Mapo Korean restaurant for meat-loaded gomtang: Anok

If you’re looking for a good restaurant around Hongdae Entrance Station, pay attention haha. On Tuesday, I went with my sister to a hanok gomtang restaurant called Anok (안옥), and we visited with a reservation! You go up some stairs from the entrance, so at first I wondered if we were in the right place—but the hanok space that opened up as soon as we got upstairs was truly lovely!

At first, we went upstairs wondering, “Is this really the place?”

It was amazing to find a hanok like this right in the middle of the city 🏮

Anok near Hongdae Entrance Station: Location and visitor information

It is at 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, a 365 m walk from Exit 9 of Hongdae Entrance Station. It is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00, with last orders at 21:00, and is regularly closed on Mondays. Parking is unavailable, and group seating is available for up to 12 people with an advance reservation.

Isn’t the exterior absolutely gorgeous?

The courtyard was spacious too, so the atmosphere was really nice!

Inside the hanok and its spotless atmosphere

There were lots of tables inside, and it was incredibly clean! I love gomtang, but I have a sensitive stomach, so I tend not to go to places that seem unclean. This place was so tidy, which I really loved hehe..

Ordering clear pork gomtang, Pyongyang cold noodles, and braised pork tail

You can order conveniently through the table-ordering system!

We ordered three things: clear pork gomtang, Pyongyang cold noodles, and braised pork tail. The banchan (Korean side dishes) came out first, and they were sooooo neat!!!!!!!!!!! They tasted just as clean and tidy as they looked. Those seasoned vegetables were really fresh-tasting and delicious too.

The meat portion nearly made our eyes pop out

As soon as the food came out, my sister and I both nearly had our eyes pop out.. Look at that amount of meat.. We kept saying, “Wow… there’s really so much,” even while we were eating. Both the flavor and presentation made me think it deserves to become known as a great Hongdae gomtang spot 😳

Honestly, it had more meat piled on top than any restaurant I’ve been to in my life. It was almost like ordering a whole plate of naeng jeyuk (chilled sliced pork)—that’s how generously the meat was piled on! Isn’t that amazing?

Same with the Pyongyang cold noodles!! Of all the Pyongyang cold noodles and gomtang places I’ve tried, this had the most meat on top..

Such a neat presentation—it felt like a fine-dining restaurant.

Chewy, richly flavored braised pork tail

The braised pork tail stood out for its chewy texture. The seasoning had soaked in deeply, so it worked well both as a side with rice and as an accompaniment to drinks, and it was cooked well enough that the meat came away tenderly from the bone.

It was exactly the kind of flavor that makes you think of soju ㅠ_ㅠ

The meat portion was so huge and fascinating that I kept taking photos haha. The flavor wasn’t overpowering, and it had real depth, so I could keep eating it without feeling weighed down!

And you know how kimchi has to be good at a gomtang place, right? The kimchi was as neat and clean-tasting as it looked, so I was just as satisfied with it as with the main dishes. As my sister and I sat facing each other and caught up over a meal for the first time in a while, the tranquil hanok atmosphere was so healing that we completely lost track of time.

Pyongyang cold noodles and gomtang with overwhelming amounts of meat

To sum it up, Anok is a place where you can enjoy Pyongyang cold noodles and gomtang with overwhelming amounts of meat in a hidden hanok space reached by climbing the stairs. Personally, if I had to pick a great gomtang restaurant in Hongdae, this would be one of my very first choices. If you need a hearty meal or want atmosphere too, I think Anok is well worth remembering 👍