Hakoya @ Sangnamdong

Hakoya Entrance

Ramen is readily available at any time in Korea. You can go to the your local super market and buy instant ramen for under 2000원. However, Hakoya is one ramen place that is worth checking out. Located in Sangnamdong right next to Kraze Burger, this is a unique ramen experience in Changwon.

Wall Menu

One of the biggest draws of Hakoya is that their ramen is made Japanese style. The menu is in Korean, but the wall menu has Japanese, English, and Korean. The names of the dishes in Korean are all transliterated from Japanese. So instead of reading the menu and finding things translated into Korean or something similar, the items that you can order will all be Japanese names of food. Additionally, the service at this restaurant was outstanding. There were constantly three to four waitresses readily available. The food came out quickly and not overly hot. Another thing worth mentioning is that Hakoya has beer on draft. You can get a 300cc glass of Hite for 2500원 which is a bit cheaper than a bar.

Table Seating

Hakoya is set up like a small deli. The kitchen is located in the back and tables of four are all spread out in the room. There is a place to sit where you can face out the window and people watch. There are three chairs and a single counter that are attached to a window. This would be the best place to sit if you are going to come to this restaurant alone.

Booths

To the right of the entrance is the seating area that is 1/2 of a booth. If you prefer booths over sitting in the middle at a table, then make sure you head over to this area for whatever suits your dining personality. The booths are arranged against the right wall and can seat around 14 or 16 people.

Kimchi

Surprisingly, one of the best parts of the restaurant was its Kimchi. Kimchi is one of the staples of a meal in Korea. It is everywhere. However, finding the kind of Kimchi that suits your taste buds can be somewhat challenging. There are a huge variety of Kimchi flavors in Korea. Some Kimchi can taste absolutely putrid while some can be completely refreshing. The Kimchi at Hakoya is set in little bowls on the side of your table. You can choose however much you want and put it in the dish they provide. I was wary at first because I am not a huge fan of Kimchi, however after eating their Kimchi I immediately wanted some more. My friend and I were really shocked that the Kimchi could be this good. We ate half of a jar together. If you come to Hakoya, and get the smallest thing on their menu, but you have their Kimchi, you will leave satisfied. This was the best Kimchi I have had in Korea so far.

Asikawa Ramen

For this outing, one of my more carnivorous friends joined me. We both got Asikawa Ramen(7000원) and ordered the spiciest version that we could. Hakoya is unique in a way that you can customize their dishes a little. They give you a choice of one, two, or three red peppers on the menu to indicate the levels of spiciness that you can choose. Having ordered the spiciest ramen that we could we started to eat. This ramen is extremely delicious and as my friend pointed out, one of the main reasons is that they use thicker noodles than most ramens. Instead of the normal noodle, these noodles are more similar to the 짬뽕 noodles that you can get at Chinese restaurants. As we continued through our meal we enjoyed the slices of meat, eggs, bean sprouts, and peppers in our ramen. When we finished our noodles, we decided to drink the soup. It was extremely spicy but very tasty. Towards the end of our meal, we were a little worn out from the spiciness, because it tends to be of the throat variety. So we both asked for a bowl of rice. Rice at Hakoya is completely free. Free is always good.

Good

-The ramen was delicious.

-The broth was even more delicious.

-The lighting and design made for a comfortable dining experience.

-The Kimchi was out of this world. Seriously, go there now and try it.

-Easy to find.

Bad

-The menu was limited. This is strictly a ramen place. There are very few dishes on the menu that do not include ramen noodles in some way.

-It is a bit expensive for Ramen. A kimbap place would only charge around 3000원 for a bowl of ramen, but it all depends on your style of meal. For quantity over quality, stick with the kimbap place. For quality noodles, go to Hakoya.

Prices

-Ramen-5000-12,000원

-Cold Noodles 5000-8000원

-Draft Beer-2500원

-Rice Dishes and Combos-8000-12,000원

Location

This place is super easy to find. Either go straight(towards sangnamdong) after crossing the road into Sangnamdong from Jungangdong and then follow the sidewalk until you see it on your left, or you can go to the fountain in Sangnam and you will see the Kraze Burger sign on the building adjacent to it. This building also has a Hakoya sign in red that is easy to see.

Address

경상남도 창원시 상남동 23-6호 에이스타워 1층 TEL 055-284-5449
GyeongsangNamDo Changwon-Si Sangnamdong 23-6 Ho Ace Tower 1st Floor

Hours

AM 11:00 ~ PM 10:00