Hongdae naengmyeon restaurant with lukewarm broth, solo visit: Anok

Where is Anok in Hongdae and how do you get there?

Anok is a Korean restaurant at 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a walk from Hongik University Station Exit 7 or Hapjeong Station Exit 6. There's no parking, so drivers need to use a nearby public parking lot.

It's very close to Hongdae Mulgalbi. It's down an inner alley, and apparently the Yeonnam Mulgalbi crowd was packed in there (still busy around 4 or 5pm on a weekday, well past lunch).

A small-group dinner spot in Hongdae — Anok, known for gomtang (clear bone broth soup) and good drinking food.

How does Anok make its broth?

They say the broth is deepened with carefully chosen medicinal ingredients like hwanggi (astragalus root) and burdock, with fat skimmed off precisely over 48 hours, resulting in a clean, deep, easy-on-the-stomach broth built on Korean pork. Pepper and salt are set on every table so you can season the broth to taste.

The exterior of Anok near Hongik University Station. It's a restaurant that just opened in August.

What is on the menu at Anok?

Anok's menu covers lunch/dinner meals, late-night food, and side dishes. Corkage is ₩30,000 per bottle in the evening.

• Meals - clear gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon (water-based), Pyongyang naengmyeon (mixed), yukhoe bibimbap (raw beef rice bowl)
• Meat dishes - braised pork tail, hot pork set, yukhoe (raw beef)
• Hot pots - pork tray hot pot, hanwoo bulgogi hot pot
• Pan-fried dishes - grilled deodeok (mountain root), cheese potato jeon, kimchi jeon

Is Anok good for a Hongdae lunch or a group booking?

Anok serves food from 11am, Tuesday to Sunday. They have simple, easy meal options like gukbap (rice soup), yukhoe bibimbap, and Pyongyang naengmyeon.

Personally, a hearty gomtang for lunch at Anok in Hongdae is a good call. There are more seats than you'd expect, plus a separate spacious group table, so it works well for bookings or lunch groups — and in the evening they carry a wide range of drinks (makgeolli, soju, highballs) that go nicely with the different kinds of jeon (savory pancakes).

For foreign friends visiting, the exterior has a nice traditional Korean feel and the space inside is cozy. Another plus: the restroom is indoors, so it's comfortable and pleasant to use even late in the evening over drinks.

The inside of Anok.

What drinks does Anok serve?

Hwayo 25, Ilpum Jinro Oak, Igangju Emille, Maesil Wonju (plum wine), Joseon Jujosa, Munbaeju (in ceramic), Andong Soju Hahoetal, Kooksoondang, Gyeongtakju Rosé.

Eating the water naengmyeon and cold pork half plate alone

I had an errand in Hongdae and was craving cool naengmyeon, so I went to Anok, the newly opened spot, for a solo Pyongyang naengmyeon lunch. I ordered Pyongyang naengmyeon (water-based), a cold pork (naengjeyuk) half plate, and a Suntory highball.

The basic side dishes were kimchi, kkakdugi (radish kimchi), and jangajji (pickled vegetables).

The naengmyeon just wasn't for me. It was lukewarm, and the cold pork wasn't cold either... I'd been torn between gomtang or yukhoe but picked this instead — a menu fail this time!!!! Just my personal taste, though.

The broth had a really clean, healthy flavor. The Suntory highball, on the other hand, was incredibly cold and delicious.

I did the naengmyeon mukbang thing, but it was so-so....

I tried my best to enjoy it, but a lot of food was left over.... The ingredient quality was clearly high, but it just didn't satisfy my taste (in terms of both flavor and price).

When I mentioned to the staff that the naengmyeon was lukewarm — wondering if it's always served that way — they said, "It might have been a bit lukewarm, sorry about that"...

No plans to come back, for me.