Hongdae restaurant for a hangover lunch of beef tripe soup: Doonjeong

My boyfriend finally kicked off his wedding invitation rounds. We met for lunch the next day and he clearly needed a hangover cure, so I went looking for a soup place in Hongdae and found Doonjeong.

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch hours and parking

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is open daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:00. Last order is at 14:30 and 20:30.

• ⏰ Hours: Daily 11:00–21:00 / Break time 15:00–17:00 / Last order 14:30, 20:30
• 🅿️ Parking: Not available
• ✔️ Naver Reservations available — a bottle of premium spirit Donghae comes with dinner reservations for gopchang jeongol (beef tripe hot pot)

There were traces of a CatchTable setup but no tablet in sight, haha.

Why an alley restaurant in Hongdae stays full

Doonjeong sits on a quiet alley off Hongdae's main street, so I wondered if people would actually come all the way here. They really do, though. I barely had time to snap this shot after one group left and the table was cleared before another group walked right in. Maybe it's the two years running as a Blue Ribbon restaurant.

What we ordered off the Doonjeong menu to cure a hangover

Doonjeong says every ingredient is Korean hanwoo beef (female cattle) and domestic produce, so you can eat with peace of mind ♡⃛

• Boyfriend needing a hangover cure → Spicy hanwoo yangtang, regular
• Me, a fan of chewy tendon → Clear hanwoo gomtang with tendon
• When gomtang alone isn't quite enough → Beef chive pancake

They also have suyuk (boiled meat) and hot pot dishes, plus a wide range of traditional liquors and makgeolli, so this place would be perfect for a drinking dinner too ✩

The kimchi that won over someone who skips restaurant kimchi

They brought out what looked like a tower of bowls — turned out to be the kimchi that pairs with the gomtang.

There's salt and pepper at every table, but I took a photo, put the lid back on, then completely forgot about it, so I ate my gomtang without seasoning haha. It was well-seasoned enough without it, but missing out on the pepper was still a bit of a shame.

Since we ordered the pancake, an onion soy sauce came out too. I tried the kimchi before the soup arrived, and it was completely my style. I used to be so picky I basically never touched restaurant kimchi, but this kimchi was genuinely delicious 🥹 both the napa cabbage kimchi and the diced radish kimchi!!!

Spicy hanwoo yangtang, before and after the minced garlic

The spicy hanwoo yangtang, regular size, came with a generous amount of meat, mushrooms, and tripe — filling enough on its own. The bowl is scalding hot, so be careful. I moved my boyfriend's bowl over to my side to take a photo and burned myself pretty badly.

Clear hanwoo gomtang with tendon. I guess that's just how the clear version works, but rice didn't come separately — it was already toremmed (blanched rice folded into hot broth) into the soup.

The beef chive pancake isn't the kind where meat is visibly piled on top — it's tucked away inside.

The gomtang came first, so I debated whether to wait for the pancake, but it arrived just 1–2 minutes later, so I managed to catch the full spread in one shot ˗ˋˏ ♡ ˎˊ˗

They recommended adding the chili and minced garlic served on the side, and my boyfriend said the flavor was completely different before and after! Before the garlic, it tasted like a typical yukgaejang (spicy beef soup); once he added it, the umami and aroma shot way up and it evolved(?) into something even better.

I was curious too, so I tried one spoonful of the broth — spicy but with real depth. Not aggressively hot, just pleasantly kick-y! Felt like the perfect hangover cure ദ്ദി

Beef and chive pancake alongside the gomtang

The beef chive pancake was pan-fried crisp all the way through, not just at the edges, while staying moist inside — perfect alongside the gomtang. I loved that the batter wasn't thick at all >_<

Clear hanwoo gomtang with tendon, brisket and shank

The clear hanwoo gomtang with tendon looked packed with meat at first glance, which felt so reassuring 🥹

The portion was generous and the pieces of meat were seriously big — not just tendon but brisket and shank too! The broth is clear and light, but the depth of flavor really came through. The tendon was chewy yet tender ㅠㅠㅠ and seasoned just right, so it was easy to eat without feeling heavy.

Top it off with that amazing kimchi and it's game over.

I didn't actually go check, but the restroom is set up inside the restaurant.

A bowl of soup that warms you through

The staff were so kind and the restaurant had a warm, comfortable feel, so it was a genuinely pleasant meal .ᐟ Doonjeong holds up as a lunch spot in Hongdae and just as well as a dinner drinking spot — a Blue Ribbon restaurant I'd recommend.