Ansan izakaya with basil steamed pasta: Gisul

Gisul (기술) Address: 76 Gojan 1-gil, Unit 115, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (경기도 안산시 단원구 고잔1길 76 115호) Hours: Sun–Thu 17:00–01:00 / Fri–Sat 17:00–02:00

An izakaya I found with a friend in Ansan Jungang-dong

I went to Ansan to meet a friend and visited Gisul in Jungang-dong, one of Ansan’s izakayas! My friend lives in Ansan, so I visit from time to time, and this time we decided to meet in Jungang-dong. We found this place near a café because it looked like such a tasty izakaya~

They say they follow no fewer than 10 principles with the goal of becoming Ansan’s number-one bar. Free corkage for one person, birthday cakes allowed, meat butchered that day, daily cleaning of the draft beer lines—they seem to pay attention to all these little details. It felt like the owners were working hard with real affection for the place, so I trusted it.

Cherry blossom décor and a quiet atmosphere

This Ansan izakaya has a cozy interior decorated with cherry blossoms across the ceiling. There were quite a few tables, and it wasn’t noisy, so it was a nice place to talk. There were just the right number of tables, and the chairs were comfortable too, so we could relax.

I made a reservation before going that day, and they even prepared a little sign and flowers for us—we were so touched!! It felt like the kind of thoughtful touch that would get you called considerate if you reserved ahead for a date, too.

They also give you one free draft beer through a receipt-review event, so beer lovers might want to try it. This kind of event is practical and nice, too!

Gisul’s wide range of drinking snacks and meals

The menu includes the Gisul Hansang set and signature dishes. The Gisul Hansang has Korean beef sashimi, salmon, minari (water parsley), yukhoe (seasoned raw beef), gamtae gimbap (seaweed rice rolls), and other dishes that are perfect with drinks! They say it is a menu made for having a drink.

Beyond that, there was mungtigi (thick-cut raw beef), salmon sashimi, basil steamed pasta, chicken nanban, jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), grilled black cod, uni cold pasta, Korean beef yukhoe, shrimp tempura topped with eggplant, garlic yuringi (fried chicken with tangy sauce), Sichuan chicken wings, stir-fried squid, and more—there was practically nothing they didn’t have!! The selection at Gisul was so varied that I’d guarantee you’d find at least a few dishes you like. Personally, I want to try the garlic yuringi and uni cold pasta next time~

They also have an open chat room called Nangmandan for regular customers. It gave me the sense that they think of customers as more than just guests!

Fragrant basil steamed pasta, ₩24,000

My friend and I had eaten so much at the café that day, so we ordered the fragrant basil steamed pasta thinking we’d start with one pasta and order more later.

It was packed not only with clams, but also shrimp, zucchini, mushrooms, and more—and most of all, the portion was really huge! There was lots of it, it tasted good, and the price was reasonable, so I even wondered whether there was anything left in it for them.

Honestly, I didn’t expect much in terms of portion size when I ordered it, but it was at least one and a half servings, so sadly this was the only dish we had that day.

The noodles were cooked just right, and the basil came through gently, so I don’t think it would be polarizing. It was delicious enough to come here for a meal, not just drinking snacks!

We were so full that we could only eat one dish, so next time my friend and I decided we’d come without going to a café first~ If you’re looking for an Ansan izakaya, I totally recommend Gisul in Jungang-dong! It is just right for anyone looking for an izakaya with a varied menu and an atmosphere that isn’t too noisy.