Gyeongju yakitori bar, six glass pours with Course A: Yakitori Sogi

A trip to Gyeongju isn't complete without Hwangridan-gil — we were there three days and ended up checking in on this neighborhood every single day.

While wandering the alleys full of pretty cafés, restaurants, and little shops, we stumbled onto something called Hwangnam Market. Wait, there's a market on Hwangridan-gil?! Curious, we peeked in — and ended up having dinner there that evening.

What kind of bar is Yakitori Sogi, inside Hwangnam Market?

Yakitori Sogi is a yakitori-focused izakaya inside Hwangnam Market on Hwangridan-gil in Gyeongju. We found it while looking for a bar around Hwangridan-gil, and the exterior was clean without being especially flashy.

Not a huge space, but it had a cozy, compact feel — very much like a Japanese izakaya.

There are counter (dachi) seats and table seats — the counter is great for 1-2 people eating intimately together,

while groups of three or more would probably be more comfortable chatting at a table.

We came as a pair and were seated at the counter. It wasn't a rowdy drinking-crowd vibe — more the kind of place good for sitting quietly, eating each dish one by one, and having a low-key chat.

What comes with Course A for two at 30,000 won?

Ordering at Yakitori Sogi is simple, via QR code — the kind of QR menu you see everywhere these days.

We ordered Course A for two. The course included sous-vide chicken breast salad, cheese tofu, six kinds of yakitori, tsukune, grilled vegetables, tomato marinade, chicken karaage, chicken gomtang (chicken soup), and shiso sherbet — for just ₩30,000, this Hwangridan-gil bar gave us a real taste of Japan at a great price.

Sous-vide chicken breast salad and cheese tofu

The first course dish was the sous-vide chicken breast salad.

With lettuce and tomato and a tangy balsamic dressing, it was a good appetite-opening starter.

Next was Japanese-style cheese tofu — sometimes called mochi-dofu elsewhere. Despite the name 'tofu,' it's sweet and chewy, almost dessert-like.

That's when we ordered our first glasses: I got the non-alcoholic oolong highball, and Baek-unnie got the Musashino Brown sake.

The oolong highball was toasty and sweet, with a fizzy pop that made it refreshing to drink. No alcohol in it, but the atmosphere still felt like drinking a highball.

Six yakitori skewers, a different cut on every stick

And now, the yakitori began arriving in earnest.

The first skewer was chicken tenderloin, which disappeared so tenderly after one bite that my eyes went wide.

The meat deep inside a skewer is always awkward to eat, but they gave us a special fork for pulling the meat straight off — such a clever little tool.

Time for another sake we hadn't tried. Baek-unnie's goal for the day was to try one of every glass type — we like setting these small goals when we travel, and it's honestly a lot of fun, haha.

Chicken karaage and heart skewers

The chicken karaage came out before all six yakitori arrived — our food order shifted a bit depending on the timing of guests who came in before us. With multiple tables running courses at once, some of that is unavoidable, and I could see some people getting cynical about it.

Anyway, the karaage was genuinely delicious. Fresh out of the fryer and scorching hot — but even that heat was tasty! There's a bed of potato salad underneath.

The springy heart skewer was sprinkled with shichimi pepper.

We ordered a glass of red and a glass of white wine. We'd joked earlier about drinking one glass per yakitori skewer, laughing about what great customers we were — turns out it actually came true.

Tare-glazed chicken thigh and grilled shiitake

Whole chicken thigh brushed with tare sauce — this is where my appetite really kicked into gear. Chicken thigh really is the ultimate cut, isn't it?

Tender whole chicken thigh with sweet-savory tare sauce — doesn't that sound good just imagining it? Grilled over open flame, there was a faint charcoal aroma throughout, and that was part of Yakitori Sogi's charm in Gyeongju.

There's a spring-shaped container for putting finished skewers into.

The grilled vegetable seems to rotate by season — the day we visited it was grilled shiitake mushroom.

The mushroom was packed with juices, and honestly as satisfying as the chicken skewers.

Next was chicken shoulder meat with yuzu wasabi. With all the chicken skewers, adding yuzu wasabi to keep things from getting monotonous was a genius move.

Yakitori Sogi, this Hwangridan-gil bar in Gyeongju, really has its charms.

Grilled chicken neck and chicken wing

Next was grilled chicken neck, served with whiskey-marinated whole-grain mustard on top. The chicken neck had a wonderfully springy, unique texture.

The owner thoughtfully explained that the whiskey in the mustard had cooked off the alcohol, so it was fine to eat safely — a nice touch since he noticed I was drinking non-alcoholic.

Last up was chicken wing.

It came pre-scored so the bone would come out easily, and the seasoning of salt was so well done that it stayed delicious to the very last bite. Same chicken, but each part had such a different texture — that was one of the fun points of Yakitori Sogi.

The highlight: tsukune with a poached egg

The highlight was the tsukune — Japanese-style meatball patties — where you pop a soft poached egg and mix it in as a dip.

Dipping the moist patty into the poached egg sauce makes it soft and deeply savory.

An unexpected stroke of luck happened here — Baek-unnie doesn't eat poached egg, so she took just the patty and left the egg for me. I'm the kind of person who orders an extra poached egg even with bean sprout soup, so I was overjoyed >_<

On top of that, the owner gave us a complimentary grilled gizzard skewer. Double the happiness ^_^

The tomato marinade had a strong, refreshing plum aroma.

Pairing Course A with 2 sake, 2 wine and 2 highballs

Baek-unnie also had two glasses of highball. Overall, she felt Yakitori Sogi's drinks were on the milder side.

Two sake, two wine, two highball — the joke from earlier about a drink per skewer really did become reality, haha.

Finishing with chicken gomtang and shiso sherbet

The final course dish was chicken gomtang (chicken soup).

The chicken gomtang comes with grilled rice inside.

The broth was extremely refreshing, so I went all in on the broth while my friend focused on the rice.

Once again, we felt our taste differences pretty clearly.

For dessert, shiso sherbet — the first bite was bright apple flavor, and the more we ate, the more a subtle shiso aroma came through.

Who is Yakitori Sogi in Gyeongju best for?

The quiet atmosphere made it easy to focus on conversation, and overall the drinks at Yakitori Sogi felt on the milder side — trying a little of many different kinds, like we did, is part of the fun. That said, since the course brings dishes out one at a time as they're grilled rather than all at once, it probably suits people who enjoy eating slowly while chatting more than anything.

Even the bathroom was decorated with a cute Japanese touch. Wrapped in that distinct izakaya atmosphere, this Hwangridan-gil bar in Gyeongju delivered a perfect yakitori course meal ^_^