Early-evening Seomyeon bar, sharing O-Dae-Bal for two: Yuumangju

Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch: the busy bar in Seomyeon, Busan

My husband and I live in a countryside village in Gyeonggi-do, so we barely ever see actual crowds of people — but wait, was literally the entire country here in Seomyeon, Busan? haha

On a business trip to Busan we got shoulder-bumped so many times it felt like a dream, this endless sea of people — so this really is Seomyeon's hot spot, I get it now.

Out of everywhere, we ended up totally won over at the hottest place of all — Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch. Here's how it went.

Up to the 2nd floor in the early evening

We visited in the early evening, and the Yuumangju location is on the 2nd floor.

I'd studied the menu ahead of time, so we headed up feeling pretty excited!

A sleek black-toned room: why the dim lighting works

Inside, Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch is done in a very chic black. It's on the darker side, and I loved that even more. Women out there, you get it, right? I want every bar in this world to be dim. I'd rather keep my pores to myself, viewed only at home, haha.

The space is spacious, so even with a group of guests seated in the middle, our own table still felt roomy. It's an open kitchen too, so even though it's a bar, you can tell Yuumangju really cares about the food.

A kind owner and food to match at Yuumangju

I'm putting this on the checklist because the owner at Yuumangju is just so kind.

Kind enough to make my checklist — even though he's not my husband, he personally opened the door for us and greeted us in a big, warm voice. It genuinely put me in a great mood. Full marks for hospitality!

The combination menus that pair anju on one plate

Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch takes familiar dishes and mixes and matches them into fusion combos — pretty clever, right? The menu is varied too, so if you live in Seomyeon, I'd recommend working your way through it.

We ordered the signature O-Dae-Bal, and the house anju that came out was garlic bread — except they'd snuck in a bit of sweetness, which felt like cheating. Maybe that's why, even though I've never eaten this with alcohol before, I kept reaching for more. Props to the house anju too!

O-Dae-Bal: grilled beef intestine, chicken feet and cuttlefish on one plate

And here's the whole reason we came — today's main event, O-Dae-Bal! Grilled beef intestine, chicken feet, and cuttlefish, three friends arriving as one dish.

We wanted this because my husband loves chicken feet and I love grilled intestine — and it arrived so neatly divided, like it was designed just for us. So good. With the cuttlefish sitting in the middle like a wall, each of us just picked at our own favorite, haha. First up, the grilled intestine had that distinctive savory flavor with the sauce soaked in well — the kind of taste that just calls for soju.

According to my husband, the chicken feet themselves were clean with no gamey smell, and the cuttlefish worked as a little kick in between bites, kind of like the raw onion at a Chinese restaurant. We ordered the intestine and chicken feet each for ourselves, and somehow the chewy cuttlefish ended up being the surprise MVP.

I think the best part was being able to enjoy so many combinations within a single dish. Oh — wait, actually the owner's kindness might be the real best part, haha. The other menu combos looked great too, so next time I'm on a business trip to Busan, I'll fight through the shoulder-bumping crowds again just to try more.

What you get for booking Yuumangju on Naver

If you make a Naver reservation and write a visitor review, they give you fruit ice cream as a service — so book ahead before you go!

Is Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch worth a visit?

At this kind of casual bar, I usually don't expect much from the anju in terms of quality or flavor, but this exceeded expectations — the owner's kindness and the thoughtful combo menus made me forget all about the shoulder-bumping crowds. I'd recommend Seomyeon's hot spot, Yuumangju Seomyeon Branch!