Hanwoo beef tartare set and heart skewers at Sutori, Cheongju izakaya

It had been a while since I visited Sutori. This place has cute Japanese-style knickknacks everywhere and plays nostalgic Ghibli films on a projector, so the vibe is great — plus there's a wide, tasty range of anju (drinking snacks), from all kinds of skewers to soups, sashimi, and kushikatsu that make me nostalgic for trips to Japan. It's a place I keep coming back to. If you're looking for a bar in Bongmyeong-dong, Cheongju, this is the spot.

Sutori Cheongju Bongmyeong Branch

Where Sutori Cheongju Bongmyeong Branch is, and its hours

Sutori Cheongju Bongmyeong Branch is at 70 Deokam-ro 114beon-gil, 1st floor, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. It's open 18:00–03:00, closed Tuesdays, and parking is available.

Window counter seats and Ghibli films on the projector

Sutori Cheongju Bongmyeong Branch, a Bongmyeong-dong izakaya bar, stands out with its soft lighting and neon signs — a real Bongmyeong-dong favorite. The weather had cooled down quite a bit so they had the windows wide open. Sitting at the bar counter looking out the window was really nice too!

They had one of my nostalgic favorites, Ghibli animation, projected on the wall via beam projector. When drinking at Sutori, the Bongmyeong-dong izakaya, watching Ghibli films is honestly part of the fun.

There were so many cute little props around that I felt the urge to sneak them home haha. Aren't they adorable? I'm only collecting Pokémon stuff right now, so I'll post about that separately sometime lol.

Inside, most of the seating was bar counter seats facing the window, plus group tables good for dates or gatherings.

Complimentary snacks, draft beer and matcha beer

At Sutori, the base side dish that came out was crispy shrimp chips with a dipping sauce, plus cabbage — perfect with beer.

We all went with draft beer 🫶 It was cold with just the right amount of foam, and the glasses had a cute mascot character printed on them, fun to look at too!

A friend of mine who said beer fills her up too fast switched to cheongha — she had it set up like this lol.

Charcoal Omakase hanwoo beef set: what can you choose?

There were various sets, skewers, simple dishes, and udon on the menu, and we went with the Charcoal Omakase hanwoo beef set ⭐️ You get to choose from soy-marinated hanwoo yukhoe, gochujang hanwoo yukhoe, hanwoo tataki, hanwoo yuksashimi, or toro-toro hamburg — we locked in the soy-marinated hanwoo yukhoe.

The crab canapé

The base hanwoo beef set at this Bongmyeong-dong izakaya bar also let us choose between mashed potato and canapé — and it's always canapé for me 🫶

On top of a light, crispy biscuit sat tangy tomato, savory-salty ricotta cheese, and soft crab salad — eating them all together made every bite feel full and layered. Good price and portion for a second-round anju, so it's become one of my regular orders.

My pick among the kushikatsu: kirimochi

And then the kushikatsu (fried skewers) arrived!! The stretchy kirimochi (grilled rice cake) skewer was crispy outside, soft and savory inside — perfect with beer, ugh. Other fried items were good too, but kirimochi is my pick!

Skewers that keep arriving, like an omakase

Next came a whole series of skewers. They came out one type at a time like an omakase, so we got to enjoy a wide variety together 🤍

From soft, juicy chicken thigh to the heart skewer that got me into hearts in the first place — Sutori's heart skewers! Since they don't use pre-made product and trim the heart by hand, it's chewier and tastier than anywhere else 🤤

Plus the palate-cleansing cherry tomato bacon and grilled shishito peppers! Everything was so good it disappeared in no time lol.

Star of the set: soy-marinated hanwoo beef tartare

The star of the set, soy-marinated hanwoo yukhoe (beef tartare), arrived.

The yukhoe had that fresh-looking color, tossed in soy sauce seasoning, with just the right savory-salty balance — great wrapped up with raw egg, pear, and radish sprouts too 👍

Popping the rich raw egg yolk on top 🤤 Beer usually fills me up fast, but this was such a satisfying, indulgent anju without feeling heavy — I loved that about it.

Wrapping it all up with the cool pear and radish sprouts is really the way to go haha.

Matcha beer and heart skewers, one per person

One of the special menu items at Sutori, this Bongmyeong-dong izakaya bar in Cheongju, is the matcha draft beer. I had my friends try it and opinions seemed to vary by taste lol, but since I like sweet stuff, it suited me!

My favorite, the heart skewers, we ordered one per person haha. Everything else is great, but honestly I feel like I go there for the heart skewers lol. One of the must-order items.

At other places the heart can have a gamey smell or come out flat and disappointing in texture, but since they only use domestic skewers here, the quality really shows.

Heart skewers, ta-da!

Cleaned the plate completely lol. Great balance of vibe, menu, and flavor makes Sutori, this Bongmyeong-dong izakaya bar in Cheongju, a place I keep coming back to. The owner was kind too, and I feel like I go there regularly. Left satisfied and well-fed ☺️