Seocho izakaya with seasoned dried pollock: Siseon Gyodae

Siseon (시선), the izakaya known for its great atmosphere! Its katakana sign had always caught my eye. I kept thinking I really had to go someday, and then it happened to be near the bar where we'd had our first round, so we stopped in for round two >_<

Siseon Gyodae Branch: the basics

It's on B1 at 40 Seocho-daero 50-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and is said to be open daily from 17:00 to 02:00. For parking, use a nearby parking lot.

• Reservations available
• Takeout and delivery available, with takeout discounts
• Group bookings, Wi-Fi, and high chairs available
• Vegan menu items, organic menu items, and birthday benefits
• Wheelchair-accessible seating and pets welcome
• Local currency, ZeroPay, and easy payments accepted

Getting there from Gyodae Station Exit 14

Come out of Gyodae Station Exit 14, where all the good restaurants and bars are gathered.

Walk straight ahead (actually, it's really not far at all).

Turn right at Seochodang Pharmacy!

Keep following the road and...

You'll see the Siseon sign. Head down there!!!! Looking at it again, they really made that logo so well. It's a Siseon sign that truly catches your eye.

K-pop and warm wood tones inside

K-pop music videos were playing on a projector!! With the soft lighting and wood-toned interior, it totally had that proper izakaya mood!!!! This Gyodae izakaya, Siseon Gyodae Branch, also has an open seating area like this.

There are partitioned seats for a private space, plus rooms too! Siseon Gyodae Branch is spacious with lots of seating, so I thought it would be perfect for a Gyodae Station team dinner haha.

I was shown to a cozy, private seat like this too, hehe.

From trending dishes to classic izakaya fare

Siseon Gyodae Branch had such a wide range of food and drinks! Whatever you feel like drinking, there is definitely a snack to match. There were also lots of trend-conscious options, such as ube makgeolli (Korean rice wine), Dubai-inspired dishes, and spicy Buldak-style beef tartare, salmon, and onion wraps, so browsing the menu was fun in itself. It also had plenty of classic izakaya dishes like grilled black cod, sashimi, and skewers, at reasonable prices!

Half-and-half dried pollock and takoyaki with egg

We ordered half-and-half dried pollock and takoyaki with egg!

And they had the new Saero Omija, so I gave it a try. It was sweet and tart, and delicious?

First to arrive for the dried pollock squad: mayonnaise. Usually you only get one mayo sauce, but Siseon Gyodae Branch gave us two—soy sauce mayo and plain mayo—so that was even better >.<

Half-and-half dried pollock! I've had so much dried pollock before, but this was my first time trying it coated in seasoning, so I was curious haha. It comes half plain dried pollock and half seasoned dried pollock.

Crispy, savory dried pollock is an automatic win. It must have been freshly grilled because it was warm, which made it even more delicious!

And this seasoned dried pollock was seriously delicious!!!!!!!!!!!! The seasoning was a little like grilled dried pollack, sweet and spicy, and it went so well with the salty dried pollock.

The pairing with mayonnaise was insane........... I've eaten so much dried pollock over the years—why had I never thought to put gochujang seasoning on it? I regret it.

We also ordered the takoyaki with egg!!! It was my first time having egg in takoyaki, and the soft egg worked so well with the savory takoyaki; the texture was fun too!

Everything was cooked to order, so it was really warm and tasty. There was plenty of katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and the teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise, and takoyaki all worked beautifully together! I visited Siseon Gyodae Branch with a friend I treasure. Being able to spend a lovely time with a lovely person made me even happier.. >_< The atmosphere is great, the food is varied and delicious, so I recommend it to anyone looking for an izakaya near Gyodae Station!!!!! I'm going back next time to demolish some other menu items too.