HadongkwanClear Beef Soup, Then Add the Kimchi Brine for a Second Flavour

Gomtang is the clear one

Many people picture a milky white broth when they hear "gomtang", but that is seolleongtang. Hadongkwan makes the clear kind. (Galbitang is the other clear beef soup, built around short ribs.)

The seasoning is light and the broth itself comes first, so the first spoonful can taste plain. That is how the dish is meant to be. Salt and pepper are on the table, so adjust it to your own taste.

The rice comes already in the soup, so this is a gukbap-style bowl.

What it looks like

The clear broth sits in a bowl with a brassy sheen, topped with a generous heap of sliced green onion. Grains of rice and pieces of beef show through the soup. A spoon and chopsticks rest across the rim, and a brass dish on the left holds radish kimchi and napa cabbage kimchi. The broth looks clear rather than oily.

Menu words

• Gomtang (곰탕) is a soup of beef and bones simmered for hours. To order: "Gomtang juseyo (곰탕 주세요)"
• Kkakdugi (깍두기) is kimchi made from cubed radish, and it comes as the side dish
• Notgeureut (놋그릇) is traditional brassware that keeps the soup warm for a long time

Pour in the kkakdugi brine

This is the most important thing to know about this place.

Eat the clear broth for a while, then ask for more kkakdugi brine and pour it into the soup. The color and the flavor change completely, and the bowl turns tangy and refreshing.

One bowl, two flavors. Don't add it at the start. Taste the clear broth properly first, then switch.

After the gomtang itself, the kkakdugi is the other pillar of the meal, and there is a reason the side dish matters this much here.

It opens at 7 a.m.

It opens at 7:00 a.m. Gomtang is traditionally a morning dish, and this place treats it that way.

Go early and seats are easy to find. Food arrives within a minute of ordering, so a quick solo breakfast on a weekday is no trouble.

In return, service is businesslike. This is not somewhere for a warm welcome. It is an old-school shop where you finish a bowl quickly and leave.

It closes at 4:00 p.m., and earlier if the ingredients run out, so if you plan to come after lunchtime, hurry. If you will still be in Yeouido in the evening, Beyond Vietnam, National Assembly branch in the same neighborhood is an option for a pho dinner.

It is pricey, honestly

A basic bowl is ₩19,000, and the "25" is ₩25,000. For a bowl of soup and rice, that is clearly expensive.

Hadongkwan names its tiers by price: "25" means the ₩25,000 version. Ask in the shop what changes between tiers. There is also a choice of mixed offal.

This is where opinions split. Some people find it delicious but small for the price, and that, more than the flavor, is why ratings differ.

So here is how I would sum it up:

• If you want an old-established place that does hanwoo (Korean beef) gomtang properly — worth paying for
• If you want a bargain gukbap — this is not the place

About the temperature

One thing to know in advance: the soup does not arrive at a rolling boil. It comes in a brass bowl, not an earthenware pot (ttukbaegi). If you expect a bubbling bowl, it may feel lukewarm.

There are several branches

There are branches in Myeongdong and Yeouido, and Yeouido has two, which is confusing.

• Yeouido main branch — 3 Eunhaeng-ro, at Exit 3 of National Assembly Station. This is the center of the Yeouido branches
• Yeouido Station branch — 50 Yeouinaru-ro
• Myeongdong original — 12 Myeongdong 9-gil, near Euljiro 1-ga Station and Myeongdong Cathedral, which makes it easy to fit into a sightseeing route

When you search on a map, check the branch name as well.

This bowl is for you if

• ✅ You want an old-established place that does clear gomtang properly
• ✅ You want to try the kkakdugi brine for two flavors in one bowl
• ✅ You need a filling breakfast
• ⚠️ It is expensive for a gukbap — not a place for bargain hunters
• ⚠️ Service is businesslike and the turnover is fast
• ⚠️ The soup may not be served very hot