Hongdae dinner spot for beef gomtang and tteokgalbi: Baengni Gomtang

Baengni Gomtang: the Hongdae Korean restaurant found after work

Baengni Gomtang is a hanwoo (Korean beef) gomtang and yukhoe bibimbap restaurant that's great for grabbing a meal in Hongdae after work. I was too worn out to cook when I got home, so I went looking for a nearby Korean restaurant and ended up here.

Spoiler first: 200% would return.

This place, called [Baengni Gomtang], apparently just opened recently. Great location, great prices, great taste — I have a feeling it's going to become a place with lines out the door before long.

How long is the walk from Hongik University Station?

Baengni Gomtang is a 3-minute walk from Exit 7 of the Gyeongui-Jungang Line at Hongik University Station, and 3 minutes from Exit 8 of Line 2. Super accessible.

With weather like this, it's perfect to grab a meal and then stroll along the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail. Both the sign and the interior lighting are a warm orange, and that coziness from the outside alone makes you stop in your tracks.

How big is Baengni Gomtang, and can you get a table on a weekday evening?

Baengni Gomtang can seat around 26 people. It's not a huge place, but the tables are spaced comfortably apart, and it really is somewhere you can eat in a relaxed, cozy atmosphere.

There are tables for two and for four, so it works well whether you're eating solo or with a group. I visited around 7pm on a weekday, and since it had only just opened, there was still plenty of room.

Baengni Gomtang menu and prices

Baengni Gomtang's main dishes are hanwoo gomtang for ₩12,000, and soy or gochujang yukhoe bibimbap for ₩13,000 each (special size +₩3,000). For drinking snacks, there's hanwoo yukhoe for ₩29,000, and hanwoo hot pot for ₩39,000 (medium) or ₩49,000 (large).

• Meals — Hanwoo gomtang ₩12,000 / Soy yukhoe bibimbap ₩13,000 / Gochujang yukhoe bibimbap ₩13,000 (special +₩3,000)
• Anju (drinking snacks) — Hanwoo yukhoe ₩29,000 / Hanwoo hot pot (medium) ₩39,000 / Hanwoo hot pot (large) ₩49,000
• Sides — Mini yukhoe ₩9,000 / Mini suyuk ₩9,000 / Handmade tteokgalbi ₩9,000 / Meat mandu ₩8,000 / Cold suyuk salad ₩12,000 / Sprout ginseng + honey ₩12,000 / Rice ₩1,000

The menu is varied, and for some reason the orange lighting gives off this odd vibe that makes you want to have a drink. Especially since hanwoo yukhoe and hanwoo hot pot are the main anju items — I feel like I'll be back sometime to enjoy a drink from a green bottle.

Today I ordered the hanwoo gomtang and the soy yukhoe bibimbap.

How the hanwoo gomtang and soy-sauce yukhoe bibimbap tasted

Baengni Gomtang's hanwoo gomtang has a clean broth along with the umami of a long simmer, and the rice comes already mixed into the soup. The visual satisfaction alone is enormous.

Both dishes come topped with a piece of ginseng, which psychologically alone makes you feel pampered, premium. That ginseng really does have its distinct fragrant sweetness coming through nicely, too — delicious.

As you can see in the photos, there's a huge amount of hanwoo on top of the gomtang. Getting this much beef, in a gomtang no less, for ₩13,000 in Seoul is extremely satisfying.

The broth is very clean, but that doesn't mean it's so healthy it lacks flavor payoff. It's clean, and also carries the taste of a long-simmered broth, giving you that umami hit too. The rice comes mixed in, and the grains are cooked just right for eating together with the broth.

As you can see, the meat has some thickness to it, so it has a decent chew. The beefy aroma came through nicely too, and it was great to eat as a topping.

The soy yukhoe bibimbap is also healthy, but seasoned just enough so it's not bland either. At other places, yukhoe bibimbap often skimps on vegetables, or the rice is too wet so every bite feels overly heavy and dense — but here there were plenty of vegetables, and once mixed, there was none of that clumpy texture yukhoe bibimbap can have. Very satisfying.

Handmade tteokgalbi as a side, 9,000 won

Baengni Gomtang's handmade tteokgalbi (grilled beef patties) is ₩9,000, and it came out cooked to about medium-rare inside. Usually if it's overcooked it turns dry and loses its beefy aroma, but this one came out with the inside cooked to about medium-rare(?).

So the beefy aroma and texture were excellent, and I could really feel that the owner puts a lot of care into the cooking.

Portion sizes, service and who Baengni Gomtang suits

The portion size at Baengni Gomtang is just right for one adult man, so it's easy to eat without feeling overwhelmed. The owner was extremely kind — extremely kind, and extremely kind.

I think this kind of thing matters just as much as the food, and taking that into account too, this is a place I'd recommend to anyone. Whether you're having lunch or dinner in Hongdae, want tasty anju with a drink, or are eating solo, this is a place that will satisfy.

Baengni Gomtang hours and location

• Hours: Mon–Sun 11:00–23:00 (22:00 Last Order), break time 15:00–17:00
• Location: 40-18 Wausan-ro 29-gil, 1F #1, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea