Gomtang and rice noodles for dinner near Sinnonhyeon: Geumnyeong

One-line review

Clean broth made from 1++ Korean beef — a gomtang spot that works easily for solo dining or a group dinner in Gangnam

Who should visit

• Anyone looking for a hearty soup meal for solo dining near Sinnonhyeon or Gangnam
• Anyone wanting a room-like space for a group dinner near Sinnonhyeon or Gangnam
• Anyone who wants a Sinnonhyeon restaurant that also has parking to consider
• Fans of gomtang with plenty of minari (water dropwort) fragrance
• Anyone who wants a clean, non-spicy broth
• Anyone looking for a hearty meat-filled rice noodle lunch in Gangnam

Getting to Geumnyeong Gomtang and parking

Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch is a 2-minute walk from Exit 4 of Sinnonhyeon Station. I found it while looking for dinner after a dermatology appointment near Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam.

There are plenty of chain gomtang restaurants and regular Korean diners around Sinnonhyeon, Gangnam, and Yeoksam stations, but compared to those places, Geumnyeong Gomtang stands out for using only premium 1++ Korean beef! While most chain gomtang restaurants cut prices by using regular Korean beef or imported ingredients, this place emphasizes a restorative broth simmered daily with medicinal herbs — which really gives a different level of satisfaction for solo dining in Gangnam.

Parking is free in the building's basement lot, but only after 5 PM and only if a spot is available. If there's no space, you'll need to use a nearby public parking lot.

Inside the restaurant, atmosphere, and whether it works for group dinners

The restaurant was really clean and pleasant. I think it's been a while since I've seen such a spotless place. There's also a room-like space in the back, which made it good to use for a group dinner near Gangnam or Sinnonhyeon.

Cute little decorative items were placed here and there, and the restroom was located inside, which made it convenient to use.

Menu and prices

What I ordered that day was minari gomtang (special) and rice noodles. Besides these, the menu also has a spicy-tangy Gangwon-style pollock salad, seuji (beef tendon), aronsatae (shank), and mulsuyuk, a boiled pork dish loaded with vegetables — five items in total, which gave me the impression they'd chosen only dishes they were confident in, rather than padding out the menu. Since there are drinking-snack items as well as meal items, I'd recommend it for a Gangnam group dinner too — in fact, there was a group having a dinner gathering there the day I visited.

Minari gomtang (special) at ₩16,000 and rice noodles at ₩13,000 came to ₩29,000 together, but if you order just one bowl on its own, it's a filling meal for around ₩15,000 per person. It's an affordable price whether for a Gangnam rice noodle lunch or an evening meal with a drink. The owner who served and guided us was also extremely kind!

Basic side dishes and self-serve bar

First, they served kimchi and kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) as basic side dishes. There's a saying that a gomtang restaurant's kimchi has to be good, and this kimchi was well-seasoned throughout — delicious both with the soup and eaten on its own.

The self-serve bar had radish pickles, pickled peppers, perilla leaves, and braised soybeans — all side dishes that pair well with Korean food, and every single one was tasty. The radish pickles in particular had a refreshing, crisp texture that made them great to eat between spoonfuls of soup. Definitely try them!

Minari gomtang (special) ₩16,000

Minari gomtang (special), ₩16,000. It's said to be a restorative broth made with premium 1++ Korean beef and medicinal herbs added daily. It's made toryeom-style, where the broth soaks into the rice grains. I thought the gomtang and rice noodle broths might be similar, but they weren't at all.

I could tell right away, spoonful by spoonful, that the two broths were completely different. With minari gomtang, the moment you take a spoonful, the flavor of broth soaked into the rice — distinctive of the toryeom method — comes first, followed by the fragrant scent of minari, which gave the soup a much cleaner, more refined impression.

There was also a generous amount of meat, and true to 1++ Korean beef, it pulled apart softly with each bite, with deep umami and no gamey smell at all. You could really tell this was a place that takes its broth seriously.

Rice noodles ₩13,000

Rice noodles (₩13,000). This is a gomtang-style rice noodle dish with soft noodles that don't get soggy, topped generously with meat. The rice noodles were also impressively clean-tasting. With soft noodles that held up well and plenty of meat piled on, every bite felt satisfying.

It had a deep broth flavor without being too intense, which I was fully satisfied with — though it was a bit of a shame that there wasn't a separate sauce for the rice noodles.

A tip that never fails: I'd recommend pairing the minari gomtang with radish pickles from the self-serve bar to refresh the broth's flavor as you eat. The combination of rich meaty flavor and crisp radish pickles kept me reaching back for more.

What I liked, what I didn't, and the final verdict

👍 What I liked

• Very accessible location, a 2-minute walk from Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 4
• Clean, deep gomtang broth made with premium 1++ Korean beef
• A well-crafted menu where the gomtang and rice noodle broths are distinctly different
• A clean, pleasant restaurant with a room-like space that also works for group dinners
• Well-seasoned kimchi and a variety of delicious self-serve side dishes

👀 What I didn't

• No separate sauce provided for the rice noodles
• The building's basement parking is free only after 5 PM and only if space is available, so it's worth checking ahead

🧾 Final verdict

Geumnyeong Gomtang Yeoksam Branch was a place that delivers real satisfaction through its broth alone, even among the many Korean restaurants near Sinnonhyeon. From the minari gomtang that clearly shows off the quality of 1++ Korean beef to the clean-tasting rice noodles, it seems like it would suit both solo dining and group dinners in Gangnam. I think I'll stop by again next time I'm near Sinnonhyeon.