Hyehwa counter-seat izakaya for 5 yakitori and beef sukiyaki: Hanamato

Where is Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa, and what is the izakaya like?

I was looking for somewhere to eat dinner near Hyehwa Station and ended up at Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa, which has been word-of-mouth famous as a yakitori spot in the area. I'd been craving yakitori for a while, and it wasn't hard to find — just a short walk down the alley from Exit 4 of Hyehwa Station!

In front of the entrance there are mint-colored tables set up as outdoor seating (yajang), and it genuinely feels like a Japanese back alley ✨ I imagine having a drink out here on a cool evening would be the perfect vibe haha. The lighting out front paired with the red sign makes it a pretty spot for photos too 🌸

Counter seats for two and how tablet ordering works

The ground floor has a row of dachi (counter) seats where two people sit side by side, which is perfect for a date ❤ Between the noren curtains and the lit-up signs, I felt like I'd taken a quick trip to Japan. It's also a comfortable spot for a quiet drink alone or with one other person ☺

While waiting, it was fun to look over all the posters one by one, and ordering was done through a tablet at the table so there was no need to flag down staff. There was a pretty big selection — yakitori, oden, soups, and full meal items — so I spent a while deciding lol

There are also handwritten menu boards hung around the space. I couldn't read the Japanese, but it added to the feeling of actually being in Japan haha

Monchhichi keyrings and the Japanese snack shelf

One corner of Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa has Monchhichi keychains and Japanese snacks on display, and I spent a while just looking at them lol. There are familiar snacks like Hi-Chew, and way more keychain varieties than I expected!! If you like cute things, you'll probably want to grab one on the way out. It's positioned well for a quick browse mid-drink, so I found myself going back to look one more time haha

What we ordered at Hanamato and what it cost

We ordered the beef sukiyaki and five yakitori skewers, and for the sukiyaki we added the egg yolk sauce plus extra green onion, napa cabbage, and bok choy — and honestly that decision paid off haha. The five yakitori skewers were ₩13,000, a nice affordable way for two people to start light!

How do the five yakitori skewers taste?

The five yakitori skewers came out first, and they passed the visual test right away 😋 Each skewer used a different cut, so it was fun picking through them one by one, and the slightly charred surface gave off a subtle smoky flavor. The sauce was sweet and salty at the same time — perfect with a drink!! Dipping the cabbage underneath in the sauce and shichimi was also a real treat

What comes in the beef brisket sukiyaki pot

And now for today's main event — beef sukiyaki!!! It comes packed in a cast-iron pot with beef, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, green onion, napa cabbage, and noodles. We put it on the table induction burner and kept it simmering as we ate, so it stayed warm all the way through. The sweet soy broth soaked into the vegetables so well that I kept going back for the broth too lol

You've got to eat sukiyaki dipped in egg yolk 🥰 Soaking the meat in the shichimi-sprinkled egg yolk sauce makes it doubly soft and rich!! That's basically cheating lol. One egg yolk sauce comes standard, and since there were two of us we added one more! (It was so good we ended up adding two more in total ^^;;)

Weekend afternoon tips and the verdict on Hanamato

We left completely full and took a photo together to remember it ✌ I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a yakitori izakaya near Hyehwa, or anyone who wants a light drink after seeing a play in Daehangno!! Next time I want to try more skewer varieties at the outdoor seating haha. The sukiyaki was so good we even added extra meat..ha

The yakitori was really delicious and the atmosphere was great, so I recommend it. We visited on a weekend at 4pm, and by around 5pm it was already full with 5-6 tables occupied!! Both the vibe and the food were satisfying, so I was glad we came early haha. If you're ever in Hyehwa, definitely give it a try~!!