Hongdae Korean restaurant for Pyongyang naengmyeon with vinegar and

I found this place while looking for good eats in Hongdae, and the gomtang (clear beef broth soup) is insane. The atmosphere carries it too — honestly you don't even need to go to Gyeongbokgung 〰️〰️ I love that a hanok-style place like this exists in Hongdae 🫪🫪

🚇 A walking distance from Hongik University Station Exit 9 🕖 11:00-22:00 (closed Mondays)

Since this is a newly opened spot, everything was super clean too — starting my review of "Anok" now!

From Hongik University Station to Anok, the hanok exterior

✔️ Exterior photos It really looks so much like a hanok that it's a great photo zone before eating. I'd even recommend it as a blind date spot in Hongdae 👍 And it's only a 7-minute walk from Hongik University Station, so the access is great too 🚊

Weekday 6pm reservation, how were the seats

We made a reservation since there might be a lot of customers. We visited at 18:00 on a weekday, and by the time we were finishing our meal around 19:00(?), the place was suddenly packed.

There are 4-person and 2-person tables, and since we had a lot of dishes, the staff pushed some tables together for us (thank you 💟)

‼️ If you're visiting with a larger group, it seems like you can request in advance to have tables pulled together.

Salt and pepper are set on every table. You can use them to taste when you order the gomtang.

The 3 dishes we ordered at Anok

✔️ Menu Fitting the hanok atmosphere, the menu is mostly Korean food! We ordered one clear gomtang, one Pyongyang naengmyeon, and one braised pork tail. I love Pyongyang naengmyeon too much not to order it!! Ever since Okdongsik's gomtang, clear gomtang keeps popping up everywhere, so I had to try this one too.

I was so surprised the gomtang broth is clear! Apparently they skim off the fat meticulously over 48 hours to get that natural clear color.

Even the kimchi side dish gets a refill

First, the side dishes. I usually eat kkakdugi (radish kimchi) with soup, but this place's kimchi was so good I refilled it once 😅

Braised pork tail, ₩29,000 — how spicy is it?

A bit later, the braised pork tail (₩29,000) arrived. This is total drinking food 🫪 Even people who don't handle spicy well would enjoy it! The sauce color looks spicy but even a spice-wimp can totally handle it 👍🫶 Piled with green onion on top, it's daebak. Almost ordered soju lol

Trying vinegar and mustard in the Pyongyang naengmyeon

Then the Pyongyang naengmyeon and clear gomtang came out one after another 💟 Usually when you order Pyongyang naengmyeon at a good restaurant, you get like one, maybe two slices of meat, but here it comes out generously, no holding back. Loaded with meat, eating it together with the naengmyeon is the icing on the cake.

Honestly, Pyongyang naengmyeon isn't easy to find around Hongdae, Hapjeong, or Yeonnam 😅😅 So having a place in Hongdae that serves it now makes me so happy!! Now that I'm getting older, I find myself preferring mild, clean flavors over strong stimulating food... the age is showing.............

There's really a lot of meat in it ‼️‼️‼️ They gave us vinegar and mustard too so I tried adding them, but hmm... I think Pyongyang naengmyeon tastes best eaten plain, as is, lol. I added too much vinegar and the clean flavor I love disappeared — oh no... ㅠㅠ Still tasted good with the meat though 🙂 (Not recommending the vinegar and mustard!) The broth itself is so good on its own... next time I'll definitely just eat it plain.

Clear gomtang, seasoned just right even without salt

A bit later the clear gomtang came out 🤤💦 Maybe because I know how good it is, my mouth is watering just writing this review. It's seriously, seriously delicious.....

Sprinkled a little pepper on it~ It was already well seasoned so I skipped the salt. The clear gomtang was also loaded with meat, so when I scooped a spoonful of rice, a whole pile of meat came up with it 🙂🤤 The broth has such incredible depth of flavor... how is the color so clear... and yet the broth is so deep and rich..... how long did they simmer this...

The clear gomtang isn't heavily seasoned either, so people who like mild, clean food will love it!! Bring your parents 💟🫶 Then it's a perfect fit.

Final verdict: who should go to Anok

The braised pork tail is spicy-sweet with a chewy, springy texture — total drinking food 🍻 glug glug... The atmosphere is so nice it'd be great for couples too 💟 When we visited, there were people who had brought their parents, and I think it'd be great for family gatherings too!! 🧑🧑🧒🧒 We ordered 3 dishes for two people so we got really full, but you absolutely must order the clear gomtang.. ㅠㅠ