Hyehwa izakaya with charcoal yakitori: Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa

Is this Hyehwa Station izakaya close by, with outdoor terrace seating?

As the weather turned cooler, I was looking for a bar with outdoor terrace seating in Daehangno and went to Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa (하나마토 대학로혜화). It was about a three-minute walk from Exit 4 of Hyehwa Station, and the prominent sign made it easy to spot from a distance. Outdoor terrace seating was set up at the entrance.

Parking was not available at the venue, and visitors were directed to use a nearby public parking lot. I sat indoors this time, but I would like to try the outdoor terrace seating next time.

What seating is available inside?

When I went in, it felt cozy yet lively. I liked the interior, which reminded me of a Japanese drinking spot. There were counter seats and tables, and I sat at the counter.

There were more spacious table seats on the second floor. The windows by the window-side seats were wide open, letting in a cool breeze.

Inside, there was also a small market-like area with a bottle shop, meal-kit shop, and Japanese snack shop. It sold a range of items, including sake, wine, snacks, meal kits, and Japanese sweets.

What did I order, and how much was it?

With so many menu options, I chose the signature set of five charcoal yakitori skewers and five oden items. The set was ₩26,000, and ordering on a tablet was convenient.

My first drink, a Sapporo draft beer, was ₩4,900. It arrived almost immediately after I ordered, and the price felt easy enough for me to order another light drink.

How was the oden and charcoal yakitori set?

First came five kinds of Mido fish cake and a spicy house broth. The fish cake was soft yet chewy, and the broth tasted deep and rich.

Each table had its own burner, so I could keep the broth warm until the end. However, the broth was hotter than I expected, and the oden softened quickly. I added just a few pieces at a time, took them out when they were cooked to my liking, then cut them with scissors before eating.

The yakitori that followed was a selection of five skewers grilled with tare sauce. It included chicken hearts, chicken skin, chicken and scallion, chicken breast, and chicken wings.

They were grilled directly over charcoal in the open kitchen, so the skewers had a clear smoky aroma. The chicken tasted clean without any unpleasant smell, making the skewers easy to pick up one at a time.

What did the tonic highballs taste like?

After the draft beer filled me up, I switched to a Hanamato highball for my next drink. It was ₩4,900. I chose tonic, and it tasted almost like a soft drink to me.

The yuzu highball was ₩6,900. Its refreshing yuzu aroma suited my taste better than the regular highball. I chose tonic for this one too, and the sweetness came through strongly.

It was nice to talk over skewers and warm oden broth at the counter. I thought it would also work well as a light second or third stop, and next time I would like to sit on the outdoor terrace at the entrance.