Yeonnam-dong bar with friends: rice soju pairing, hodam jeon

Busy busy modern life! Today I came back to Hongdae with friends I see often. While looking for a Hongdae Yeonnam bar, I fell for one purely for its terrace — let's step into Ijillirya Yeonnam.

The interior and atmosphere at Ijillirya Yeonnam

There are a lot of good-vibe spots in the Yeonnam-dong alleys, so it's nice for a walk after a meal, or a stroll after a light drink. So personally I think this is a good option not just for people looking for a Hongdae Yeonnam bar, but also for anyone looking for a date spot in Yeonnam-dong. If you're after somewhere to enjoy good food and drinks together rather than just a meal, a bar with this kind of atmosphere seems to fit a date well too.

The menu

First dish: hodam jeon

The first thing we ordered that day was hodam jeon (savory pancake). The name itself made me curious what kind of dish it'd be, and if you're someone who likes jeon dishes as a drinking snack, it's an easy one to enjoy. The pancake had that distinct nutty flavor that goes well with alcohol, and it was a good way to start light rather than diving into something heavy right away. I especially thought it would pair well with traditional drinks like makgeolli, so I'd like to try it with a different drink on a future visit.

Bulgogi bean sprout stir-fry, the dish I enjoyed most that night

The second dish we ordered at this Yeonnam spot, Ijillirya Yeonnam, was the bulgogi bean sprout stir-fry. Personally, it was one of the most satisfying drinking snacks of everything we had that day. The sweet, savory flavor of the bulgogi combined with the crunchy bean sprouts made for a fun texture — eating it with the sprouts felt much cleaner than just having the meat alone. When you're drinking, I think it's good to order a stir-fry dish like this instead of just eating greasy food the whole time. Picking up meat and sprouts together and following it with a sip of a drink was a perfect combination for a bar snack.

The finishing broth: spicy seafood ramyeon

One friend who loves ramyeon finished the whole thing haha. It's a bit of a letdown if a drinking session doesn't end with something brothy, right? So we ordered the spicy seafood ramyeon. Just as the name suggests, it's ramyeon with seafood in a spicy broth, so it was great for sipping the broth between drinks, and just as good as a hearty finisher at the end. Adding a spicy broth dish after the jeon and stir-fry made the whole spread feel more varied. If you like spicy food, it's worth ordering as the last dish of the night.

Rice soju Oneul and Hwanggeumboli — what we drank

That day wasn't just about the food — we also tried a variety of drinks. First we had rice soju Oneul. It had a different feel from regular soju, good for sipping slowly with food, and it paired well with the jeon and the bulgogi bean sprout stir-fry we ordered.

We also tried Hwanggeumboli on top of that. Rather than sticking to the usual soju you always drink, picking different drinks to match the food is one of the fun parts of visiting a Yeonnam-dong bar. That day we ordered three dishes — hodam jeon, bulgogi bean sprout stir-fry, and spicy seafood ramyeon — each with a different mood, so it was a good lineup for a group to share.

Finishing with yuzu tomato marinade

Another memorable dish at Ijillirya Yeonnam, and one that photographed insanely well, was the yuzu tomato marinade. It just wipes the palate clean from everything before it. Order this one and your girlfriend or friends will love you for it >.<

Final thoughts

Yeonnam-dong is close to Hongdae but has its own alley atmosphere, making it a great area to hunt down good restaurants and bars. In the evening especially, there are so many good-vibe spots in the Yeonnam-dong alleys that it's nice for a walk after a meal, or a stroll after a light drink. So personally I think this is a good option not just for people looking for a Hongdae Yeonnam bar, but also for anyone looking for a date spot in Yeonnam-dong. If you're after somewhere to enjoy good food and drinks together rather than just a meal, a bar with this kind of atmosphere seems to fit a date well too.

This time we tried a good variety — hodam jeon, bulgogi bean sprout stir-fry, spicy seafood ramyeon, along with rice soju Oneul and Hwanggeumboli. Ordering several dishes and taking it slow with drinks, rather than eating each dish separately, made the time feel more relaxed. If you're looking for a place in Yeonnam-dong to casually drink with friends, or want somewhere with a good atmosphere for a date in Hongdae where you can enjoy food and drinks together, Ijillirya Yeonnam is worth checking out. Next time I'd like to try other dishes I didn't get to this time, paired with a different drink.