Incheon Nonhyeon ramen, no-wait weekday dinner for two: Hongdae

Hongdae Gureume in Incheon Nonhyeon, seated right away on a weekday evening

I was craving ramen and started searching around, and got curious when I heard the chef had trained in Japan directly and even won an award there. After reading a review saying you could get the real Japan feeling without a passport, my partner and I headed to Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch in Incheon Nonhyeon.

We went in the evening and got seated right away with no wait. Maybe because it was a weekday evening, we were able to eat at a relaxed pace.

Basic info

• Address: 17 Nongogae-ro 123beon-gil, Namdong-gu, Incheon, South Korea (2F, Room 202, iFlex Building)
• Hours: Daily 11:30–21:30 (last order 21:00)

Parking info

You can use the building's basement parking. After your meal, you can register for 2 hours of parking at the counter! The entrance to the parking lot is wide too... and there's plenty of space, so parking is easy.

What we ordered: scoopable sushi (salmon) and the tasty egg ramen set (Kumamoto style)

We ordered the scoopable sushi (salmon) and the tasty egg ramen set (Kumamoto style).

Looking at the menu, the ramen came in three styles — Fukuoka style, Kumamoto style, and Korean style — so it seemed like it'd be fun to pick and try. I was curious about the Kumamoto style, so I went with that. I've eaten Fukuoka style plenty of times already, so I figured I'd try something new.

Since the ramen came as a set, the side dishes were quite substantial too. Salad, candied sweet potato, pickled cucumber, fried shrimp, and even inari sushi (fried tofu pocket sushi) — the spread was really generous.

Black garlic tonkotsu broth and two thick slices of chashu

First, the scoopable sushi (salmon)! The salmon was so fresh and piled on thick that I could feel how fresh it was from the very first bite. It came topped with mayo sauce and flying fish roe, which added a savory flavor and a fun popping texture.

And then the tasty egg ramen set (Kumamoto style).

The broth was truly the best... it's tonkotsu broth with black garlic sauce mixed in, giving it a deep, rich flavor that I kept thinking about. I think I'll be coming back for the Kumamoto-style ramen very often from now on.

The soft-boiled tasty egg also had a completely full yolk, which made it even more delicious with the ramen. The chashu was thick too, two whole slices, satisfying right down to the chew.

The side dishes that come with the set felt carefully prepared too, each one. The mayo topping and flying fish roe on top of the inari sushi were great to eat alongside the ramen.

The interior and solo dining seats

The moment I stepped inside, I could feel a subtle Japan-like atmosphere. There were separate solo dining seats too, so it seemed like a good spot to come eat alone as well.

There were various options running too — review events, prepaid vouchers, lunch specials. The little details like the apron, hair tie, and phone stand were charming!

The full menu board, lunch special at ₩9,900

There are so many options, right? There are a lot of menu items to begin with, but the fine differences make it look like even more choices! I took photos of every single page so you can use them as reference when deciding. The lunch special is only ₩9,900, so it seems like a great option for office workers' lunch too.

₩28,900 for two, wrapping up

This was a really great place for a quiet bowl of ramen with a partner. It came to ₩28,900 for two, which felt like a satisfying price for what you get. I'd give this five stars, and I'll definitely come back whenever I'm craving ramen.

The Kumamoto-style ramen was truly delicious... it was my first time trying it, and I'm still thinking about it now. Even as I was eating I thought, 'Wow, I need to come back here whenever I'm craving ramen again.'

I was wondering why it was so delicious, and it turned out the head chef has a really impressive career. Thank you for running this restaurant in Incheon... If you're looking for a ramen spot in Incheon Nonhyeon, I recommend Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch!