Seomyeon izakaya with friends: okonomiyaki and yakisoba at Teppan King

I was meeting friends in Seomyeon after ages and spent forever deciding where to go, until I found this izakaya (Japanese-style pub) called Teppan King! They say a teppanyaki master with 35 years of experience cooks everything himself, so we went right away~

Location: one minute from Seomyeon Station Exit 4

Teppan King is right there once you turn into the alley by Exit 4 of Seomyeon Station!! It takes less than a minute from the station, so the access is the best,,, and the exterior already has the feel of a local izakaya in Japan~

Daily 16:00 – 02:00 (next day) / Reservations and group visits OK / Wi-Fi / Separate men's and women's restrooms / Takeout / Corkage allowed (fee applies) / No parking

Through the big glass window you could catch a glimpse of the inside, and the vibe is the real deal, right,,? My excitement went up before we even walked in~

There's a menu board by the entrance like this, so you can give it a quick scan before going in~

Teppan King's atmosphere and seating

Inside, yellow lighting and wood tables made the whole place feel warm and cozy! Japanese-language decorations, liquor bottles and a red "open" sign were placed all around, so it really had that local Japanese izakaya feel. The tables weren't crammed together, and there were seats for groups as well as bar seats. Even on a Sunday there were quite a few customers, so it was lively but still comfortable for a drink, perfect for coming with friends.

Set A Special Okonomiyaki + Special Yakisoba: ₩28,000

The menu ranged from teppan grills and hot pots to yakisoba (stir-fried noodles) and okonomiyaki (savory cabbage pancake)! True to a Seomyeon Station izakaya, there were so many dishes that go perfectly with drinks, so the happy dilemma kicked in again, haha. You can order à la carte, but there are also sets that let you enjoy several dishes together, so we picked Set A Special Okonomiyaki + Special Yakisoba. It's a special combo with shrimp, squid and pork, and getting two dishes for ₩28,000 felt crazy good value. It seemed like the perfect set when you want to eat a lot at a Seomyeon Station bar!

The drinks list was pretty varied too. From traditional liquor like Hwayo to Japanese sake, beer and highballs, you can choose to your taste! We went with soju~

• Set A Special Okonomiyaki + Special Yakisoba ₩28,000
• Soju ₩5,000

Watching the griddle cooking from the counter

We sat at the counter, where we could watch our food being made on the griddle right in front of us in real time! From putting the ingredients on to grilling and flipping, the waiting time was never boring, which I loved, haha.

The complimentary side dish was crunchy cabbage salad with a little sauce on top. The sweet-salty sauce is weirdly addictive, so we kept picking at it before the food even arrived, haha.

Our special okonomiyaki and special yakisoba started cooking on the griddle at the same time~ The okonomiyaki was shaped round and thick as it grilled, while next to it the yakisoba was stir-fried fast, and the hand movements were truly master-level, haha.

The special yakisoba

The first dish out was the special yakisoba!! It was topped with a soft-yolk fried egg and a generous heap of bonito flakes, plus a quick drizzle of mayonnaise, so the look alone was amazing.

Go check out the noodles for yourself,,,

It was packed with shrimp, squid, pork and crunchy bean sprouts, so it was special in every sense, just like the name~ The salty-sweet sauce had soaked right into the noodles and it was so tasty. I can't not call it salty-good, I couldn't stop!

The special okonomiyaki

Next, the okonomiyaki was done.

They piled sweet sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes generously on top of the grilled okonomiyaki.

I carefully lifted one piece onto my own bowl, ready to eat~

Inside there was plenty of cabbage, shrimp, squid and pork. It was golden outside, moist and soft inside, and the crunchy cabbage texture was still there, so it was seriously delicious, haha. Sweet, salty and nutty, it totally passes as drinking food too~

Who Teppan King is recommended for

I came to Teppan King while looking for a bar near Seomyeon Station! At the counter you can watch the teppanyaki being made right in front of you, which was fun to see, and the Set A Special Okonomiyaki + Special Yakisoba was packed with seafood and pork, so so good~ The yakisoba was nutty and salty-sweet, and the okonomiyaki was crispy outside and moist inside, totally satisfying~ I recommend Teppan King as a Seomyeon Station izakaya for drinks with friends or a date~