Seongsu okonomiyaki restaurant with Kirin draft beer: Oshi Black

What kind of restaurant is Oshi Black Seongsu?

Oshi Black Seongsu is a teppanyaki okonomiyaki specialty restaurant on the basement floor of a building on Seoul Forest 4-gil. We visited the alley in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, which is bursting with hip energy. Between the trendy shops and the crowds, the place where our footsteps stopped was 'Oshi Black,' a spot word-of-mouth has crowned a Seongsu okonomiyaki restaurant to know.

The moment we stepped inside, the sign with its sleek logo and the wall packed with cute Post-it guestbook notes from past visitors caught our eye.

Seeing a Catch Table waiting kiosk set up made it clear this place lives up to its popularity, sitting right in the middle of hot Seongsu.

Stainless steel teppan tables and the chef's cooking up close

I usually prefer warm wood-toned tables when photographing food, but Oshi Black Seongsu's sleek, cool stainless steel teppan table actually had an unexpected charm—it made the dishes' colors pop even more.

The dynamic performance of the chef cooking right in front of us, along with the sizzling sound of the hot plate filling the space, turned even the waiting time into something enjoyable.

What comes in the two-person selection, plus Kirin draft beer

At Oshi Black Seongsu we ordered the two-person selection. Once seated, we looked over the neat menu—the à la carte items looked great too, but the perfectly composed two-person selection clearly stood out.

With classic oshinomiyaki, yakisoba pork belly rolls, and potato salad beans, it was a full set letting us taste Oshi Black Seongsu's signatures all at once, so we ordered it without hesitation.

And with the teppan cooking unfolding right before our eyes, ice-cold Kirin draft beer was an absolute must. It was still bright out, before sunset, but the moment I took a sip from the frosty glass, shimmering with tiny ice crystals, I truly felt the charm of daytime drinking near Seoul Forest. The dense, soft foam and the crisp finish made it instantly clear why this place is called a real beer spot. Clinking glasses with a friend for a relaxed afternoon drink, it was the perfect start.

Potato salad beans

The first dish to arrive was potato salad beans, a perfect appetizer. Served heaped in a white bowl with a clean handle, this cute dish had soft mashed potato salad layered with savory baked beans, crunchy fried flakes, and rich mayonnaise sauce on top, creating a lively contrast of textures in every bite. The combination of the smooth, hearty potato melting on the tongue and the crisp crunch of fried flakes in between made it a great salty beer snack.

Listening to the sound of the main dishes cooking on the big teppan in front of us like pleasant ASMR while lightly whetting our appetite—it was a thoughtful sequencing.

Yakisoba pork belly rolls

The yakisoba pork belly rolls were visually striking from the start. Splitting open the cross-section of the plump rolls neatly arranged on the silver teppan with my chopsticks revealed savory yakisoba noodles packed tightly inside thin, fragrant pork belly and egg sheets.

There was an appealing heft each time I lifted a piece with my chopsticks, along with the crunchy texture of cabbage in between; the noodles, evenly coated in the house sauce, were chewy and bursting with umami. The generous topping of crispy fried flakes and dried seaweed powder took the flavor up another level.

The rich juiciness of the meat and the springy noodles came together harmoniously to fill the mouth—this was an intuitive, powerful flavor that any couple visiting Oshi Black Seongsu for a Seoul Forest date or Seongsu date course would love without hesitation. The quality more than lived up to its reputation as a celebrity-visited restaurant frequented by countless stars.

Classic oshinomiyaki, cooked on the hot plate

The grand finale of the day's food journey was the classic oshinomiyaki, which drew gasps when it arrived stuck with an adorable little bear candle. The bonito flakes swaying as if dancing in the heat on the teppan, alongside the vivid green of the scallions filling the space beside them, stirred up our appetite even before the first bite. Loaded generously with pork, beef, squid, and shrimp, one big bite cut off with chopsticks delivered a rich, textural harvest from both sea and land.

In particular, the doneness of every ingredient was delicately controlled, showing a textbook example of crispy outside, moist inside.

The hourglass timer and the end of the meal

Another special charm unique to Oshi Black Seongsu was being able to watch the chef's careful cooking process while the antique hourglass on each table quietly ran down.

With friendly service, the lively heat of the teppan, and the perfectly cold draft beer coming together in a trio, it was a wonderful, all-senses-satisfied afternoon.