Korean restaurant with cabbage-wrapped pollock salad in Gangnam

With the weather swinging so much between hot and cool these days, and life being generally hectic, I've been craving warm, gentle soup way more than spicy delivery food. So this time I went looking for a proper clear-broth spot and ended up at Geumnyeong Gomtang! The clean beef gomtang served in a brass bowl, paired with sweet-and-tangy pollock salad, was such a great combo that I had to write this review right away :)

Location and hours

• 📍 1F, 1 Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ 10:00–22:00 / Closed Sundays
• 🅿️ No parking

An exterior that doesn't look like a gomtang restaurant

When I first arrived, the exterior felt less like a gomtang place and more like a chic café or casual dining spot. Black window frames with full glass panels, and a slightly elevated terrace-style entrance up a few steps — the vibe felt clean before I even walked in. There was also a cheerful cherry blossom tree decoration by the entrance, which put me in a good mood right away!

An interior that's comfortable even for solo diners

Inside, the space is really bright and clean. Light-toned floors with spacious wood tables laid out generously, so there's no feeling of being cramped anywhere. The tables are spaced well too, so it's great for eating comfortably with a friend, but also relaxed enough that eating alone here feels totally fine.

The generous spacing between tables makes it great not just for eating solo but also for having a quiet conversation over a meal.

On the wall, alongside some green plant décor, there was a row of Sikgaek (『식객』, a famous Korean food comic) volumes lined up, and just seeing that before I even ordered made me think, 'this must be a legit good spot' — my expectations shot up 😝

Banchan and kimchi and radish kimchi in earthenware jars

From crunchy cucumber peppers to pickled peppers, pickled garlic, braised soybeans, and rich, savory jeotgal (salted seafood) — all the banchan (side dishes) that go well with gomtang are neatly laid out. There are earthenware jars of kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) on the table that you scoop out as much as you want, and the crisp, well-fermented kkakdugi is an absolute perfect match with the soup!

And of course, can't resist a cold cider (Korean lemon-lime soda) haha

Sweet, tangy, chewy perfection: the pollock salad wrap combo

And the dish that made just as much of an impact as the gomtang was this pollock salad! Red-seasoned pollock salad comes piled generously on a plate with napa cabbage, fresh minari (water dropwort), and cucumber. The pollock is neither too soft nor too tough — that perfectly chewy texture is basically an art form — and the sweet, tangy, spicy seasoning really woke up my appetite.

What really got me was wrapping it up: thin, sweet napa cabbage, a fragrant stalk of minari on top, then a generous pile of pollock salad, all rolled into one big wrap — the combo is insane... The fragrance of the minari and the savoriness of the pollock come together with the crisp cabbage for a taste that leaves your mouth feeling fresh!

Deep, fat-free, clean beef shank gomtang

The broth isn't the milky bone-broth type — it's clear, transparent, and golden, and the moment you take your first spoonful, you just go 'wow, so clean.' There's no greasy fat or gamy smell at all, and the deep savoriness that comes straight from the meat itself really settles your stomach!!

The beef shank itself isn't dry at all — it's tender and comes in big, generous chunks, so mixing it into rice with a piece of meat and a bit of kkakdugi on top makes for a filling bite 👍🏻👍🏻 It's not an artificial, MSG-heavy broth — the fact that my stomach felt light even after eating was what I liked most!

Final thoughts

The restaurant was really clean, and you could feel the care put into every dish — I left having had a hearty, satisfying meal 😋 I'd recommend filling up on the clear, deep broth and pairing it with the refreshing pollock salad.