Non-alcoholic izakaya in Yongsan: crab guts risotto, Hatpiendo

Why we chose Hatpiendo for dinner in Yongridan-gil

When a dinner plan lands in Yongridan-gil, the deciding takes longer than it should. I'm a guy in my twenties, and this time we'd already agreed to eat near Samgakji Station — the catch was that I had no intention of really drinking, but I still wanted the izakaya atmosphere.

I wanted proper food to go with drinks, I wanted the drinks to be non-alcoholic, and I didn't want to walk too far from the station. Adding one condition after another turned picking a restaurant into something closer to a job interview.

That's how I ended up at Hatpiendo (핫피엔도) in Yongridan-gil.

How far is Hatpiendo from Samgakji Station?

The address is 12 Hangangdae-ro 54-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 2nd floor. It's about 114m from Exit 3 of Samgakji Station, so on the map it's basically right there. In practice, you walk a short way straight from Exit 3, turn into an alley, and you're there in no time. If your group is the type to ask "how far is it from the station?" before agreeing to meet, this kind of proximity actually matters.

That said, on your first visit it's worth checking the building carefully so you don't just walk past the entrance — the place is on the 2nd floor. I thought "human GPS wins again" the moment my map showed I'd arrived, only to end up looking upward one more time. You walk just over 100m and then your focus gets tested in the last few meters.

Hatpiendo's interior, seating and music volume

Hatpiendo says it draws inspiration from the 70s Japanese folk rock band Happy End, and the name itself carries the idea of 'ending your day on a good note.' Once inside, it felt less like a heavy, quiet sake bar and more like a place to sit comfortably and enjoy food and drinks.

The big windows especially cut down that boxed-in feeling. The store runs not just the 2nd floor but also a 3rd floor space, which reportedly has seating suited for groups. It's set up for dates as much as for bigger gatherings.

One thing worth knowing, though!

The store notes itself mention the music runs a bit loud. If conversation is the priority for the day, it helps to note when reserving that you'd like a relatively quiet, private seat. Better to sort that out at booking than to realize it after you've both started raising your voices at the table.

What two people ordered for 59,000 won

Our order that day was pretty clear-cut.

Crab guts risotto for ₩23,000, chicken thigh karaage for ₩19,000, plus one non-alcoholic plum highball and one non-alcoholic grapefruit highball. On top of that, we got a yogurt ice cream through the review event. Total order came to ₩59,000.

The moment I ordered two non-alcoholic highballs at a bar, I paused for a second.

Am I actually using this izakaya correctly right now?

But once the food started arriving, that philosophical debate was over. The goal for the day wasn't getting drunk — it was eating well.

Crab guts risotto, 23,000 won: the first plate we finished

The dish I was most curious about was the crab guts risotto.

It's a risotto built on a thick rosé cream base with crab guts added, and just from the name I expected it to be pretty heavy. Cream plus crab guts can be the kind of combination where your pace drops sharply after a few spoonfuls. That was actually the small failure point I'd predicted going in — not a taste issue, but a worry that sharing it between two people would get too heavy by the end.

But then a hint of spiciness came through, and the whole rhythm changed.

The first spoonful hits with that soft, thick rosé cream texture. A few chews later, the texture of the rice grains comes through, followed by the deep flavor of the crab guts. If it had stopped there, it would have felt heavy — but at the end, the spiciness comes in and resets your palate.

So, one more spoonful.

The pattern repeats.

Aren't I usually the type who eats hard for the first three spoonfuls of a thick cream dish and then snaps back to reality? But here, the spiciness kicks in midway and pulls you into the next spoonful. The rosé cream wraps around the deep flavor of the crab guts, and the spiciness cleans it all up at the end — of everything we ordered that day, this is the one that stayed with me longest.

Chicken thigh karaage, 19,000 won, with house ranch sauce

Right next to it sat the chicken thigh karaage.

Karaage shows up so often at izakayas that it actually raises the bar for judging it. Order it thinking "it's fried chicken, it's bound to be decent," and you can walk out having cleaned the plate without a single memorable moment.

Hatpiendo's karaage comes generously topped with a special ranch sauce.

What matters here is the chicken thigh. Bite into it and you pass through the crispy batter first, then reach the soft thigh meat underneath. While you're still tasting the savory fried coating, the ranch sauce follows right after. Because the sauce sits on top, it's less about pushing crispiness alone and more about balancing that with a moist, tender direction too.

One spoonful of crab guts risotto.

One piece of karaage.

Back to the risotto.

That was the formula our table naturally settled into that day.

How were the non-alcoholic plum and grapefruit highballs?

And this is where the non-alcoholic highballs really earned their place. We ordered both plum and grapefruit, and since the food itself — cream, fried chicken — carried strong flavors, taking a sip between bites fit the rhythm well. I liked that even on a non-drinking day, you could keep the izakaya's signature 'one bite, one sip' pattern going.

For anyone who's driving, has plans afterward, or, like me, decided going in that today was about the food rather than the drinks, having a non-alcoholic option is welcome. There's nothing wrong with holding a soda alone at a bar, but when the glass fits the mood of the table too, you actually feel like you belong at it.

Finishing with the review-event yogurt ice cream

Last up was the yogurt ice cream we got through the review event.

There's an important rule at play here — that ancient human survival instinct where dessert arriving means you can start eating again, no matter how full you are. After the risotto and karaage, my mouth still had that rich, savory flavor lingering, so ending with the cold, refreshing yogurt ice cream made the finish feel light.

What to reserve at Hatpiendo next time

Beyond what we had that day, Hatpiendo also offers aged sashimi, braised pork belly (dongpo-rou), and other dishes, and in particular the mackerel bong-chobap (rolled sushi) is limited to 5 servings a day, according to the store. If you want to try it, it's best to leave a note when reserving.

Five a day.

The moment I saw that number, I had a reason to come back. Showing up unprepared to a limited menu like this and finding it sold out would be too big a personal defeat for someone with my personality. Next time, I'm reserving first.

Hatpiendo hours and parking

Hours are worth checking before you go too. Based on the current posted schedule, it's open Monday to Thursday from roughly 5:30 p.m. to midnight, Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. the next day, and Saturday and Sunday it opens a bit earlier than on weekdays. This can shift depending on the day or holidays, so it's worth confirming the latest hours on the day of your visit.

If you're driving, you can reportedly use the Samgakji public parking lot right in front of the store. Parking fees and conditions can change, so it's safer to confirm those at the time of your visit too.

What the two of us ate that day — crab guts risotto, chicken thigh karaage, two non-alcoholic highballs, and the review-event yogurt ice cream — came to ₩59,000 in total.

Between the roughly 100m distance from Samgakji Station, the izakaya atmosphere with big windows, and non-alcoholic options for anyone not drinking, this is worth remembering when picking a dinner spot in Yongridan-gil.

Above all, my choice that day was clear.

The crab guts risotto survived all the way to the last spoonful.