Mapo izakaya, cheese-bomb potato salad and Ebisu: Yakitori Shomong

Whenever I have an evening plan around Gongdeok, I somehow keep ending up at Gyeongui Line Forest Trail. It's a neighborhood full of spots good for drinks and food together rather than just a quick meal, so it's a great area to visit in the evening.

This time I was walking along the trail and the vibe of Yakitori Shomong caught my eye, so I stopped in.

I love izakayas in general, so whenever I visit a new one I naturally end up paying close attention to how the skewers are grilled, the composition of the menu, and the side dishes. This time, instead of ordering skewers a la carte, I went with the set menu that runs from 6 kinds of yakitori through tomato nabe to ice cream, and added the cheese-bomb potato salad I'd been curious about.

Where is Yakitori Shomong, and how close is the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail?

Yakitori Shomong is a place you come across while walking from Gongdeok Station toward Gyeongui Line Forest Trail. The address is 291-5 Dokmak-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea, about a 7-minute walk from Gongdeok Station Exit 1.

The area itself is great for a stroll, so it also works naturally as a place to duck into for drinks after an evening date.

Rather than the usual loud pocha vibe, this place felt more like slowly enjoying food and drinks centered on yakitori, which seems like a good match for anyone hunting for a solid izakaya near Gongdeok.

Walking in, the yakitori was the first thing that caught my eye, of course.

Personally, when I go to a yakitori specialty spot, I prefer places with a few solid, focused dishes built around skewers rather than an overwhelming menu, and Shomong was set up that way too — yakitori at the center, with nabe and single dishes to go alongside.

What comes with the 25,800-won 6-skewer yakitori course?

Yakitori Shomong's set starts with 6 kinds of yakitori (6-skewer course, ₩25,800). Even using the same chicken, each part has completely different fat, juiciness, and texture, so it's fun to work through several kinds one after another.

So if it's your first visit, I think starting with a course like the 6-skewer set to try a variety of skewers, rather than picking single items one at a time, is a good approach.

Maybe because it's a course, the skewers didn't all come out at once like a set — they were served one after another.

The outside of each skewer had just the right grilled aroma, and the contrast with the juicy inside was great too. Drinking alongside it, I naturally fell into a rhythm — one skewer, one sip, then another skewer, another sip.

That's exactly the charm of a yakitori place.

For anyone looking for a bar near Gyeongui Line Forest Trail who wants to actually eat proper food with their drinks rather than just drink, this place should fit well.

I also ordered chicken liver on the side — it can be a love-it-or-hate-it item, but personally I really, really love chicken liver, haha.

Cheese-bomb potato salad at Yakitori Shomong: 12,000 won

The item I ordered separately from the set menu at Yakitori Shomong was the cheese-bomb potato salad (₩12,000). It's a hard menu name to just walk past.

Izakaya potato salad is usually soft and mild, but adding cheese flavor here really gives it a strong presence.

While the yakitori leans toward charcoal aroma and salty flavors, the potato salad is on the soft, nutty side, so it was nice to pair with in between.

Especially if you're visiting with a few people, it's a good dish to add one of to the table and share.

Rather than eating yakitori nonstop, slipping in a dish with a totally different character like this made the overall menu lineup much more interesting.

Kaisen tomato nabe, the best dish to drink with

One dish that stuck with me that day was Yakitori Shomong's kaisen tomato nabe (₩32,000). After working through some yakitori, having a warm soup arrive was great timing.

It's a Japanese-style nabe with seafood in a tomato-based broth, which feels quite different from your typical eomuktang (fish cake soup) or Nagasaki jjamppong-style soup pairings.

The tomato's distinct tartness and umami make it feel a little light at first, but the more I ate, the more I kept going back for the broth.

Especially partway through drinking, you start wanting one warm soup dish, and this worked well as the next step after yakitori.

That was actually one of the things I liked most about this particular lineup.

Going from yakitori to cheese-bomb potato salad to tomato nabe, the flavors and textures kept shifting, so I never got tired of it, right to the end.

Yakitori and draft beer are a fantastic combo too, haha. Shomong only carries Ebisu on draft.

Is Yakitori Shomong worth it if you're craving yakitori in Gongdeok?

Having visited in person, Yakitori Shomong felt less like a place for just a few skewers with a drink and more like somewhere to enjoy several izakaya dishes together, built around yakitori.

The set I had in particular had a nice flow, running from 6 kinds of yakitori through tomato nabe to ice cream, so it was convenient not having to agonize over picking individual dishes.

Adding the cheese-bomb potato salad on top rounded out the menu lineup fully.

A good spot to visit when you want dinner after a date around Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, or when you want a drink with friends somewhere with a good atmosphere.

Above all, if you're hunting for a good izakaya near Gongdeok and you like yakitori, it's worth a visit at least once, and I'd also recommend it to anyone looking for a bar near Gyeongui Line Forest Trail.

On a nice day, a slow walk along Gyeongui Line Forest Trail followed by yakitori and a drink could be a great plan.

Yakitori Shomong address, menu and hours

• Name: Yakitori Shomong
• Address: 291-5 Dokmak-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Type: Yakitori izakaya
• Signature menu: 3/6/9-skewer yakitori courses, kaisen tomato nabe, cheese-bomb potato salad, abalone hot pot rice, and more
• 6-skewer yakitori course: ₩25,800
• Kaisen tomato nabe: ₩32,000
• Cheese-bomb potato salad: ₩12,000
• Location: Near Gyeongui Line Forest Trail between Gongdeok and Daeheung stations, about 7 minutes on foot from Gongdeok Station Exit 1