Songpa izakaya with private rooms: raccoon tokkuri sake, Motokurashi

Now that it's fall, Songni-dan-gil, famous for dates, is getting busier and busier. I went to Seokchon Lake myself to properly enjoy the autumn haha. After walking around I found myself wanting a simple, delicious meal with a drink, so I went with a friend to 'Motokurashi,' a well-known izakaya in Songni-dan-gil!

Where is Motokurashi? Hours and parking

• 📍서울 송파구 백제고분로 384 102호, Seoul, South Korea
• 🕑Daily 11:00–23:00 (closes 22:00 Thu, Fri)

There's no dedicated parking lot, so you'll need to use a nearby public lot! 📍Songpa Women's Cultural Center Parking📍 서울 송파구 송파대로42길 29 송파여성문화회관, Seoul, South Korea — ₩1,800 per 60 minutes.

What Motokurashi looks like from the street

Motokurashi is close to Seokchon Station, tucked into a Songni-dan-gil alley! Songni-dan-gil is also close to Seokchon Lake, so it's famous as a date spot — and honestly it'd be perfect for a second stop after a date haha.

Private rooms and counter seats: reserve and your name is set at the table

Motokurashi has counter (dachi) seats near the kitchen and room seats! I picked the more private room seats, but the window-side counter seats had great atmosphere too.

If you reserve, they set your table with a piece of paper with your name written on it :) The cat is so cute🐱

What's on the menu at Motokurashi

The menu had sashimi, pasta, soups and sides, along with a wide variety of drinks like sake and Japanese beer. We went with the signature main dish, Motoku Moriawase, and the low-sodium grilled pollock roe!

Motoku moriawase sashimi platter, 39,000 won: plenty for two

First up was the Motoku Moriawase (₩39,000)! It's an assorted sashimi platter that seemed to be made with seasonal fish. The price seemed reasonable so I expected a small portion, but the amount was better than I thought haha. Plenty for two of us :)

The sashimi looked quite fresh, and every piece of fish tasted good with no mealiness! Tuna sashimi especially tastes off if it's not stored properly, but this was pleasantly fatty and delicious :)

Low-sodium grilled pollock roe, 15,000 won: saltier than expected

Next up was the low-sodium grilled pollock roe (mentaiko) (₩15,000)! You get about three small pieces of roe with plenty of cucumber too haha. It looked like fresh roe rather than frozen, grilled just right to be moist and soft :) I was worried 'low-sodium' would mean bland, but it was actually salty hahaha — which I loved even more. Eaten with mayo and cucumber, it was the ultimate drinking snack haha.

Kelly draft beer, 5,000 won, and raccoon tokkuri sake, 9,000 won

We also had a refreshingly cold Kelly draft beer (₩5,000) haha. It came in a frosted glass and was super, super cold haha. My friend was trying Kelly draft for the first time too, and said it was crisp and delicious :)

And this is the tokkuri (₩9,000) I ordered out of curiosity. Isn't the racoon-shaped tokkuri adorable haha. It's a type of sake that can be served either cold or warm. We ordered it cold, and they gave us another bottle alongside it to help keep it chilled! That little touch of service was so nice :)

Is Motokurashi worth a second round?

So that was my visit to 'Motokurashi,' the izakaya bar in Songni-dan-gil, with a friend! The atmosphere was great, it was quiet, and even the food had great value for money!! The main dish, sashimi, was especially good in both price and quality haha. If you're looking for an atmospheric izakaya for a second stop in Songni-dan-gil, give Motokurashi a try :)