Hongdae restaurant in Seoul for brass-bowl gomtang dinner: Anok

I was looking for dinner in Hongdae and ended up craving clean, mild Korean food, so I went to Anok, a Hongdae gomtang (beef bone soup) restaurant.

Hongdae has plenty of spicy food and bars, but that night I really wanted a proper meal with warm broth. Anok serves a range of Korean dishes beyond clear gomtang — Pyongyang naengmyeon, pork tail jjim, yukhoe (beef tartare) and more — so I picked it for dinner. Since they make their own clear broth from scratch as the base for both the gomtang and the naengmyeon, it also seemed like a solid choice if you're hunting for a Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant or a gomtang spot.

• 📍 Anok / 13-4 Hongik-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ⏰ Closed Mondays, Tue-Sun 11:00-22:00

What are the interior and seating like at Anok?

The moment I walked into Anok, the first thing I noticed was the calm hanok (traditional Korean house) atmosphere — true to its name.

The interior mostly used wood tones, giving it a warm yet neat feel — traditional without feeling too heavy, which made it feel clean overall. The food came out just as tidy, served in brass and white bowls that matched the mood of the space.

It's chair seating throughout, and the group tables can apparently hold anywhere from 2 up to 12 people. It seemed like a good option for a family Korean meal or a small gathering.

I visited for dinner, but since they open at 11am from Tuesday to Sunday, it could also work well if you're looking for lunch in Hongdae. They close at 10pm with last order at 9pm, and Mondays are their regular day off.

Clear gomtang, 13,000 won: how does the broth taste?

The first thing I tried was Anok's signature dish, the clear gomtang for 13,000 won.

As you can tell from the photos, the broth is very clear and transparent, with generous chunks of thickly sliced pork piled on the rice. The first sip was really clean and mild — nothing like a heavily seasoned gukbap (soup with rice). It's a style that lets the broth speak for itself, so it feels mild at first, but as you keep eating, the flavor where the meat and broth come together really shows.

The meat wasn't just a few thin garnish slices either — it came in big pieces, so eating it with rice was filling. The warm broth wasn't heavy at all, which made it work well as a full dinner.

According to the store's signage, the house-made clear broth is the foundation of Anok's menu, and both the gomtang and the Pyongyang naengmyeon start from this same broth. Tasting the two side by side, you could really feel that shared, clean direction running through the menu.

Pyongyang naengmyeon (water-based), 14,000 won: how does it compare with Anok's gomtang?

Next up: Anok's Pyongyang naengmyeon, water-based, for 14,000 won!

The Pyongyang naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles) also wasn't the sweet-and-tangy, heavily seasoned style you might expect from regular naengmyeon — it's the kind you eat for the pure flavor of the broth.

There was meat on top of the noodles, and the broth was clean, so it quietly grew on me the more I ate — more than the first bite suggested. Knowing that the gomtang and naengmyeon broths come from the same root made comparing the two dishes even more fun. If you usually like your Pyongyang naengmyeon mild and understated, this is worth a visit if you're on the hunt for a Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant. I'd also recommend ordering one gomtang and one naengmyeon to share.

Braised pork tail, 29,000 won: does it go with the gomtang?

And the dish we ordered alongside for dinner: pork tail jjim (braised pork tail) for 29,000 won!

The plate came piled high with pork tail, topped generously with red seasoning, sesame seeds and scallions — a totally different vibe from the gomtang and naengmyeon. Adding the pork tail jjim into the mix made the whole meal a lot more varied than just sticking with the clear, mild soup dishes. The texture was chewy, the seasoning coated it well, and eating a bit of the mild gomtang in between bites worked really nicely.

If you're visiting with a group, it seems like a good setup to each order your own gomtang or naengmyeon and then add one shared dish like the pork tail jjim or a jeon (savory pancake) to split.

When you want mild Korean food in Hongdae

Overall, Anok really came across as a place that lets the ingredients and broth speak for themselves instead of leaning on strong seasoning. The calm, hanok-inspired interior, the neatly plated food, and getting to try such different dishes — gomtang, Pyongyang naengmyeon, and pork tail jjim — all in one sitting were all things I liked.

When you're craving hot, clear broth, it's worth heading to as a Hongdae gomtang restaurant; when you want something mild and understated in noodle form, it works as a Hongdae Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant. I went for dinner and left full, having had the clear gomtang, the naengmyeon, and the pork tail jjim. On a day when I want neat, mild Korean food in a calm setting rather than a loud, busy restaurant in Hongdae, I think I'll come back to this one.😊

What to know before visiting Anok

There's no dedicated parking near Anok, so if you're driving, it's worth checking nearby parking lots ahead of time, and pets aren't allowed. For group visits or reservations, it's best to contact the restaurant in advance to check availability.