Yeonnam-dong izakaya for a date: charcoal wagyu steak at Koma Yeonnam

Where is Koma Yeonnam?

Koma Yeonnam is an izakaya tucked into a Yeonnam-dong alley, on the basement floor at 55-6 Yeonhui-ro 1-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 17:00 to 01:00, with last order at 00:30.

Today I'm bringing you an honest review of a newly opened Yeonnam-dong izakaya near Hongdae, 'Koma Yeonnam'! Even though it's a new spot, it's been getting so many good reviews that I got more and more curious about it haha.

Walking down the alley, I noticed it tucked into this really cozy little side path! Walk by without paying attention and you might just miss it, so watch out.

It's got a bit of a semi-basement feel, so you just head down the stairs.

Counter seats, table seats and the blind-date atmosphere

Koma Yeonnam has both counter (dachi) seats and inside table seats — the day I visited, every counter seat was taken except one two-person spot. We'd reserved ahead, so we were shown to a table.

Wait, was this a Yeonnam-dong izakaya hotspot that only I didn't know about?! Every counter seat except two was full. There were even foreign couples there.

It's an open kitchen, so you can see the hygiene standards, and the kitchen was really spotless! Counter seats have the charm of watching the cooking process, but since we'd booked ahead, they seated us at a table.

At first I thought it was only counter seating, but I was surprised by how spacious the inside tables were. It turned out to be a bigger Yeonnam-dong izakaya than I expected.

But here's the funny part... every table besides ours was on a blind date lol. Everyone, this is a blind-date hotspot in Hongdae / Yeonnam-dong. Seeing how good the mood was at every table, you should bring your blind date here.

Even though it's semi-basement, it didn't feel stuffy at all, and I loved the greenery visible through the big window. Highly recommend if you're looking for a good-atmosphere izakaya in Yeonnam-dong!

How to order at Koma Yeonnam, plus the review freebie

Ordering at Koma Yeonnam is easy — just scan the QR code at your table. Write a review on Naver or Google and they'll give you a free truffle potato salad, just so you know!

This place is famous for its sashimi cake, but we'd already had sashimi in our first round, so we ordered like this instead. They have a huge variety of drinks and dishes too, so it was fun just browsing haha. The food quality here was top-notch for an izakaya!

Fresh lemon sour, 7.9

Fresh lemon sour (soda/tonic) — 7.9. I was torn between Kirin draft beer or the signature shomaek (soju-beer mix), but I was already full, so I went with the lemon sour instead.

If an izakaya has a fresh lemon sour, you have to order it. I don't love overly sweet drinks so I got mine with soda water, and being made with fresh lemon, it was so nice and tangy.

Looking around, it seemed like the signature shomaek was the most popular drink, so I'm definitely ordering that next time haha.

Maguro avocado tart, 18.5: there's rice underneath

Koma Yeonnam's maguro avocado tartare is 18.5. It's described as the restaurant's original take on sashimi, made tartare-style with fresh maguro (tuna) and avocado.

I was sad to miss the sashimi cake, but there was no way I could pass up the maguro avocado tartare.

What was unusual was that there's a layer of rice at the very bottom? With ikura (salmon roe) on top too... it looked delicious just from the outside.

Wrapping tuna, avocado, and ikura together in seaweed makes the ultimate combination!

Rolling in the rice underneath too made it really filling. This could work as a meal on its own, so I'd recommend it even to people coming for a first round.

Charcoal-grilled wagyu steak 150g, 21.5: the house steak sauce steals the show

The charcoal-grilled wagyu steak 150g is 21.5. It comes with Maldon salt, whole grain mustard, fresh wasabi, and a steak sauce — and it's not a bottled A1-style sauce, it's homemade.

I was suddenly craving protein, so we ordered the steak!

And with that, today's drinking table was complete.

They give you Maldon salt, whole grain mustard, and fresh wasabi along with the steak sauce, and the steak sauce was way more delicious than I expected!

And by the way, the fork and knife they gave us were so pretty.

They don't ask how you'd like it cooked, and this is the doneness you get! It was just right for me, but if you like rare or well-done, it might be good to mention it in advance haha.

My first bite was with fresh wasabi and Maldon salt together, and the meat quality felt really high.

Normally when I eat steak, salt plus whole grain mustard is my favorite combo, but here the steak sauce was absolutely amazing!

It's not a bottled A1-style sauce but something they make themselves, and the umami was next level — genuinely delicious.

We were a little short on alcohol so we ordered more soju and asked for ice to do it on the rocks, and they brought us a generous amount just like this. I really, really love that kind of thoughtfulness.

Ankimo ikura ponzu, 13.5: the original style

Ankimo ikura ponzu is 13.5. Koma Yeonnam's ankimo isn't the butter-sautéed, umami-heavy style — it comes out in the original style, which surprised me a bit.

I was full but wanted to keep nibbling on little things, so I ordered the ankimo dish too. I was surprised it wasn't the butter-sautéed umami-bomb style of ankimo, but the plain original version. Next time I'll have to try something else haha.

Restrooms inside, and why Koma Yeonnam works as a date bar

One of Koma Yeonnam's best features is that the restroom is inside the venue, and it's spotlessly clean! Highly recommend it as a blind-date or date-night bar in Yeonnam-dong.

They even have perfume and hand cream stocked in there... that kind of thoughtfulness is the best.

If you're looking for a good-atmosphere izakaya in Hongdae, I recommend 'Koma Yeonnam'!