restaurant interior was neatly arranged. I was curious what the meat-scallion pancake looked like, and there was a photo of it on the wall, so I ordered it right on the spot after seeing that haha.

Three dishes ordered: hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap, tendon gomtang, beef and chive pancake

That day we ordered three things: hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap, clear hanwoo gomtang with tendon, and meat-scallion pancake. It felt like a shame to try just one dish, so we mixed and matched — and the combination worked better than expected. After ordering, kimchi and kkakdugi (diced radish kimchi) came out as basic side dishes. Every table also had salt and pepper set out.

Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap: how fresh was the raw beef?

We started with the hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap. The yukhoe (raw beef) was fresh, so it tasted great from the very first bite. Yukhoe's texture and flavor can vary a lot depending on the quality of the meat, and this one was soft and moist in a way I liked. Mixed with the rice, the savory flavor of the yukhoe really came through, and I ended up finishing it faster than expected, mixing bite after bite.

Sometimes with yukhoe bibimbap I find it a bit disappointing when the beef is drowned out by the seasoning, but here the yukhoe itself was fresh enough that I really enjoyed it.

The texture of the rice and yukhoe together worked really well. If you're looking for a Hongdae lunch spot and love yukhoe bibimbap, this is worth trying haha.

Clear hanwoo gomtang with tendon: the rice arrives already in the broth

For the clear hanwoo gomtang, we ordered it with tendon. I assumed the rice would come separately, but here it comes already ladled straight into the broth. I usually get rice on the side and add it to the soup myself, so this felt a little different at first.

With the rice already in the broth, it was easy to scoop up warm soup and rice together in one spoonful. The tendon had a different texture from regular meat — chewy in a satisfying way — and paired with the clear broth, it went down easily without feeling heavy.

With the rice already mixed in, it felt like a hearty lunch on its own, and being such a different experience from the yukhoe bibimbap made it nice to alternate between the two.

Beef and chive pancake: crisp edges and the scent of Korean chives

The meat-scallion pancake we ordered alongside was also delicious. I think a pancake needs a crispy texture to be good, and this one really had a crispy exterior!

You could taste the distinct aroma of scallion, and with meat mixed in, each bite carried extra flavor from the meat too — quite different from a plain scallion pancake.

Switching between the warm gomtang or yukhoe bibimbap and the crispy pancake in between made for a nice change of texture, and I kept reaching for more. Glad we ordered all three dishes together!

What to order at Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch

Among what we tried that day, the hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap with fresh raw beef was great, and the clear hanwoo gomtang with rice already ladled in was solid too. The tendon in particular had a chewy texture that made it fun to pick through the gomtang, and the meat-scallion pancake's crispy parts were delicious, making it a good dish to share between the rice dishes.

If you're looking for a Hongdae lunch spot, Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is worth considering for either the hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap or the clear hanwoo gomtang. If you like yukhoe, go for the bibimbap topped with fresh raw beef; on a day you're craving warm broth and rice, the tendon hanwoo gomtang should suit you well. The meat-scallion pancake was also crispy and good for sharing alongside either.