Bongdam bar in Hwaseong: hoddeok pizza and Kozel Dark at Homaek

Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom 28-8 Sangnijungsim-sanggagil, Bongdam-eup, Hyohaeng-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea 17:00–02:00 Open daily

What kind of bar is Homaek Hwaseong Bongdam?

I went with three friends for dinner and a beer at Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom. As the name suggests, Homaek is all about the hoddeok (Korean stuffed pancake) + beer combo. When you think hoddeok you usually think sweet dessert, but they had pizza-style versions like chili pepperoni and cheese bulgogi, which I found really surprising.

There were four of us, so we ordered a bunch of dishes to share, and it turned out they were running a Kozel Dark 3+1 promotion?! Four of us, buy 3 get 1 free — no need to think twice, we ordered Kozel Dark right away. Let me introduce Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom, a great Bongdam spot for sharing lots of dishes with friends over drinks~^0^

The mood at Homaek, a Bongdam bar in Hwaseong

Inside Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom, brick interiors and soft lighting made for a warm, cozy pub vibe. Beer posters and vintage props decorated the walls, and a projector played videos on one wall, giving it a bit more atmosphere than your average bar haha. With four of us, it was comfortable to sit around and chat over beer, and I noticed other tables of friends and couples too.

Rather than loud and chaotic, it was a place to relax with good food and easy conversation over drinks! If you're looking for a Bongdam bar for a casual hangout with friends, or a good-vibe Bongdam restaurant, Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom is a solid pick.

What four friends ordered at Homaek

Here's what we ordered.

• Chili pepperoni hoddeok
• Cheese bulgogi hoddeok
• Glass noodle (dangmyeon) tteokbokki
• Shrimp cream pasta & brown bread

Four of us, five dishes.. everything was so good we ended up ordering a fifth. Argh, diet be damned. I loved how varied the menu at this Bongdam restaurant was — not just hoddeok but spicy tteokbokki, soup dishes, and even pasta, so there's plenty to pick from. Great if you're looking for a Bongdam spot where you can have dinner and drinks with lots of menu options.

The Kozel Dark 3+1 beer promotion

First up was the Kozel Dark beer. The moment we saw the promo sign outside, we couldn't resist the Kozel Dark 3+1 and ordered right away. Even though there were four of us, two of my friends don't drink beer, so they went with cola instead to join the mood.

The remaining two bottles were for me and my friend. Haha, so good. Cinnamon dusted along the rim of the glass gives a sweet aroma first, and it pairs really well with the rich Kozel Dark.

Best of all, it went perfectly with the warm, salty hoddeok — a sweet-and-salty combo that worked great. Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom is a good Bongdam bar for a beer with friends.

Homaek's two signature hoddeok pizzas

Since we were at Homaek, of course we ordered the hoddeok. Homaek is a nostalgic Bongdam spot I used to visit often when I lived in Ansan, and the dish I kept craving was their signature — the chili pepperoni hoddeok!

It doesn't just come with hoddeok — crispy nachos come alongside too, served with tomato chili sauce and fresh cream. This sauce is also great for dipping the hoddeok.

Dipped the nacho. Crunchy seasoned nachos with the tangy, slightly spicy tomato sauce were so good. I'm sure even nacho-haters would like these.

Chili pepperoni hoddeok

The chili pepperoni hoddeok is loaded with beef, spicy chili sauce, cheese, and pepperoni.

Golden and crispy outside, chewy inside, with spicy sauce and cheese packed in — it felt more like eating a thick, chewy pizza than a hoddeok haha. When you lift a slice, the cheese stretches way out, and the salty pepperoni with slightly spicy chili sauce made a perfect beer pairing.

I've tried a lot of hoddeok at Homaek, but this is my number one hoddeok pizza. If you visit Homaek in Bongdam, definitely try the chili pepperoni hoddeok.

Spicy glass noodle tteokbokki

Hoddeok alone felt like it wasn't enough, so we also had tteokbokki (spicy rice cake). Red sauce with rice cake and glass noodles, topped with cheese — it looked delicious from the moment it arrived.

The chewy glass noodles soaked up the spicy sauce nicely, and eating it with the cheese in between softened the spiciness. A bite of hoddeok, a bite of tteokbokki, a sip of beer — the perfect rotation.

Shrimp cream pasta & brown bread

Then another dish arrived — the choice of our resident big eaters: shrimp cream pasta & brown bread. After the spicy hoddeok and tteokbokki, we figured it'd be good to have something creamy in the mix, so we ordered this.

It's pasta with shrimp in a rich cream sauce, served with brown bread. The cream sauce was thick and savory, clinging well to the noodles, and the plump shrimp made it even better.

The real treat was piling the cream sauce onto the brown bread — the bread soaks it up and it was surprisingly addictive. Paired with the spicy glass noodle tteokbokki, it felt like a proper set menu. Good ordering, foodies.

Cheese bulgogi hoddeok

We originally planned to order just one hoddeok, but it was so good we got a second — the bulgogi pizza version.

This one has wine-marinated beef, barbecue sauce, and mozzarella cheese! Less spicy than the chili pepperoni, with sweet-and-salty bulgogi and savory cheese that would probably go over well with kids too.

Between the two: if you like spicy and bold, go chili pepperoni; if you like sweet, salty, and savory, go cheese bulgogi!

Hot, sharp fish cake kimchi udon

After all that, we wanted something hot in broth, so we ordered the fish cake kimchi udon. Bonito broth with kimchi added, loaded with udon noodles and fish cakes — hearty just from the look of it.

With the kimchi in it, the broth was spicy yet refreshing — perfect for spooning up between rich dishes. And the noodles were super chewy too. Especially after the hoddeok and cream pasta, a sip of this hot kimchi udon broth totally reset the palate.

With various fish cakes in there too, it was fun picking through them one by one, and with the chewy udon noodles, it worked great as both a drinking snack and a full meal.

Is Homaek a good Bongdam bar for sharing with friends?

With four of us ordering two kinds of hoddeok, we got to try both the chili pepperoni and cheese bulgogi, which was even better. On top of that, we ordered the glass noodle tteokbokki, shrimp cream pasta, and fish cake kimchi udon, so we shared a proper feast. Everyone kept eating so much it felt like a buffet.

What was special about Homaek is that you can enjoy pizza-like, filling snacks with your drinks. If you're looking for a Bongdam spot to try something a bit different from the usual bar food, or a Bongdam bar for sharing several dishes with friends over drinks, I'd recommend the signature hoddeok and cold beer combo at Homaek Hwaseongbongdam-jeom.