Hongdae hanok restaurant with 1,000-won rice and gomtang: Anok

Today I went to a spot in Hongdae that's genuinely hip and traditional at once — a gomtang (beef bone soup) place? A naengmyeon (cold noodle) place? Either way, the taste here is absolutely guaranteed.

Anok opening hours and closing day: closed Mondays

Anok is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 to 22:00, with last order at 21:00, and closed every Monday. Seriously, check this out — there's a lot here worth eating.

• Sun 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Mon Closed (every Monday)
• Tue 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Wed 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Thu 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Fri 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)
• Sat 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)

Since it's closed Mondays, definitely keep that in mind before you go. But honestly, if I lived around Hongdae or Mapo, I'd be back here without a doubt. The taste is unforgettable.

Finding the Anok hanok entrance up a staircase in Hongdae

Anok is a bit hard to spot since you have to go up a staircase tucked into an alley off Hongikro, but once you're inside it feels nothing like Hongdae at all. The atmosphere is honestly the best.

When you think of Hongdae, bars, cafés, and trendy restaurants usually come to mind first, so it was genuinely surprising that a space with this kind of traditional feel was hiding here.

The moment you step in, you immediately think, wow, this is different. It's a tile-roofed hanok, but done up in a really modern style. They must have spent a lot on it.

Everything about it is so nice, starting from the atmosphere alone.

And once you're inside, it's really polished. The interior clearly got a lot of attention down to the smallest details.

What to order at Anok: gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, pork tail jjim

If you come to Anok, you absolutely have to order the clear gomtang or the Pyongyang naengmyeon. They're truly the best.

And I think the pork tail jjim (braised pork tail) is honestly the greatest jjim of all time. Bone-in stews or jeyuk elsewhere can't even compare. Pair it with soju and you're truly happy.

Rice is only 1,000 won too, love that. Looking at the menu, there were more things I wanted to try than I expected, so I think it's best to come with a group and order a bunch of different dishes.

Anok's house-made kkakdugi and kimchi

And inside, even the side dishes were perfect. Homemade kkakdugi (radish kimchi) and kimchi — with just those two, you could easily go through two bowls of rice.

How does Anok's clear gomtang taste?

When Anok's clear gomtang first arrives, you genuinely go, wow, this looks like something from a Michelin restaurant. The meat inside is packed in perfectly and incredibly soft.

The Pyongyang naengmyeon looks similar, but the taste is very mild. But that's just what naengmyeon is supposed to taste like. At first I just drank the broth plain and it was mild. The soup, though — that's the real deal, the best.

Why the braised pork tail is a must-order at Anok

Look at that visual. At Anok, you have to order the pork tail jjim, no question. The chew of the meat combined with the seasoning is out of this world. Just looking at it makes it seem incredible.

You can't look at this spread and not give in. It's the ultimate table. Add beer and soju and it's the perfect place.

Even looking at these photos now makes me happy. Eating the soup with the existing seasoning on the side is insanely good too.

This tail jjim needs to be preserved as cultural heritage.

The texture of the meat inside, everything, is perfect. Honestly, gomtang aside, I think I'll come back for the tail jjim personally. Dishes like this often have meat that's too tough or seasoning that's too strong, but here the meat is tender, gets tastier the more you chew, and the seasoning matches perfectly.

First time trying Pyongyang naengmyeon at Anok: mild and divisive

This was my first time trying Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon, and I can't call it the absolute best. It'll likely split opinions. I'm from the south, so my palate leans sweet, sour, and salty. Still, it was good.

Is Anok worth it? A Hongdae Korean restaurant to bring foreign friends

The portions were huge, we were stuffed, and it was genuinely so delicious we cleared everything. This is the kind of place worth treasuring. Walking out, I immediately thought, I really need to come back here.

I liked it even more because it's not the kind of restaurant you commonly find in Hongdae — the food, the atmosphere, the space, every detail felt cared for. If a foreign friend told me they wanted to properly try Korean food, this is where I'd take them. If you find a place like this in Hongdae, don't just walk past it. Next time I'm going to work through the rest of the menu.

• Subscore 5/5
• Perfect soup
• Perfect atmosphere
• A once-in-a-lifetime restaurant