Samgakji Korean restaurant with private room for groups: Joseonmakhae

With autumn breezes already rolling in, I headed to Samgakji Station for a round of makhoe (raw sliced fish).

🚩Location: 45-17 Hangang-daero 62-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul ⏰Hours: 17:00–24:00 (last order 23:00) / closed every Monday 🅿️Parking: none / Nearest station: Samgakji Station 🚻Restroom: shared, inside 💰Price: about ₩30,000 per person

Where is Joseonmakhae, and how close is it to Samgakji Station?

Joseonmakhae is on the basement floor, but it's only about five steps down, so it basically feels like the ground floor haha. The location is so good it was easy meeting friends who all live scattered around the south, west, and north of the city. Come on guys, let's live closer together. There's no dedicated parking lot, but they say the Samgakji Temporary Public Parking Lot is about a 3-minute walk away.

Is Joseonmakhae good for a group gathering? Bar seats, private room and noise level

There are bar-style dachi seats great for a date, plus tables for 2 and 4, but what I liked most was that the music wasn't too loud, making it a really great environment for talking. There's also a separate private room inside, so I thought it would be a good spot for group gatherings or a wedding invitation gathering in Seoul.

The interior was also very much to my taste. The lighting was soft, and — I've been into tableware lately — the little side plates were so pretty haha. Even the soju glasses had a whale design on them, which I thought was such a cute touch. A Samgakji Station restaurant that doesn't miss a single detail!

Joseonmakhae's makhoe for 23,900 won came as oily flounder

And finally, the makhoe I'd been waiting for makes its grand entrance — ₩23,900. You can add extra fish for ₩9,000, which seems great for feeding a bigger group. The composition was so good!

For the makhoe selection, we got oily flounder. Being able to eat fish that came straight up from Pohang that same day was so nice. You could really taste how fresh it was. Since it's makhoe, it has a bit of chew like sekkosi (thin-sliced bone-in fish), but it wasn't tough at all — it was soft, which actually made the texture even better. I'm not usually a fan of sekkosi, but I completely devoured this. They also had chamgajami (righteye flounder) and seongdae (flathead), and I wanted to go back just to try those two next time haha.

How to eat Joseonmakhae's makhoe (raw sliced fish)

When it first arrived, the staff walked us through how to eat it deliciously.

• Lay the makhoe on top of a piece of gim (dried seaweed)
• Add a bit of the vegetable-based sauce on top of the fish
• Add the secret cabbage salad
• Finally, top it with the special mayo sauce
• Wrap it up well and enjoy the flavor in one bite

They specifically told us to make sure to add the special mayo sauce, and wow, it really works. They also said you could eat the mukeunji (aged kimchi) mixed in or separately as a palate cleanser. For me, the cabbage salad paired so well with the makhoe.

With the wrap loaded up and a shot of soju right after — perfection..😖 They gave us plenty of gim so we didn't need to order more, and with just two pieces of makhoe per sheet, the soju went down so smoothly.

Crispy briquette bulgogi for 12,900 won tasted genuinely charcoal-grilled

My friend really wanted this one — crispy briquette bulgogi for ₩12,900. The bean sprouts and onions paired well, and the seasoning wasn't too strong, which I liked. It genuinely tasted like the briquette grill, so interesting. It's also cheap, so I'd recommend ordering it as a light palate cleanser.

Seasoned cockles and butter rice for 16,900 won: a generous bowl

Since we came for dinner, we couldn't skip the carbs. The seasoned cockles and butter rice was ₩16,900, and the rice portion was seriously generous. Piling the warm butter rice on top of the seasoned cockles made it disappear in no time. I was worried I might miss having carbs, but the rice had just the right amount of kick that made my chopsticks keep going back for more. They also have a flying fish roe tuna rice ball separately for ₩5,000!

Drinks at Joseonmakhae: single glasses of soju and Kozel Dark

Since Joseonmakhae is a bar, ordering alcohol is essentially expected, but you can order a single glass of soju or just beer, so it's easy to go without pressure. The makhoe would also make great anju (drinking food) for a second-round spot, and since they have soups, carbs, and fried dishes too, it also works well as a first-round gathering place. I think I'll be coming back next time for a wedding invitation gathering haha.

The Kozel Dark draft beer was so good too. I want to drink Kozel again... A proper weekday healing session, thoroughly enjoyed. When we left, the owner even warned us to watch our heads and held the door open. But then, three seconds after politely bowing goodbye, my friend bonked her head, and I burst out laughing ㅠㅠ. The station being close by made for a quick trip home after a proper little escape.