Sinyongsan Korean restaurant: neungi liquor by the glass, Baekok

What is Baekok Yongsan near Sinyongsan Station like?

Baekok Yongsan is a deep pork gomtang (clear pork soup) restaurant run by a chef with a fine-dining background. It's on the 1st floor at 11-76 Hangang-daero 10-gil, right behind the HYBE building near Sinyongsan Station. This time I ate herbal gomtang, cabbage dumplings (2 pcs) and neungi liquor by the glass.

• Location: 11-76 Hangang-daero 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 1st floor (right behind HYBE)
• Hours: daily 11:00–22:00
• Corkage-free for wine and whisky
• Takeout available for every menu item
• Naver reservations available
• Free parking at Yongsan Tax Office (5-minute walk), after 17:00 on weekdays and all day on weekends

It was one of those days that just drags on and drains every last bit of energy. I figured if I went straight home I'd skip dinner and fall asleep, so I headed to Baekok Yongsan, the hot spot near Sinyongsan Station, to fill up properly.

Baekok Yongsan's 1st and 2nd floors and private room

1st floor atmosphere

The restaurant is split over two floors. The 1st floor is hip and dimly lit, a perfect mood for an evening drink, while the 2nd floor, where I was guided up, is a neat, bright dining space flooded with light from floor-to-ceiling windows.

Halfway up the stairs there's a row of charging cables for different phone models, which looks super handy in an emergency!

2nd floor atmosphere

I loved the open feel of the big 2nd-floor windows, so I took a window seat, and the chair was so comfortable it surprised me! I don't think I've ever really thought about how comfy a restaurant chair is, but here I felt cozy the second I sat down, and my first impression shot straight up.

It's newly opened, so the interior is spotless, and there's a private group room at the back. Reserve the 6–10 person room and you get your own restroom. A private restroom... isn't that so thoughtful? 🫢

Baekok Yongsan menu and how to order

You order by QR code at the table! The National Museum of Korea is nearby and lots of foreign visitors come through, which may be why I was surprised to see separate, neatly organized Chinese and Japanese menus. While browsing, I also noticed a pretty varied drinks lineup, including the IGIN highball launched by BTS's Jin.

After some deliberation, I went with herbal gomtang, 2 cabbage dumplings, and a glass of neungi liquor as a light drink to go with the meal.

• Herbal gomtang (yakgomtang): ₩16,000
• Cabbage dumplings, 2 pcs: ₩4,000
• Neungi liquor by the glass (13%): ₩2,900

Baekok Yongsan side dishes: how is the kkakdugi?

Once I'd finished ordering, the basic side dish, kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi), and a seasoning sauce were set on the table first.

The kkakdugi was nicely fermented and tangy, and cut into cute little dice. If the pieces were bigger, I think the sourness would have been overwhelming, but diced small, it never gets in the way of the gomtang and just leaves a clean finish. I heard the chef comes from fine dining, and you can really feel that skill in small details like this.

Baekok Yongsan herbal gomtang: is the herbal smell too strong?

Baekok Yongsan's herbal gomtang (₩16,000) is a pork gomtang simmered with healthy ingredients like neungi mushrooms (oak mushrooms) and astragalus. It soon arrived in a rich brass bowl. I'd worried the medicinal herbs might be so strong that I'd be put off, but the aroma of neungi and herbs was so subtle and refined that it wasn't overwhelming at all.

The rice came pre-mixed into the broth, torye style (rice repeatedly warmed with hot broth), and the meat piled on top was absurdly huge.

The meat was super tender with no dryness, yet still had a satisfying chew, and sipping the neungi liquor in between was honestly a crazy good pairing. The after-work fatigue melted away and I felt properly restored!

Add pepper to half of the gomtang

Enjoy about half of your herbal gomtang as is, then sprinkle the pepper from the table over the rest! The moment the pepper goes in, the whole mood changes. Its aroma lifts the savory depth of the pork broth so much that it feels like eating a different dish.

Baekok Yongsan cabbage dumplings, 2 pcs: perfect for solo dining?

You can order Baekok Yongsan's cabbage dumplings in a 2-piece portion (₩4,000), which is great for eating alone. And here's the hidden star of the day: the cabbage dumplings. A 2-piece option for solo diners like me was already right up my alley, and the taste was even better.

Juice gushes out when you bite in, so never bite them in half. Pop the whole thing in your mouth in one go! The filling is packed with meat and vegetables, very moist, and seasoned just right without being heavy. Best of all, the cabbage wrapper itself had a aged-kimchi feel, and that was the kicker.

If I hadn't been so full, I would have ordered another plate, and that's honestly a bit of a shame :(

Baekok Yongsan overall verdict

Overall, the food at Baekok Yongsan isn't salty, and the flavor is deep and refined, so I vowed to come back and try other dishes. It also seems like a fine casual stop after a trip to the National Museum of Korea, or near Yongsan Station's I'Park Mall when you crave an easy-on-the-stomach but dignified soup!