Cheongdam izakaya with seasonal crab nabe and udon: Gatpo Karin

Today I'm sharing an honest review of Gatpo Karin, a stylish upscale izakaya in Cheongdam near Apgujeong Rodeo Station.

Location and hours

Gatpo Karin is open daily from 17:00 to 02:00, with last order at 00:30. It's about a 5-minute walk from Exit 5 of Apgujeong Rodeo Station, so it's easy to reach by public transit.

• Hours: daily 17:00–02:00 (last order 00:30)
• 5-minute walk from Apgujeong Rodeo Station Exit 5
• Parking available (paid), valet available (paid)
• Wi-Fi available, restroom available

Seating: private rooms, group tables, and a bar table

Here's the inside of the restaurant. The seating comes in various forms — private rooms, group tables, and a bar table — so it works for small gatherings of two or more as well as groups up to 12 for a get-together or a casual company dinner. I made a reservation for 6:30pm. Around 7pm, more and more guests with reservations started showing up. I'd recommend booking ahead or calling in advance before your visit.

Basic side dish and the open kitchen from the bar table

First came the basic side dish — nachos dusted with cheese seasoning. Sweet and salty, they went perfectly with beer, and I finished them off before the food I ordered even arrived.

I sat at the bar table. From there I could watch everything up close — the ingredient prep, the open flame, all the cooking — which felt hygienic and reassuring. It was also just fun to watch the process.

You could see fish being grilled over something like a charcoal brazier. This was the dish I ordered.

What I ordered and the prices

• Lemon sawa ₩13,000
• Suntory draft beer ₩12,000
• Seasonal seafood Nagasaki nabe ₩36,000
• Added udon noodles ₩5,000
• Abalone innard pasta ₩35,000

Of all the izakayas I've been to, Gatpo Karin seemed to have the widest menu and the most dishes prepared and ready. From aged sashimi to steak, all kinds of sushi, nabe hot pots, soups, grilled fish, and clay-pot rice — the range of choices was so wide it was fun just browsing the menu.

* Clay-pot rice dishes take about 30–40 minutes to cook, so I'd recommend ordering one with your first round, or putting the order in ahead when you make your reservation.

My drink order arrived first. I went with a sawa to match the izakaya mood. True to a lemon sawa, it came with thick slices of fresh lemon and lemon syrup, which paired nicely with the food.

Abalone innard pasta, served with wasabi

The abalone innard pasta came out first. It was built on a rich, savory abalone innard cream sauce topped with green onion garnish, with one whole abalone inside. Wasabi was served alongside, and eating a bit of it with the pasta made for a great combination of richness and sharpness.

Seasonal seafood Nagasaki nabe, with two whole crabs

Here's the seasonal seafood Nagasaki nabe (a Japanese-style hot pot). Maybe because it's crab season, it came with two whole crabs, which the chef cleaned right there at the open kitchen. Besides crab, the pot was loaded with scallops, shrimp, and vegetables. Rather than the spicy broth of a typical Nagasaki champon-style noodle soup, this was a real dish where the deep, rich flavor of the crab was properly drawn out into the broth. The broth was genuinely delicious.

The crab came already prepped for easy eating. The meat was plump and easy to pick out. The shrimp were also plump and large, bursting nicely in the mouth.

Adding udon noodles is a must

Adding udon noodles to the nabe is essential! The noodles come pre-boiled once, so you can drop them straight into the boiling broth and eat right away. They soaked up the broth beautifully and were chewy and delicious.

Final thoughts

At Gatpo Karin, a chef invited from Kyoto prepares seasonal sashimi, sushi, nabe, and open-fire 'robatayaki' grilling, along with a full range of kappo (Japanese fine dining) dishes. With such a wide variety of dishes prepared, you can really feel the restaurant's pride in its food, so I'd recommend Gatpo Karin for a date in Apgujeong or for a more formal company dinner or gathering.