# Hongdae Korean restaurant for a calm gomtang lunch: Anok - By Jinseo (https://superchart.com/en/@weekday-meals-seoul/) - Written Sep 10, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Mapo, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was sponsored by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@weekday-meals-seoul/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@weekday-meals-seoul/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/index.md) ## In short Anok is a Korean restaurant in Mapo, Seoul, serving clear gomtang and Pyongyang naengmyeon. At 1:30 pm, I paired both with braised pork tail. Verdict: a calm Hongdae lunch. ## Good to know - **Clear gomtang**: ₩13,000 - **Pyongyang naengmyeon**: ₩14,000 - **Braised pork tail**: ₩29,000 - **Hours**: Tuesday–Sunday, 11:00 am–10:00 pm - **Last order**: 9:00 pm - **Closed**: Monday - **Parking**: No dedicated parking; use a nearby public parking lot *as written by the visitor on Sep 10, 2026* ![Lunch spread at Anok in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-01-1bw09-1200.webp) ![Lunch spread at Anok in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-02-1sbtb-900.webp) ## Hongdae lunch: it is about how you use that one hour Sometimes I feel oddly more tired after having lunch in Hongdae and going back to the office. It is not the food—it is how I spent that one hour, I think. ![Visiting Anok for lunch in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-03-1v1lj-900.webp) You lose 20 minutes waiting in line, finally sit down and have to raise your voice over the next table, then shovel down your meal in barely 10-odd minutes and leave. This is a place I found after all that. Step out of Hongdae Station and move just a little away from the noisy streets, and suddenly there is a staircase. Above it, you see a tiled roof. You stop at the bottom and look around once, wondering if this can really be the place. ![Stairs leading to Anok and its tiled roof](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-04-mf3hg-900.webp) It is tucked into an alley in Seogyo-dong, and the sign is not especially eye-catching. Even with my map open, I walked one extra lap. Those of you who found this post by searching, ![Anok's location in a Seogyo-dong alley](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-05-1dd9i-900.webp) I can more or less guess why. Maybe you want to eat quietly and get back within your one-hour lunch break, or you are looking for somewhere to take your parents or guests. ![A quiet lunch space in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-06-kik02-900.webp) ![A quiet lunch space in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-07-1ol0p-900.webp) Neither is easy to find in Hongdae, honestly. The places that come up in searches look pretty in photos but have lines, and then they are noisy once you get inside. Anyone who has put their name down at one of this neighborhood's well-known gomtang places and waited forever will know what I mean. So you end up going back to the same old place every time, or heading to another neighborhood. At Anok, a Hongdae lunch spot, things look a little different once you go up those stairs. ![Anok's tiled roof above the stairs](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-08-1deik-900.webp) ![Anok entrance and tiled roof](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-09-1th3u-900.webp) ![Exterior of Anok in Hongdae](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-10-14ih6-900.webp) ## The calm of Anok beneath a tiled roof The moment you step beneath the tiled roof, it is hard to believe you are right in the middle of Hongdae. I could see why people say it is a good place to bring older family members. ![Atmosphere inside Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-11-1yvr2-900.webp) ![Seating inside Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-12-1xtjd-900.webp) Inside the restaurant. Napkins and wet wipes. ![Napkins and wet wipes](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-13-m9p3y-900.webp) Crushed pepper and salt. ![Crushed pepper and salt](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-14-1wl0w-900.webp) The welcome on arrival was lovely. There were traditional landscape paintings hanging here and there, too. ![Traditional landscape paintings inside Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-15-18fml-900.webp) I visited at around 1:30 pm, just after the main office-worker lunch rush. ![Pickled gungchae and kimchi side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-16-1v3s4-900.webp) Pickled gungchae (stem lettuce), kkakdugi radish kimchi, seasoning sauce for the soup, and napa cabbage kimchi. ## Clear gomtang broth that stays clean to the last spoonful > Clear gomtang: ₩13,000. They say it is simmered for 48 hours, but honestly, whether it is 48 or 24 hours, there is no way for a customer to verify that. ![Clear gomtang at Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-17-ex3z2-900.webp) But you can tell in the last two or three spoonfuls. A hastily made broth turns murky and cloying at the end. This one does not. It is so clear that you can barely see any oil, yet one spoonful brings up a richer beef flavor than expected. ![Gomtang with clear broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-18-1ygcu-900.webp) It was not salty, so I kept spooning up the broth on its own. There was a generous amount of meat too, so mixing in rice did not feel heavy. ![Clear gomtang with meat](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-19-1jd6r-900.webp) ## How I found the flavor in Pyongyang naengmyeon > Pyongyang naengmyeon: ₩14,000. Anok tops its Pyongyang naengmyeon with plenty of suyuk (boiled sliced meat). The broth is lightly seasoned, with a subtle buckwheat aroma. The buckwheat noodles snap easily, which is a characteristic of noodles with a high buckwheat content. ![Pyongyang naengmyeon topped with suyuk](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-20-98yl6-900.webp) If you like bold flavors, the first chopsticks-full will simply taste bland. For the first few bites, I was wondering what this was too. But there seems to be an order to it. Eat two or so bites of noodles first, then drink the broth—only then does the flavor slowly come through. If you put anything punchy in your mouth first, whether it is a side dish or whatever, it covers the meat flavor and the broth tastes plain all the way through. The suyuk is best rolled up in the noodles and eaten in one bite. The mild broth suddenly comes alive. ![Braised pork tail at Anok](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-21-vgcyv-900.webp) ## Why we ordered braised pork tail too > Braised pork tail: ₩29,000. We ordered one, and it was the best move. The sweet-spicy sauce had soaked in deeply, and it was cooked until there was not a tough bit. Even the fat was tender, so I kept reaching for it. Having something punchy between the mild naengmyeon and clean gomtang brought all the flavors to life. The portion was generous too—we were very full as a pair. ![Sweet-spicy braised pork tail](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-22-b865a-900.webp) ![Gomtang and naengmyeon meal set](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-23-qpdi3-900.webp) ![Anok lunch table spread](https://img.superchart.com/images/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok-24-hetwk-900.webp) ## What to know before you go Anok is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, and closed on Mondays. Last orders are at 9:00 pm. There is no dedicated parking, so you will need to use a nearby public parking lot. It is near Hongik-ro 13-gil in Mapo-gu, but as I said earlier, you may still get a little lost even with a map. To sum it up: choose the gomtang if you love a rich broth, and the Pyongyang naengmyeon if you prefer something clean and light. ## Where it is - Anok (안옥) (안옥) - 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 마포구 홍익로 13-4 - 37.5536729, 126.9229752 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%95%88%EC%98%A5/@37.5536729,126.9229752,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@weekday-meals-seoul/hongdae-lunch-gomtang-noodles-anok/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt