Songpa noodle restaurant, garlic broth: Hanyang Dak Kalguksu

Garlic-rich chicken kalguksu in Garak-dong

The weather has been getting chilly in the mornings and evenings lately, so I kept craving a hot bowl of kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup)! I was craving it after swimming, and there happened to be a great kalguksu spot nearby, so off I went. Today I’m introducing Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch.

Location, hours, and parking

• 4 Songi-ro 23-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul
• Daily 11:00–21:00
• Parking is available in front of the restaurant; if full, use Police Hospital parking (30 minutes free)

Outside and inside the restaurant

Hanyang Dak Kalguksu Main Branch is a three-minute walk from Exit 4 of Police Hospital Station on Line 3. It comes into view after you turn into the alley and walk up a little, so it wasn’t hard to find.

The dining room was fairly spacious. I visited on the weekend, and there were lots of families and groups of friends!

I was so impressed by this thoughtful touch! Usually, the napa cabbage kimchi at a self-serve bar comes in just one kind, right? But, as you’d expect from a kalguksu specialist, this place separates spicy kimchi from non-spicy kimchi, so you can choose what you like. Kimchi matters with kalguksu, so they must put a lot of care into it!

Apparently it’s also a restaurant that appeared on Running Man! There were Running Man cast members’ autographs displayed on one side of the restaurant, haha. Even an autograph from Chef Song Hoon, who appeared on Culinary Class Wars...!!! I got so curious—what does it taste like that there are all these celebrity signatures?!

Since it was still that transition from summer into autumn, they also had chogye mul-naengmyeon, a cold chicken broth noodle dish!

Kalguksu menu and topping choices

But the main event here is kalguksu!!!! The kalguksu is divided into Hanyang Dak Kalguksu and Spicy Hanyang Dak Kalguksu!

I was in the mood for something spicy and almost ordered the spicy one... but the description said it was as spicy as Buldak 볶음면, so I ordered the regular version instead, haha. They serve it with the spicy seasoning paste unmixed, so spicy-food lovers should give it a try, haha.

And here’s another thoughtful detail!! Kalguksu usually comes topped with shredded seaweed and scallions, but for people who don’t like either, there are options for seaweed topping only or scallion topping only!! You could really see that the owner had considered people’s different likes and dislikes.

There was also a boiled pork set to enjoy alongside the kalguksu, so there was a wide range of choices.

They have mandu (dumplings), too!!! I ordered the giant pork dumplings and Hanyang Dak Kalguksu with egg. The egg version is the one with every topping included, haha.

How the Hanyang Dak Kalguksu and giant pork dumplings tasted

The kalguksu came out quickly after a short wait. Since it was chicken kalguksu, it was topped with chicken, scallions, and shredded seaweed.

What made me exclaim while eating was that it didn’t have an overpowering floury smell! At another kalguksu place I visited last time, the flour smell was so strong that I left it unfinished, but this one had none of that, so it was easy to enjoy, haha.

After about three minutes? The dumplings came right out too! Time to properly dig in.

There were four dumplings in total, and they were nice and big.

They were generously filled too, making them great alongside the kalguksu!

They were delicious dipped in soy sauce, and delicious on their own too!

Rich garlic broth and springy noodles

The broth here was really rich! The first sip had a strong garlic flavor, but it was exactly the kind of taste Koreans love!!! The savory depth was no joke, so I kept scooping up more, haha.

Do you like sprinkling pepper on your kalguksu?! I absolutely love it, so I shook on loads and loads of pepper, haha.

The noodles stayed springy and chewy without getting soggy, so I just kept eating!! Maybe because I’d just finished swimming, but it tasted even more amazing... ❤️ And I love lots of shredded seaweed on top, so I was happy that they gave me plenty.

You can’t leave kimchi out of kalguksu, right?! I’m weak with spicy food, so I chose the non-spicy kimchi, and it was mild enough for children to eat easily! Wrapping kimchi around kalguksu could never taste bad!!!!

I left feeling full after a hearty meal of kalguksu and dumplings. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a truly great kalguksu place near Garak Market. I’d definitely come back ❤️