Hongdae Korean restaurant: wedding-prep dinner at Susu Yeonnam

A busy wedding-prep day ended with dinner at Susu Yeonnam near Hongdae Station

Susu Yeonnam (수수연남) is a Korean restaurant in Yeonnam-dong, near Hongik Univ. Station. On a hectic wedding-prep day, I booked ahead and went for dinner with my fiancé. The afternoon before, I'd had a dress refitting and then gift shopping for our parents, so the whole day was a blur. I only realized I was starving once evening came.

And Susu Yeonnam was seriously amazing!! My fiancé said it was among the best food he's ever had and that we should come often. 🤭 I totally agreed, so let me introduce this Yeonnam-dong Korean favorite!

Where is Susu Yeonnam, and what are the opening hours?

Susu Yeonnam is at 22 Donggyo-ro 38an-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1st floor). Head out of Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station (Line 2, Gyeongui-Jungang Line, Airport Railroad). Weekday hours are 11:30–21:30, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00 and last order at 20:30.

• Groups and reservations available
• High chairs
• Vegan, gluten-free and organic menu options
• Birthday/anniversary perks
• Pets allowed

Susu Yeonnam's exterior and outdoor tables

Susu Yeonnam sits in an alley in Yeonnam-dong! The white exterior walls with a black awning feel clean and charming. At the entrance there's a signboard and a menu, so you can check what they serve beforehand.

In front of the shop there's green artificial turf and outdoor tables. On a nice day, eating outside would be lovely :)

Inside Susu Yeonnam: is it good for a date?

The interior has a warm wood-tone design with wooden tables and chairs and soft lighting, so it felt cozy and comfortable. Thanks to the big glass windows it doesn't feel stuffy, and the space was neatly kept.

It's stylish without being too flashy, so I think it would suit a Yeonnam-dong date or a family meal too.

Susu Yeonnam's menu and how to order

Susu Yeonnam is a modern Korean dining restaurant that adds fresh twists to familiar Korean food. You order easily with the QR code on the table. Everything on the menu looked delicious, so my fiancé and I agonized over it for a long time.

We ordered these three!

• Chewy beef belly kimchi pancake
• Five-color Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap (seasoned raw beef rice bowl)
• Grilled deodeok (bellflower root) perilla oil makguksu (buckwheat noodles)

Side dishes

Wow~ we gasped the moment the food arrived!! All three dishes were served looking so appetizing, and the presentation was amazing. The huge kimchi pancake and the colorful yukhoe bibimbap really caught the eye. I snapped photos first, then dug in.

What does the five-color Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap taste like?

The five-color Korean beef yukhoe bibimbap was my fiancé's absolute first pick the second he spotted it on the menu. He loves yukhoe bibimbap, so he chose it without a moment's hesitation.

Generous Korean beef yukhoe is arranged around the rice, with colorful vegetables and egg strips prettily placed in the middle. Mixed evenly with the sauce, the tender yukhoe and crunchy vegetables went together so well!

It's nutty with great savory depth, and every ingredient has a different texture, which made it fun to eat. If you like yukhoe bibimbap, I really hope you try it.

Chewy beef belly kimchi pancake: does beef belly go with kimchi pancake?

The chewy beef belly kimchi pancake was the most surprising dish of this meal!! At first, beef belly in a kimchi pancake was such an unexpected combination that I wondered if it would even taste good.

But one bite and I was shocked!! The outside is golden and nutty, and the inside has a lovely chewy texture. The tangy, spicy kimchi with the rich flavor of the beef belly goes really well together.

Eating it with the perilla leaf on top adds a fragrant note that makes it even better. My fiancé said he'd never had a kimchi pancake like this and seemed shocked by how good it was. He kept raving about it. I totally agree!! This dish is a definite yes!

What's the grilled deodeok perilla oil makguksu like?

The grilled deodeok perilla oil makguksu comes with seasoned grilled deodeok, shredded seaweed and chopped scallions on buckwheat noodles. I'm used to perilla oil makguksu, but the version topped with deodeok felt fresh, and it looked appetizing from the start.

When I mixed the noodles evenly and ate them with the deodeok, the nutty perilla oil aroma filled my mouth. I think they made the sauce especially well! The mild buckwheat noodles with the sweet-spicy seasoning of the deodeok kept me reaching for more. It's nutty without being greasy, so I enjoyed it to the very end.

Susu Yeonnam's review event: black sesame perilla oil ice cream

At Susu Yeonnam, if you write a review after your meal, you get black sesame perilla oil ice cream for dessert. I joined the review event after eating and got one too! A dessert just for writing a review, what a great event.

Perilla oil in ice cream sounded a bit odd at first. But one bite and the sweet, smooth ice cream with the deep nuttiness of black sesame and the flavor of perilla oil was really appealing! The sweet-and-nutty taste filled my mouth and I kept going back for more.

It tasted even better after a hearty Korean meal. The dessert was the perfect finish. If you visit, definitely join the review event and try the ice cream!

Verdict: is Susu Yeonnam a good Korean restaurant near Hongdae Station for a date?

Susu Yeonnam is a Yeonnam-dong favorite that both my fiancé and I loved! Each of the three dishes had its own charm, so nothing was a letdown. The chewy beef belly kimchi pancake is the most memorable, since it's such an unexpected combo and so delicious. My fiancé wants to come often, so that says it all, right?

A warm, cozy atmosphere, carefully made food, and even the dessert! If you want a special Korean meal near Hongdae Station or a good Yeonnam-dong date spot, I recommend Susu Yeonnam. Next time we'd like to come back and try other dishes.