Hongdae restaurant in Seoul open two weeks, pork-only broth: Anok

Right in front of the Hongik University main gate! Near Hongik University Station, a gomtang (Korean bone soup) restaurant called Anok (안옥) opened about two weeks ago.

First impressions of Anok, a hanok just outside Hongik University Station

Anok (安屋) means 'a comfortable house'! The entrance already feels quite grand. Like tiptoeing carefully into some nobleman's house! I felt a bit intimidated — I must have been a servant in a past life, haha.

There's a gorgeous terrace-ish space first, but our table wasn't ready yet — aw, too bad! The interior is also super clean. Solo diners, soldiers, foreign guests — quite a mix of ages that evening! They said it's only been about two weeks since opening, so word must already be getting around.

Why does Anok use only pork in its broth?

We sat at a window seat inside with a view of the terrace. Anok's broth is pork-based, with astragalus root and burdock among the carefully selected ingredients as the secret. Most gomtang or Pyongyang naengmyeon places tend to mix beef with pork, but here they say the broth is made from pork alone.

First, a beer! Hanok view, autumn air, and beer — ahh~

Anok's menu and what we ordered

The menu of Anok, the new Hongdae gomtang restaurant! Gomtang is introduced first, followed by Pyongyang naengmyeon, donbokjaengban, cold jeyuk, pork tail jjim, hanwoo bulgogi, and more.

We ordered gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and pork tail jjim. The side dishes came out first — napa cabbage kimchi, seokbakji, gungchae pickle, and seasoning sauce! Right as we poured another round of beer, the clear gomtang quietly arrived.

Clear gomtang at Anok, with the rice hidden under the meat

True to its name, 'clear gomtang,' the broth is very clear. Rice sits underneath a generous pile of meat toppings.

The broth is light but carries a subtle, comforting meaty aroma. Really clean and clear-tasting — add pepper and salt and the savoriness amps up. Discovering a good gukbap (soup with rice) is always a joy! Cheers~

The kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) is refreshingly good too, a perfect match with the gomtang! The meat is great dipped in the seasoning sauce — and wrapped in napa cabbage kimchi it's an absolutely killer combo.

Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon: lukewarm broth, 100% buckwheat noodles

Next came Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles)! The broth wasn't cold like regular naengmyeon, so we asked — turns out it's served geo-naeng, meaning lukewarm rather than icy. Also a very clear-looking broth! Judging by color alone, it looks like the same broth as the gomtang.

The noodles aren't house-made, they said, but they are 100% buckwheat. Even at 100% buckwheat, they have a surprising chewiness and stickiness — a uniquely appealing texture. The broth seemed a bit plain at first, but it grows on you the more you eat. It might be a tricky first pick for someone trying Pyongyang naengmyeon for the very first time, but naengmyeon lovers absolutely have to try this pork-broth version at least once!

Braised pork tail at Anok, my first time ever trying it

Finally, something I'd never had in my life — pork tail jjim (braised pork tail)! Oh, it looks so generous. The color of the sauce suggests it might be quite spicy.

The sauce actually isn't spicy at all — instead it's got this odd, addictive savoriness!!! It felt like all the best qualities of red-sauce dishes — yangnyeom chicken, fire jokbal, seafood jjim — rolled into one. And pork tail meat has its own charm, distinct from beef tail.

We asked for a broth refill on the naengmyeon, paired the pork tail with soju as a side dish, and finished off the gomtang too.

Such an enjoyable dinner! Finished the pork tail, finished the naengmyeon! With the broth refill on top, the portions were so huge that in the end we boxed up about a third of the pork tail jjim to take home.

Thanks to a grateful opportunity, we had a wonderfully hearty meal at Anok, a just-opened Hongdae gomtang restaurant — a fun weekend indeed.

They have an Instagram account but it looks like they haven't even started managing it yet, haha! That's how genuinely new this restaurant is!

Anok location, hours and closing day

Freshly opened just a little over two weeks ago, Anok (安屋) — the new Hongdae gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant — is located about 340 meters from Hongik University Station Exit 9 toward the Hongik University main gate! Closed every Monday. From Tuesday through Sunday, it opens at 11am and runs until 10pm, with last order at 9pm. Next time, I'll have to go back for the donbokjaengban!