Euljiro bar for friends, highballs and shared plates: Hey Jinny

These days, when I meet up with friends, I find myself looking for somewhere we can do more than just drink in a noisy crowd—somewhere with good food, a drink or two, and plenty of time to catch up on everything we have missed. This time, I visited Hey Jinny (을지로 헤이지니) in Euljiro with friends.

Euljiro has so many atmospheric places that choosing a spot for a friends’ gathering can be surprisingly hard. This place had that distinctive trendy Euljiro mood, plus really good food, so I was quite happy with it. You can enjoy Western-style dishes such as pasta and pizza with wine or highballs, making it great for a casual get-together with friends or a drinks date in Euljiro with your partner.

Hey Jinny, close to Euljiro 3-ga Station

Hey Jinny is on the second floor at 7 Euljiro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, and it is close to Exit 10 of Euljiro 3-ga Station, so it was really easy to find. I also liked not having to walk far from the station. When meeting friends in Euljiro, you often eat at a first stop and move on to a second one, and being near the station made getting around feel easy.

Accessibility is especially important for office-worker gatherings after work in Euljiro, and it worked well in that respect. It is open from 5 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and from 3 p.m. to midnight on weekends, and it is closed every Monday.

They also take group reservations for eight or more people during weekday daytime hours, so keep it in mind if you need somewhere to talk at leisure with a larger group of friends, for a birthday gathering, or for a wedding-invitation get-together.

A calm atmosphere that suited a friends’ gathering

We spent the day chatting about this and that with friends. Best of all, it was not too noisy! Many Euljiro bars are boisterous with loud music, but this one had a comparatively calm atmosphere that made it easy to sit and talk with friends.

The tables were spaced fairly generously too, so we did not have to pay much attention to the next table. The cute little props and tableware were lovely, making photos fun as well. The window seats in particular had a really nice feel. They looked great for friends to sit and chat or for couples to share a glass of wine, and I could see why people seek it out for Euljiro dates too. If you like a quiet space with atmosphere, I think you will really like it.

Western dishes and drinks in one menu

Looking at Hey Jinny’s menu, I realized it was not simply a place for drinking snacks. There was a broad range of meal-worthy dishes, from pasta and pizza to salads and steak, as well as red, white, and port wines. There were also highballs, whisky, and soju, so it was easy to choose according to your taste.

It would suit a friends’ gathering, as well as occasions such as wedding-invitation or birthday gatherings where you want to cover dinner and drinks in one go. If you are looking for Western-style food in Euljiro with drinks too, it is worth checking out! Personally, I find a place like Hey Jinny, where you can enjoy Western dishes and drinks together, even more comfortable for meeting friends.

Watermelon and peach highballs

That day, we also tried the watermelon highball and peach highball. Since we visited in summer, the watermelon highball felt especially fitting. It looked refreshing from its color alone, and its sweet, tangy character made it easy to drink.

It was not the sort of drink where the alcohol taste comes through too strongly, so it felt relatively approachable even for someone who cannot drink much. It was nice to sip slowly while talking with friends. The peach highball was sweet and fragrant too, so it was easy for everyone to pick according to their own preference. I especially liked the signature refreshing quality of a highball with food. Next time, I would like to try the wine too.

How was the Osaka Niboevi Oil Pasta?

Of everything we ordered, the Osaka Niboevi Oil Pasta was the one I personally remembered most. It costs ₩21,000.

Even the name felt different from an ordinary oil pasta, and when I tried it, the savory depth of the seafood was really good. With anchovies, shrimp, and baekmyeongran (white pollock roe), it has a concentrated ocean-like umami character! Crispy shrimp on top also made the texture fun alongside the noodles. It had the clean flavor typical of oil pasta, enhanced with shrimp and seafood richness, so it never felt bland and I kept reaching for more. The noodles were not overcooked either, retaining a nice springy texture.

Above all, it was a pasta that went well with drinks. I think it would pair well with wine, and it also worked nicely with highballs, so I would recommend it for a gathering where friends order several dishes to share. If you have a pasta-loving friend, be sure to try this together.

Crispy eoyang eggplant with a sansho kick

Our second dish was Sansho Kick! Crispy Eoyang Eggplant, priced at ₩18,000. When we were choosing dishes, I wondered whether eggplant might divide the group, but it was much more delicious than I expected.

The key point of this dish was definitely its texture! The outside was fried crisp, while the eggplant inside was moist and soft—the perfect crisp-outside, tender-inside combination.

A special sauce completes it: sweet, savory, and lightly spicy, it was a fantastic highball snack. True to the “sansho kick” in its name, there was also a subtle fragrance of sansho pepper, which made it feel a little different from ordinary eoyang eggplant. It starts soft and sweet, then the distinctive sansho aroma pops up at the end.

It became one of those combinations where you take a bite, sip your highball, then take another bite. Personally, I would recommend it for a gathering where friends share a drink and various snacks!

The mellow cheese flavor of homemade fondue gnocchi

The dish I was quietly looking forward to that day was the Homemade Fondue Gnocchi. I already like gnocchi, so I picked it as soon as I spotted it on the menu. Rather than gnocchi simply tossed in cream sauce, the name “homemade fondue” itself sounded a little different.

When it arrived, the gnocchi came in easy bite-sized pieces with plenty of sauce, and it looked quite appetizing. Since we were sharing all sorts of dishes with friends, it was fun to taste each one, and the gnocchi was especially appealing for its soft, chewy texture.

It had gnocchi’s characteristic fluffy yet chewy feel, and the rich cheese flavor made it nutty and smooth going down. I felt it would be a very satisfying dish for cheese lovers. Most of all, the sauce went beautifully with the gnocchi: it was delicious to pick up one piece at a time, and even richer and nuttier when coated generously in sauce. Rather than being aggressively salty or heavy, it leaned mellow and nutty, so it also went well with wine or highballs.

If you want to enjoy both food and atmosphere

After visiting with friends, I felt that Hey Jinny is not just somewhere to go for a drink, but a space where you can enjoy food + drinks + atmosphere all at once. I would especially recommend it for these people:

• People looking for an atmospheric spot in Euljiro
• People needing a place to meet friends they have not seen in a while
• People looking for a bar near Euljiro 3-ga Station
• People who enjoy Western dishes such as pasta and pizza
• People who want to enjoy wine or highballs
• People who prefer somewhere good for conversation over an overly noisy bar
• People looking for a place for a wedding-invitation gathering or birthday gathering
• People looking for an atmospheric second-stop bar in Euljiro
• People looking for an atmospheric Euljiro bar date with their partner

Hey Jinny was even more appealing because it was not just pretty—the food was delicious too. The Osaka Niboevi Oil Pasta particularly stayed with me, and the crispy eoyang eggplant was really good with a highball. With watermelon and peach highballs on the side, it was just right for enjoying while chatting with friends.

Next time, I would like to have a glass of wine with dishes such as the Homemade Fondue Gnocchi or pizza. Recommended if you are looking for a place to meet friends in Euljiro, or a quiet Euljiro date bar where you can talk with your partner! I think it would also suit anyone looking for a good wine spot around Euljiro 3-ga, or somewhere to have a drink with pasta or pizza. If you want somewhere in trendy Euljiro that is not too noisy, has atmosphere, and serves decent food, I think I would come back to Hey Jinny :) It was a lovely place to catch up with friends, eat good food, chat away, and enjoy a highball!