[FOOD COURT] Tasty Hanyang University restaurants for students on a budget

K-campus

Published: 14 Dec. 2022, 17:08 Updated: 03 Mar. 2023, 18:14

[FOOD COURT] Tasty Hanyang University restaurants for students on a budget

You have finished classes for the day, and all you have to do now is find a place to enjoy a nice, warm meal. Except there is one problem: You don’t know what’s good in the area, or what’s within your student budget.

Often, even if a student does manage to find some good restaurants in the area, it’s hard to find one that is satisfactory without forking over too much cash. But, actually, there are quite a few, especially around university campuses. Here are some restaurant recommendations for hungry students near Hanyang University, all of which are suitable for students eating alone and for students eating with others.

Hangwoon Tonkatsu's saewoo jeongsik is served with tonkatsu, rice, salad, fish cutlet and saewoo twigim, topped with their homemade sauce and fried egg. [HANGWOON TONKATSU]

Hangwoon Tonkatsu

Hangwoon Tonkatsu, which literally means lucky tonkatsu (pork cutlet) in Korean, has been in business near Hanyang University for more than 20 years, and is well known for being a matjip (must-visit restaurant) for students at the university.

The tonkatsu served at this restaurant has pork meat with a thick crispy crust completely covered in tonkatsu sauce, considered a classic by many Koreans. To minimize the tonkatsu's greasiness, the restaurant dredges the tonkatsu in egg before frying instead of coating their meat with flour.

Once you place an order, you are served a warm bowl of cream soup that you can top with pepper, which is placed on every table. Next the tonkatsu will be served with some salad and a scoop of rice on the side, topped with the restaurant’s homemade sauce. The restaurant’s cheese-katsu, or pork cutlet stuffed with cheese, and spicy tonkatsu are also popular items. If you order the jeongsik (full meal), you will also be served hamburger steak and fish cutlet with your tonkatsu, topped with a fried egg. They also serve saewoo (shrimp) jeongsik, which comes with the same dishes as a regular jeongsik, but with two pieces of saewoo twigim (tempura) instead of the hamburger steak.

Hangwoon Tonkatsu's cheese-katsu, or pork cutlet stuffed with cheese. [HANGWOON TONKATSU]

You can be assured that you will get more tonkatsu for your buck, as Hangwoon Tonkatsu’s tonkatsu is quite big considering its price. Its classic tonkatsu starts from 7,000 won ($5), and everything else costs 8,000 won.

2 Majo-ro 1-gil, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul
Business hours: 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Phone number: 02) 2296-3406

Idonjip's half-geun kimchi jjigae with rice served with fried egg, soy sauce and margarine. [LEE JUNG-JOO]

Idonjip

As the weather gets colder, there’s nothing better than a warm bowl of jjigae (stew), and Idonjip’s kimchi jjigae is perfect for those who wish to do just that.

Idonjip sells two types of kimchi jjigae: one with one geun (600 grams or 1.3 pounds, an old Korean unit of weight) of pork meat for three to four people (22,000 won), and one with a half geun of pork meat, suitable for two to three people (16,000 won). The restaurant’s kimchi jjigae uses mukeunji, or aged kimchi, which adds more depth and flavor to the stew. You can also order a large bucket of ramen noodles for unlimited ramen noodles with your jjigae, for 1,000 won extra.

Rice is a must with kimchi jjigae, but Idonjip’s rice is special as it serves their rice with a fried egg, soy sauce and margarine — a popular Korean comfort food for just 1,500 won. While Idonjip is a popular restaurant, it has a limited number of seats, and is especially popular during cold or rainy days. The queue can get hectic around noon and 6 p.m., so we recommend avoiding those hours or going early to avoid waiting outside.

@leedonjib
7 Majo-ro 3-gil, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul
Business hours: 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. (break time from 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., closed Sundays)
Phone number: 02) 6084-0022 / 010-8700-7146

Akeo Tteokbokki's tteokbokki-twigim-beombeok served with odeng and gimbap on the side. [LEE JUNG-JOO]

Akeo Tteokbokki

Whether for a snack or a meal, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) is a popular dish among Koreans. And while it used to be considered a secret matjip that only Hanyang University students knew, it soon became popular across Korea after it appeared on tvN’s “It’s Crazy,” the spinoff series of “You Quiz On the Block.”

Yoo Jae-seok comments on Akeo Tteokbokki's tteokbokki and twigim. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Akeo Tteokbokki’s unique feature is that it offers three different levels of spiciness for its sauce. Its mild flavor is more sweet than spicy, so even anyone intimidated by tteokbokki’s famed spiciness can try it without hesitation. The two spicier sauces also have a hint of sweetness, but the heat kicks in at the end. Besides its regular tteokbokki dish (4,000 won), the restaurant also sells tteokbokki-twigim-beombeok (9,000 won), which is tteokbokki covered in twigim. The special feature about this item is that the twigim maintains its crispiness until the very last bite.

The tteokbokki is served in a nickel-silver pot, so it maintains its warmth even after it is removed from the burner. The restaurant also makes its tteokbokki with special rice cakes that give it a chewier texture that many customers love. As Akeo Tteokbokki also serves various bunsik (Korean street food), there are other things you can eat on the side with your tteokbokki, such as gimbap (3,600 won), sundae (Korean stuffed sausage, 4,000 won) and odeng (fishcakes, 3,000 won).

@akeofood
33 Majo-ro, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul
Business hours: 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. (break time from 3 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., closed Mondays)
Phone number: 02) 2281-9988

Udon Kazoku's bukkakae udon, or cold udon dipped in tsuyu, is a popular dish among restaurant visitors. On the side is yubuchobap, or fried tofu stuffed with rice. [LEE JUNG-JOO]

Udon Kazoku

This is another famous restaurant as it has been featured on several television programs, including tvN’s “Wednesday Food Talk” and SBS’s “Master of Life.” Located right across the street from Hanyang University, Udon Kazoku is famous for its chewy, bouncy noodles and its broth made with katsuobushi (smoked and dried skipjack tuna).

Udon Kazoku featured on "Wednesday Food Talk." Top: Lee Juck tries Udon Kazoku's Kazoku Udon. Bottom: Udon Kazoku's Bukkakae Udon featured on "Wednesday Food Talk." [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The restaurant’s most famous dishes include the bukkakae udon (6,500 won), which is cold udon dipped in tsuyu (cold buckwheat soba stock), and the kazoku udon (7,500 won), which is a Sanuki-style udon made with katsuobushi broth, topped with shrimp tempura. The restaurant also offers seasonal menus such as its kamatama udon (7,000 won), which is another popular Sanuki-style udon served with soft udon noodles topped with a raw egg with tsuyu sauce on the side to add to taste. The kamatama udon is only available from December to February.

If their udon portion doesn't look big enough, dishes with extra noodles can also be ordered for 2,500 won more. Or as a side menu, you can also order their yubuchobap (fried tofu stuffed with rice) to finish off.

Udon Kazoku is also quite small of a space, so it's best to visit a little before the main meal hours.

@udon_kazoku
215-1 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul
Business hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (break time from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m., may close early once sold out)
Phone number: 0507-1406-2177

Tim Mary's ″Tim Mary″ is one of the cafe's most popular items, and is topped with granola oats, bananas, blueberries, kiwis and strawberry syrup. [TIM MARY]

Tim Mary

For a light meal that can still fill up your stomach, Tim Mary serves various Greek yogurt dishes topped with a variety of fruits, nuts and granola.

Tim Mary’s signature menu, also named Tim Mary is yogurt topped with granola oats, bananas, blueberries, kiwis and strawberry syrup and is also a popular item on the menu. Rachel Love, yogurt topped with grapes, coconut chunks, coconut jelly, granola oats and strawberry syrup, is another popular dish. For a medium-sized dish, both cost 5,300 won, while the large size costs 6,300 won. The medium size includes one scoop of Greek yogurt, while the large size has two scoops. With winter approaching, Tim Mary also plans to release a variety of new options including ones with seasonal fruits such as strawberries. You can also add more toppings for an additional price.

While Tim Mary does have a seating area, it’s quite small in size. Visitors are generally recommended to order their yogurt for takeaway, though eating inside the cafe is also an option as long as there are seats available.

For those who wish to make their own Greek yogurt dish at home, Tim Mary also sells large amounts of Greek yogurt, granola oats, coconut chunks and syrup at the store and on its Naver SmartStore.

@tim.mary_
5 Majo-ro 11-gil, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul
Business hours: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. on weekends (may close early once sold out)
Phone number: 0507-1374-0086

BY LEE JUNG-JOO [lee.jungjoo@joongang.co.kr]