Yeoksam-dong Japanese restaurant: 9-dish course and Hwayo 25, Ikoi

Last Saturday, after watching Spider-Man with my fiancé, we headed to Ikoi, a well-known Gangnam omakase spot.

Where is Ikoi and what are its hours?

• 📍 Address: 33 Nonhyeon-ro 64-gil, 1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• 🚃 Subway: Hanti Station, Exit 7
• 🚗 Parking: Available (next-door Cheogatjip lot)
• 🕒 Hours: Mon–Sat 17:00–24:00 (last order 22:00) / Closed Sundays
• 🚻 Separate men's and women's restrooms
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Group-friendly, reservations, Wi-Fi, pet-friendly

Inside Ikoi: only four private rooms

Ikoi is a traditional Japanese-style course restaurant tucked into a quiet backstreet in Yeoksam-dong. It's run entirely with 4 separate private rooms, so we got to enjoy the food in a calm, intimate space.

It was so hot outside, but the restaurant was wonderfully cool — felt like arriving in heaven! And since each room is enclosed and private, it was quiet enough to talk comfortably.

The room had tableware and wet wipes neatly set out, plus a wireless phone charger ready to go.

Ikoi's menu and how to order by tablet

Ordering is done via a tablet at the table.

We ordered the special course for two along with Hwayo 25. I was torn between that and sake, but since it was my first time trying Hwayo, I decided to go for it!!

What comes in Ikoi's 9-dish special course?

Ikoi's special course is made up of 9 dishes in total.

Appetizer

First up was an appetizer of toasted rye bread topped with ricotta cheese and yuzu.

The Hwayo 25 we ordered alongside it came with cold ice — served in a glass filled with ice, distilled soju style!

Cheers to Hwayo 25 🍻~ And the taste!

Waaah, the soju was so smooth and clean! It's 25%, but it didn't feel nearly as strong as I expected. My fiancé asked if we should order tonic water, but it tasted great on its own, so we decided to save the Hwayo tonic for next time~

Sipping soju while enjoying the appetizer. The savory-sweet appetizer was a perfect way to wake up our appetite!

Cream jjim (steamed egg custard)

Next up was the creamy chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) 🥚

The harmony of egg and cream was so smooth and rich in flavor — a really delicious steamed egg dish.

Futomaki (thick sushi roll)

Next was futomaki!

A big futomaki roll with kelp-wrapped rice, maguro tuna, cucumber, pickled ginger, and shiso. Futomaki has to be eaten in one bite~~so good!

Shrimp and beef sous vide

The fourth dish was shrimp beef sous vide.

Lift off the crispy exterior and inside is a mixture of ground shrimp and beef, sous vide to a tender, flavorful finish. Served alongside a shiitake mushroom purée.

We dipped it generously in the shiitake purée and ate it with the crispy fried shell. Inside the meatball-like center was even cream cheese. The purée had such great umami that we scraped up every last bit of the cream too.

Wagyu tenderloin steak

The fifth dish was wagyu tenderloin steak!

Lightly seasoned steak from meat aged just the right amount, served with garnish vegetables. It came with famous Maldon salt and wasabi.

The doneness was art! Doesn't that pink center look amazing!?

Dipping it in salt and wasabi, we polished it off before we knew it. Not tough at all — such a tender steak.

The garnish veggies were delicious too!!

Maguro (tuna) sashimi

Sixth was maguro sashimi! The thickly sliced tuna looked amazing.

We got akami (lean), otoro-adjacent back, and belly cuts, served with seaweed and wasabi.

Tuna's gotta be with seaweed, right? Piling the tuna and wasabi onto the seaweed to eat!

The melt-in-your-mouth tuna was so clean and delicious. And it went so smoothly with the soju!!

Honestly, by this point we were already pretty full..!

Lotus root sando

Seventh was the lotus root sando.

Seasoned minced meat sandwiched between lotus root slices and fried.

We dipped it in salt bit by bit. Wow, the meat was juicy and the lotus root was crisp and crunchy! Such a unique dish — I'll have to try making it at home sometime~

Brisket sukiyaki nabe

Eighth was the beef brisket sukiyaki nabe (hot pot). We were already full, but seeing a soup dish made our mouths water again.

They started boiling the nabe while we ate the lotus root sando. The broth looked so rich, right? Piled with toppings too! We let it bubble away and dug in.

The nabe broth had great umami with a hint of sweetness. We slurped up the meat, vegetables, and noodles!

Yogurt ice cream

Last was dessert — yogurt ice cream. Drizzled with honey, it was a sweet way to finish.

I mostly ate the ice cream, while my fiancé went straight for just the honey~

Is Ikoi's special course worth it for a date?

Wow… the special course portions were seriously huge! Every single dish was substantial and delicious, and above all, it paired so well with alcohol.

The food is great, but being able to enjoy a private, intimate conversation in your own enclosed room makes this a place I'd recommend for anniversaries or other special-day dates!