# Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant up the Artbox alley stairs - By Nari (https://superchart.com/en/@shared-lunches/) - Written Sep 6, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written after receiving a complimentary meal as part of a sponsored restaurant visit. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@shared-lunches/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@shared-lunches/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/index.md) ## In short Anok is a hanok Korean restaurant in Seogyo-dong near Hongik University Station in Mapo, Seoul, reached by climbing a staircase in a side alley. Ordering on a tablet, we had one pork gomtang (clear pork broth) at 13,000 won that came loaded with whole cuts of meat, plus Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) so lightly seasoned and clean that the noodles kept disappearing. The mild clear broth paired well with the sweet-spicy braised pork tail, making Anok the best Pyongyang naengmyeon meal we have had in Hongdae. ## Good to know - **Pork gomtang**: 13,000 won - **What we ordered**: 1 pork gomtang, 1 Pyongyang naengmyeon, braised pork tail - **How to order**: Tablet ordering - **Location**: Hanok up the mid-block alley staircase past Artbox and Egg Drop - **Included**: Korean side dishes, dipping sauce for the meat *as written by the visitor on Sep 6, 2026* ![Cover photo of Anok in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-01-mkmtr-1200.webp) Today I want to share my review of Anok, a Pyongyang naengmyeon spot I visited near Hongdae not too long ago! It was honestly my personal best bowl of naengmyeon ever — I got completely hooked on that clean, light flavor and had such a happy meal. Here's my review of this Hongdae spot, Anok! ![Exterior of Anok, a hanok restaurant up a Hongdae alley staircase](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-02-10lod-966.webp) ![View of the alley staircase leading up to Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-03-1xf5u-966.webp) ## Where is Anok? A hanok up a Hongdae alley staircase Anok is a hanok (traditional Korean house) Korean restaurant in the Seogyo-dong alleys near Hongik University Station. Pass Artbox and Egg Drop, and if you climb the staircase in the alley in between, this cozy hanok space opens up! Even though I come to Hongdae all the time, I'd never seen a place like this — it felt so unusual to discover. It's probably a new spot, right? (There's no way a Hongdae lover like me would've missed it otherwise, haha.) ![The serene atmosphere at the hanok entrance of Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-04-krbdo-966.webp) ![Overall view of Anok's hanok space](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-05-1e0vl-966.webp) Once you go in, this cozy space appears! It's so serene, kind of like being in Jongno all of a sudden — the kind of place that makes you curious enough to walk right in, haha. It felt really distinctive, exactly the type of spot foreign visitors would love. ![Anok's hanok courtyard, with a Jongno-like atmosphere](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-06-1mqix-966.webp) ![Wide view of Anok's hanok space](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-07-11rst-966.webp) ![Architectural detail of Anok's hanok building](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-08-xw4nk-966.webp) ### What does Anok look like inside? What I appreciated most about Anok was that the interior was just as tidy, which kept me in a great mood the whole time I was there! I'm already looking forward to bringing my parents here next time. It's such an exotic space overall — if you're visiting Hongdae, this is a restaurant you absolutely have to check out! ![Neatly arranged seating inside Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-09-ol1o3-966.webp) ![Anok's indoor tables and interior decor](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-10-1h0uz-966.webp) ![View near the window inside Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-11-1glzf-966.webp) ![Table at Anok with the tablet ordering screen](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-12-g6ztk-966.webp) ## What we ordered at Anok, and the side dishes Anok's menu is ordered by tablet! I ordered one pork gomtang (clear pork broth soup), one Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles), and pork tail jjim (braised pork tail), one of each. I'd had beef tail jjim before, but this was my first time trying pork tail jjim, so I was really looking forward to it, haha. The basic Korean side dishes were also set up like this! That sauce isn't spicy dadaegi — it's actually a dipping sauce for the meat. Since both the naengmyeon and gomtang came loaded with big chunks of meat, dipping the meat in that sauce added a nice, distinctive touch, and the seasoning was spot on, haha. ![Anok's basic Korean side dishes and dipping sauce for meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-13-eeooy-966.webp) ## Pork gomtang, 13,000 won with whole cuts of meat And then the food arrived! Such a clean, neat spread was laid out. The pork gomtang was only 13,000 won, yet it came with those huge whole pieces of meat dropped right in — looked so delicious. I kept thinking how great it would be to have this place near my office. ![A bowl of Anok's pork gomtang topped with whole cuts of meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-14-1ka6n-966.webp) ![Close-up of Anok's clear pork gomtang broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-15-1kreb-966.webp) The broth was incredibly savory and deep in flavor — a taste I hadn't experienced anywhere else! It wasn't simply salty or sharp, it had a genuinely wholesome flavor, and the seasoning was still perfectly balanced for my taste. With the weather getting pretty chilly these days, it's the kind of flavor that completely warms you up. ![Spread of Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon and gomtang](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-16-dytxz-966.webp) ![Noodles and broth of Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-17-15au8-966.webp) ![Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon topped with meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-18-1qv05-966.webp) ![Slurping noodles at Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-19-17is5-966.webp) ## How does Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon taste? Clean and barely seasoned Anok's naengmyeon was really savory and delicious too! In fact, it had almost no seasoning at all, which gave it that really clean flavor — and maybe that's exactly why I kept slurping the noodles (myeonchigi, the noodle-slurping motion), it was that addictive! ![A half-finished bowl of Anok's naengmyeon](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-20-16d9x-966.webp) ![Anok's gomtang bowl starting to show its bottom](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-21-1d0cd-966.webp) Eating it bit by bit to savor it, before I knew it the bowls were starting to show their bottoms...! It was rich and delicious, but with such a clean aftertaste that made it easy to keep eating, haha. ![Generous meat inside Anok's gomtang](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-22-148cf-966.webp) ![Dipping a piece of Anok's meat in the sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-23-x2rc1-966.webp) ## How much meat you get, and the braised pork tail Above all, the amount of meat was genuinely huge! Both dishes were seriously satisfying to eat. Don't hold back on the meat, just dig in! Out of all the gomtang restaurants I've been to, this one had by far the most meat, so I could eat heartily all the way to the last bite, haha. And the pork tail jjim was so chewy! On top of that, the flavor was incredibly spicy and sweet — a textbook example of the perfect spicy-sweet balance. ![Anok's spicy-sweet pork tail jjim](https://img.superchart.com/images/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley-24-mpoxi-966.webp) The pork tail jjim went so well with the relatively mild, clear broths of the other dishes! It was satisfying enough that I'd love to come back again for another hearty meal. ## Where it is - Anok (안옥) - 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 홍익로 13-4 - 37.5536729, 126.9229752 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%95%88%EC%98%A5/@37.5536729,126.9229752,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@shared-lunches/anok-hongdae-naengmyeon-hanok-alley/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt