Ido Gomtang • 이도곰탕 계동 직영점

Ido Gomtang (이도곰탕 계동 직영점) is a Korean restaurant that specializes in Korean beef soup (한우곰탕). If you’re not familiar with this particular Korean dish, gomtang (곰탕)—or beef bone soup—is a Korean hearty soup made by slowly simmering various beef parts on a low flame. The result is clear beef broth with a rich and hearty taste and served with thinly sliced beef and rice. Gomtang is commonly eaten with kimchi and kkakdugi (깍두기 or cubed radish kimchi).

The secret recipe that Ido Gomtang uses is supposedly made by a Doctor of Oriental Medicine who was the 18th grandchild of King Sejong and has been passed on through three generations (at least that’s what’s written on the ‘About Page’ of the restaurant on Naver). As a result, the soup of their signature Hanwoo Gomtang (한우 곰탕) is a clean and rich broth with deep flavors.

Located 175 meters away from the famous Cafe Onion Anguk, Ido Gomtang’s entrance is quite hidden from the main Gye-dong street. But after you turn left on the alleyway where it’s located, you’ll immediately see the entrance to the restaurant in front of you (see the last photo of this post).

The interior of the restaurant is pretty simple and modern. The kind of place that office workers frequent for a quick, no frills, healthy lunch where they can just come, get their food quickly and go back to their busy day. And I’ve actually encountered many people from this certain group during the multiple times I was there. 

Their menu is pretty straight forward too. There are only 3 items on the board:

1. Gomtang (곰탕) :  Thinly sliced beef served in clear beef broth with chopped onions.
   Regular Gomtang with Rice (곰탕) ₩13,000
   Large Gomtang with Rice (특곰탕) ₩16,000
   Regular Gomtang with Rice Noodles (쌀면곰탕) ₩13,000
   Large Gomtang with Rice Noodles (특쌀면곰탕) ₩16,000
   

2. Beef Suyuk (수육) ₩49,000 — Thin boiled beef slices served with mushrooms, chives, and Napa cabbage in a pot of broth. Served with a side of the Spicy Raw Pollack Salad (명태회무침).

3. Spicy Raw Pollack Salad (명태회무침) ₩9,000

*There has been a ₩1,000 increase in price for each menu since I took the photo below.

Gomtang (곰탕) ₩13,000 | 9/10

The menu that I always order is the regular gomtang. The regular portion is pretty generous and enough to fill my stomach for one meal. The broth of the gomtang is light yet savory with that deep beef flavor you get from boiling beef for a long period of time. It’s very comforting with subtle hints of the chopped onions mixed in the soup. 

Unlike seolleongtang (설렁탕 Korean Ox Bone Soup) which you have to seasoned the soup yourself before eating it, gomtang’s soup is already seasoned when served. It’s more like galbitang (갈비탕 Beef Short Ribs Soup) but without the hassle of taking the meat off of the bones. And Ido Gomtang’s soup is always nicely seasoned and served pipping hot with soft and tender sliced meat and well-cooked rice. They also provide you with dipping sauce and wasabi on the side for you to dip your meat into (and yes, you should dip it if you want to add another layer of flavor into the dish).

Also, a little bit of disclaimer, if you came from Southeast Asian countries, the flavor of gomtang might not be as strong or bold as soups in your country since Southeast Asian food tend to have bolder seasoning and flavor profile in my opinion.

Their kimchi and kkakdugi are also really good. They are on the spicier side for my personal taste, but the flavors are wonderful and they give a nice acidity to the bite when eaten with the gomtang.

Ido Gomtang Gyedong is probably one of the restaurant I visit quite often every time I’m in Seoul. Due to its location, I usually ended up frequenting this place when I have to meet up with family or friends who are visiting Seoul for the first time since it’s close to Anguk Station (안국역) and Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을, a popular tourist spot for first-time visitors in Seoul). This restaurant has also become one of my go to place every time anybody ask me for a restaurant recommendation around Bukchon Hanok Village. And pretty much everybody—both adults and kids—who I’ve taken or recommended this place to said they like the gomtang. If you go with a big group, I would also recommend the suyuk since it’s also delicious.

If you’re looking for a simple, hearty and comforting meal around Anguk Station, Cafe Onion Anguk or Bukchon Hanok Village, I would definitely recommend you to check this place out. 

 

Ido Gomtang (이도곰탕 계동 직영점)

Address: 서울 종로구 계동길 33-8
Telephone: 02-762-0524
Hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-22:00 | Sat & Sun 10:00-21:00

---

Tam Tam • 북촌 탐탐

Tam Tam (탐탐) is small dessert shop near Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) neighborhood that specializes in handmade Korean desserts that are made daily using fresh ingredients. Their menu ranges from their best-selling rice cake, ice cream, cream pancake and lattes with traditional Korean flavors.

I visited this cafe during my last Seoul trip in May, four months after its opening. I was browsing for new places to try around Bukchon Hanok Village area and stumbled across this cafe’s listing and their interesting menu. If you don’t know already, I am a big fan of all things black sesame. And so when I saw that they have Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte on the menu, that became the sole reason for me to go visit this cafe.

Other than two other patrons in the cafe occupying one of the table on the first floor, me and my friend were the only ones there when we visited the place around 5:30 pm on a Monday. The weather was nice that day and they had the glass windows opened. So we opted to seat at one of the table on the first floor that’s perfect for people watching (or for people watching us too I guess since we’re right by the side of the street). 

Despite occupying a two-story building, the cafe is actually pretty small. There are three tables on the first floor and four tables on the second floor that accommodate seven people and twelve people respectively. The space is definitely pretty tight in-between tables, but I guess on the upside, if you come here during colder days, it’ll be warm and cozy.

Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte (흑임자 경단 라떼) ₩6,000 | 9/10

Black sesame latte served with rice cake ball with red bean paste filling.

Of course the first thing I ordered was the one thing I wanted to try since I first saw their menu online, the Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte. This drink was really good. The ground black sesame flavor was light and not too overwhelming, making the drink a little bit on the milkier side. On top of the black sesame latte was sweet and salty cream which paired really well with the latte. 

The rice cake balls on the skewers were soft and chewy. They were covered in ground black sesame seed and there’s actually red bean paste filling inside the rice cake balls. The filling wasn’t too sweet either and the amount was just right to compliment the rice cake. Overall, I really enjoyed both the latte and the rice cake balls. 

We also ordered the top three best sellers of their rice cake ball to try—the Black Sesame, Yakwa, and Dried Persimmon. Overall their rice cake balls were really good. The texture was nice and chewy (also, a little bit of a disclaimer if you never had rice cake before, the texture is not as soft as and different from mochi’s texture). It’s not too soft, but not too tough either. They had just the right amount of chewiness making eating these enjoyable. And everything we had was not too sweet with a hint of saltiness to the flavors.

Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball (흑임자) ₩3,500 | 9/10

Black Sesame Mousse & Fried Sesame Seeds
흑임자무스, 볶은통깨

The black sesame rice cake ball has black sesame filling and it had a nice earthy, nutty flavors. Since I’m a sucker for black sesame, I enjoyed this one the most.

Yakwa Rice Cake Ball (약과) ₩3,500 | 8/10

Sweet Rice Honey Yakgwa & Ricotta
찹쌀꿀약과, 리코타

The yakwa (a traditional Korean sweet pastry that is made with ginger and honey) was pretty good as well. The filling kind of reminded me of sweet potato for some reason. 

Dried Persimmon Rice Cake Ball (곶감) ₩3,500 | 5/10

Dried Persimmon, Mascarpone, Natural Honey
곶, 마스카포네, 천연꿀

This one was just okay for me. The rice cake ball was good but I didn’t really enjoy the filling (might also be because I’m just not too into dried persimmon in general). But it was definitely interesting and reminded me of Korean flavors.  

Other than the ones that we ordered, they also have other interesting menus such as Truffle Rice Cake Ball, Basil Rice Cake Ball, Citron Red Bean Paste Rice Cake Ball, Mugwort Rice Cake Ball Latte (쑥 경단라떼), Sikhye Bingsu (식혜빙수), and Egg Cream Espresso (에그 크림프레소). If you’re visiting or exploring Bukchon Hanok Village and want to have some great Korean traditional rice cakes (or Black Sesame Latte) instead of regular bread and pastries, would definitely recommend this place to try. 

 

Tam Tam (카페 탐탐)

Address: 서울 종로구 계동길 82 흰색건물
Telephone: 0507-1304-9165
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-20:00 | Sat & Sun 11:00-21:30

Instagram: @tamtam_seoul

---

Cheong Su Dang Bakery • 청수당 베이커리

Cheong Su Dang Bakery (청수당 베이커리) is one of the many popular aesthetic cafes in Ikseon-dong (익선동) that has gone viral on social media since the first time they opened their door to the public. Their iconic entrance of lush bamboo trees around a small pond with stepping stones leading to the entrance of the cafe is probably one of the most popular photo spot around this neighborhood and it has been shared thousands of times on social media. And even if you’ve never seen the pictures of this place online, the beautiful facade of the bakery will definitely make you stop in your tracks or pique your interest at the very least if you happen to walk by this place.

Since their opening in Summer 2020, the bakery has maintained their popularity among the locals as well as tourists which led to their space renewal and expansion last year in July. The beautifully designed space is the work of Glow Seoul, an architecture and design studio that’s responsible for many other popular cafes in South Korea. The current space is a combination of 6 hanoks surrounded with bamboo trees and ponds with calm flowing water, giving patrons a tranquil escape in the middle of the city. 

My first visit to Cheong Su Dang Bakery was last year in spring with my cousins (this was 3 months before their expansion). They came pretty early, before the place was even open and immediately got a table when the cafe opened. Maybe because it’s still early and a weekday because usually you’ll need to line up to get a table at this place, especially on the weekends. The cafe has a couple of different indoor and outdoor seating areas—individuals and community tables and table floor seatings—and we picked a table facing the street that’s a little bit hidden between two walls.

Since the dessert portion is pretty big, we decided to order 2 desserts and 2 drinks to share between the three of us. 

Stone Drip Egg Coffee (스톤 드립 계란 커피) ₩7,800

Stone drip coffee with fresh egg yolk cream on top, torched crème brûlée style.
스톤 드립 커피 위에 신선한 계란 노른자로 직접 만든 크림을 올려 토치로 마무리한 크램 브륄레(crème brûlée)식 커피.

My cousin ordered this and since I don’t drink coffee, I can’t really give a review on how it tasted. But she said it was pretty good. 

Black Sesame Fromage Cake (흑임자 프로마주 케이크) ₩15,000 | 8.5/10

Sponge cake soaked in black sesame, topped with roasted walnut, mascarpone cheese, milk cream, and black sesame powder.
흑임자 베이스를 흠뻑 적신 시트 위에 구운 호두 마스카포네 치즈와 우유크림을 얹은 후 청수당의 현무암을 표현한 스폰지 케이크와 흑임자 가루로 데코한 청수당만의 특별한 디저트.

My favorite out of the two desserts we tried. As a black sesame flavor enthusiast, I really enjoyed this chilled dessert. Moist sponge cake with earthy, not too sweet black sesame flavor. The roasted walnut in the middle was a nice little surprise to the bite.

Strawberry Compote Souffle Castella (딸기 수플레 카스텔라) ₩18,800 | 7/10

Soft and warm made to order soufflé castella with refreshing strawberry compote and fresh milk cream on top.
부드럽고 따뜻한 수플레 카스텔라 위에 상큼한 딸기 콩포트와 신선한 우유크림이 듬뿍 올려진 디저트로 주문과 동시에 만들어지는 오더 메이드 디저트.

Honestly, this one is a bit underwhelming for me (or maybe I was just expecting too much). Not that it didn’t taste good or anything because flavor wise it was good and it was a well-made dessert. I think anybody who likes strawberry or souffle castella would enjoy this dessert. It’s just for their signature menu and considering the price point, it felt a little bit ordinary. Like I’ve tasted these flavors before. Also worth noting, this is a warm dessert.

Is this place worth the hype it has on social media? If what you’re looking for is an aesthetic cafe to take nice pictures at, I’d probably say yes. But with caveat that you know how to take a good shot and to properly edit your pictures because from a photographer’s perspective, the lighting around this place is a bit challenging, especially on a bright sunny day. My suggestion is to go during sunset time or on a cloudy day for a better lighting (less harsh contrast on the shadows and highlights and you can pull more colors out of your shot). 

But if what you’re looking for is a nice relaxing place to hangout at, the short answer is probably no, especially if you have to line up for hours for a table. This place is always pretty packed with locals and tourists (I don’t know how it is nowadays but every time I passed by this place in the past it always looked pretty busy) and it can get a little bit noisy when the place is full. The drinks and desserts that I had were also just alright considering the somewhat high price point (although price wise, it’s probably similar to other cafes in the area since cafes in Ikseon-dong are notorious for being on the more expensive side).

My personal take, if you’re really curious to check out the place and experience dining at the bakery then go for it. They do have nice interesting architecture and interior design and their menu is pretty decent. But if you’re traveling, have limited time and have other cool cafes that you want to check out, you can probably just see the cafe from outside and spend your time somewhere else. Would I go back to this place again? If I have friends who are visiting Seoul and they want me to go check the place out with them, then sure, I wouldn’t mind going for their sake. Other reason that might make me want to go back is to check out their new space after the expansion (and only if the place is not busy). But for now, I think I’m pretty content with just visiting this place once.

 

Cheong Su Dang Bakery • 청수당 베이커리

Address: 서울 종로구 돈화문로11나길 31-9
Telephone: 0507-1318-8215
Hours: Everyday 10:30 - 21:00 (Last Order 20:30)

Instagram: @cheongsudang_

---

Noransang Sogalbi Anguk • 노란상소갈비 안국역점

Noransang Sogalbi Anguk (란상소갈비 안국역점) is a Korean BBQ restaurant that is well-known for their beef ribs. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a building 1-minute walk away from Anguk Station Exit 2 as well as the famous Cafe Onion nearby.

Noransang Sogalbi has multiple locations and I believe the Anguk location is the newest addition to their other three locations in Seoul. The first time I visited this place was for lunch last year after taking my relatives sightseeing around the nearby Bukchon Hanok Village. The restaurant is newly opened then so the interior was still in pristine condition. There are 13 tables that can sit 4 people comfortably in each table and every table has its own meat grill.

(To note, this is their menu from 2023 so the prices are slightly different from what they are now. You can check their current menu and prices on their Naver page.)

saenggalbi/Fresh Galbi 생갈비 (200gr) ₩25,000 | 8/10

We ordered two kinds of meat. The first one is the Saeng Galbi which is just fresh beef ribs without seasoning. The meat was fresh but overall it was okay (okay as in it’s good, but I’ve tasted similar meat at other places before. Still worth ordering if you like non-marinated meat more).

Also, a plus point of this restaurant is that they cook the meat on the table for you so it won’t get burnt and the only thing you have to do is watch and eat. Very convenient.

idong Galbi 이동갈비 (280gr) ₩22,000 | 9/10

For the second meat, we ordered two portions of the Idong Galbi, which is beef ribs with soy sauce seasoning. This one is their best-selling menu and I can understand why after I bit into my first bite. The meat is juicy, tender and the seasoning is on point.

I’ve brought two families with kids to this place and all the kids and adults liked the Idong Galbi better than the Saeng Galbi.

Doenjang-jjigae (Soybean paste stew) 된장찌개 ₩22,000 | 8/10

We also ordered the Doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew) and it was pretty good. Flavorful broth with plenty of vegetables and meat inside the pot.

If you visit on a weekday during lunch, they do have lunch set specials available. The place is pretty family friendly and just like any other meat restaurant in Korea, they do have the 1 order per person rule.

During lunch or dinner rush hours, the place can get pretty busy and you might have to wait for tables if you don’t have a reservation. But they do have the waiting list machine available at the restaurant where you can put your name and Korean number in, and they’ll text you when your table is ready so you can walk around the area while waiting if you choose to do so. If you don’t have a Korean number, you’ll probably have to wait at the restaurant so they can call you immediately when your table is ready.

If you’re looking for a place to have a proper meal at near Bukchon Hanok Village, Anguk Station or Cafe Onion, this is a good place to go.

 

Noransang Sogalbi Anguk • 노란상소갈비 안국역점

Address: 서울 종로구 율곡로 67 2층
Telephone: 0507 1489 9314
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-21:30 (Break Time: 15:00-17:00, Last Order: 14:00, 20:30) | Sat-Sun 12:00-21:30 (Last Order: 20:30)

Instagram: @noransangsogalbi

---

Fritz Coffee Company Anguk • 프릳츠 원서점

Opened in 2015 by Park Geunha and five of his friends, Fritz Coffee Company (프릳츠) has became one of South Korea’s famous specialty coffee brand that is well known for its wide variety of house roasts. The iconic seal holding a cup of coffee brand even has a growing international following these days since a lot of coffee drinkers are fond of Fritz’s house roasts. Apart from a good cup of coffee, you can also enjoy a wide range of delicious French and Korean baked goods that are available at the cafe.

This is actually their second location in Seoul that I’ve visited after their main branch in Dohwa-dong (프릳츠 도화점) and I have to say after finding out about this location, I frequent this location a lot more than the other one just because of their convenient location that’s close to Anguk Station (안국역).

Just like their main branch, the mix of old and new concept is carried over to this location as well. The main area where the pastries are displayed and where you place your order is located inside a more modern building opposite the Arario Museum in Space Theater (아라리오뮤지엄 인 스페이스), while the seating area is mostly inside the small hanok structure building as well as the outdoor seating in the yard area.

If you find yourself looking for a caffeine fix or perhaps a good pastry when you’re visiting Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을), Samcheongdong neighborhood (삼청동), or even the Arario Museum in Space Theater (아라리오뮤지엄 인 스페이스), I would definitely recommend this place.

Here’s the video of the space:

Note: These pictures & video were taken before the pandemic.

 

Fritz Coffee Company Anguk • 프릳츠 원서점

Address: 서울 종로구 율곡로 83 아라리오 뮤지엄
Telephone: 02-747-8101
Hours: 10:00 - 21:00 Everyday

Instagram: @fritzcoffeecompany

---