Japanese lunch in Nonhyeon, Incheon: ₩9,900 weekday ramen-onigiri set

One thing I realized after coming back from Tokyo: we don't actually love authentic Japanese ramen, we love ramen that's been localized in Korea ^_^ So I went to crush Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch, which has regional Japanese ramen AND ramen developed to suit Korean tastes!

Where is Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch, and where can you park?

Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch is right by Exit 4 of Nonhyeon Station, so it's easy to reach by public transport. There's 2 hours of free parking, so you can park in the underground car park without stress. We visited at 11:30 on a weekday and there were plenty of spaces.

Come up to the 2nd floor, wander around the corridor a bit, and Hongdae Gureume appears with a nice Japanese-restaurant vibe.

Inside Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch: good for eating alone?

Oh, I thought it'd be tiny, but there are surprisingly many tables and chairs!

There are also bar-style seats (dacchi-seok) that are comfy for eating alone.

Every table has a small partition, so it doesn't feel awkward, haha. Little interior touches like this quietly become a bonus, you know?!

How to choose from the Hongdae Gureume menu, step by step

You can browse the menu on the kiosk or on the paper menu. Both have pictures, so they're easy to read. It can feel a bit confusing the first time, but I figured out this order makes it easy!

• 1. What kind of dish are you having? → ramen, sake-don (salmon rice bowl), scoop sushi, sushi, cold soba (pan-mojiri), donburi rice bowls
• 2. I'm having ramen! → pick one of 4 toppings, then choose Kumamoto, Korean or Fukuoka style to taste
• 3. Value is king! → pick from the ₩9,900 weekday lunch menu
• 4. Any fancy sets? → Yes. Check out the sets for two

There aren't many menu items, but each one lets you decide the details, so choosing in the order I described and then skimming the menu should help (wink)

There's also a generous receipt event, a discount coupon for middle and high schoolers, and a prepaid card points event, so keep that in mind.

Ordering the ₩9,900 weekday lunch special and ₩19,900 scoop sushi set meal

After agonizing over a fancy combo, we picked the weekday lunch special ramen and onigiri set (₩9,900) and the scoop sushi set meal (₩19,900). Even if both had been weekday lunch specials, it would come to under ₩20,000. What a kind price! You can't find that at a Japanese restaurant in 2026, lol

How the food at Hongdae Gureume looks and tastes

We ordered at the kiosk, and the food came out just as we were happily waiting. The staff member who served us was super kind, which made me even happier hehe

Ta-da. So many colors, it's a feast for the eyes XD

One shot from Quokka's point of view.

What sides come with the scoop sushi set meal?

If you order the scoop sushi as a set meal like me, you get miso soup, kabocha squash mousse, karaage, king prawn tempura, salad and candied sweet potato (goguma mattang) as sides. When you get tired of one thing, you can pick at the others, which is a real plus hehe

Sparkle sparkle-

What's in the weekday lunch special ramen and onigiri set?

This is the ramen set Quokka ordered! Even the basic ramen has two pieces of chashu (braised pork slices), and a plump onigiri (rice ball) comes alongside, so it fills you up. Shall we take a bite~!

Half-salmon, half-tuna scoop sushi: how much fish do you get?

Being a greedy guts, I ordered the scoop sushi half salmon, half tuna, and it came out nicely balanced. The slices are on the thin side, but there's quite a lot hidden underneath, so the amount of fish was more than I expected.

I happily scooped up tuna, salmon and onion, topped it with wasabi and soy sauce, and nom~

I also squished the onigiri topped with yam (mountain yam) that came with the ramen and ate it together, nom~ The onigiri isn't strongly flavored, so it goes well with the ramen.

Is the Korean-style ramen at Hongdae Gureume very spicy?

Oh, we went with the Korean-style ramen! The base flavor is definitely Japanese, with a spicy spoonful added. The first slurp of broth hits you with the rich aroma of katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and a salty tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen flavor. After that, a sharp, spicy red heat wraps around your tongue.

But I'm a spice wimp and this wasn't very spicy, so for anyone who wants Korean-localized ramen but hesitates for fear it's too hot: it varies by person, but I was fine! Let's be brave, hahaha. Quokka picked the ramen and said it was satisfying :)

How the karaage and king prawn tempura taste

The karaage (Japanese fried chicken) was a tender style with a hint of pepper. One bite of fried chicken

then a bite of scoop sushi

and this time the king prawn tempura dipped in tartar sauce~ The prawn was a big one that crunched and filled my mouth :) I kept going back and forth and suddenly it was all gone!

On the menu, Kumamoto-style ramen was ranked number 1, and I've never tried the black garlic base, so I'm quietly curious. Next time I'll try that one.

Final verdict on Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch

• A great-value restaurant in Namdong, Incheon
• A Japanese restaurant in Nonhyeon, Incheon where you can pick from ramen in several flavors
• A restaurant by Nonhyeon Station with kind staff and easy parking

If that's what you're looking for, that's Hongdae Gureume Incheon Nonhyeon Branch- and the Quack Quack Zodiac's munch-munch adventure continues :)