Meokswidonna Anguk: Korean Comfort Food, Elevated

Hidden in the alleys of Anguk-dong, Meokswidonna doesn’t look like anything special. But the walls lining the outside of the restaurant hold thousands of notes scrawled by eager diners waiting to get inside.

 

Droves of people come to queue outside the 20-year-old eatery. Literally translated “Eat, Rest, Pay, Out,” this husband-and-wife-owned hole-in-the-wall attracts crowds for a reason.

 

While the interior is even less impressive – you could be back inside your school cafeteria – the food is fast, the service friendly, and the table turnover intense. From every kind of “ddeokbokki” – gooey Korean rice cake – imaginable, to noodles and dumplings, Meokswidonna does it all. Every table is topped with a stewing pot, and like every good Korean eatery, you get to cook your own food while squeezed in next to perfect strangers.

 

The menu is vast and includes all the good old Korean favorites, but the restaurant is known for its cheese ddeokbokki and ramen noodles. A vital addition to the meal would be their fried yakki dumplings, which are thrown into the pot along with the rest and boiled before your eyes. One of the best things about the place is that the price of the food, which averages about 4,000 won per serving, hardly puts a dent in the wallet.

 

Expect a lot a food, a lot of spice, and a truly authentic Korean experience. Ramen never tasted this good.

 

Info: Meokswidonna Anguk is the original restaurant of a now 12-shop franchise. Other branches can be found in Apgujeong, Sinchon, Isu, Myeongdong, Konkuk University area, Hanyang University area, Noryangjin, Nowon, Hongdae and Gangnam.

 

Directions: To get to Meokswidonna Anguk, walk straight from Anguk Station, Exit 1. Walk about 100 meters, and turn left at the intersection. After another 300 meters, the restaurant is just after Family Mart on the right. Seoul-si, Jongno-gu, Anguk-dong 17-18 (02) 723-8089