Dangsan izakaya with window tree-view seats and Cass draft: Kaken

A Dangsan Station bar worth knowing — Kaken

I want to go to Japan... but I have to save my vacation days. So what do I do? Just go to an izakaya that feels like Japan. And if I can find one even tastier than Japan, even better.

While looking around I found a newly opened izakaya right by Dangsan Station, so nursing my unfulfilled Japan-trip longing, I paid a visit.

Where Kaken is near Dangsan Station, and its hours

Kaken is at 237 Dangsan-ro, 1st Floor, Unit 101, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, right in front of Dangsan Station. It's open Monday to Sunday, 17:00–02:00, and reservations are available through Naver.

Inside Kaken: window tree-view seats and the bar counter

Kaken's interior is split into window seats, dachi (bar) seats, and table seats. The weather was so nice that day that I sat by the window.

The weather was so good I already wanted to sit outdoors, and this window seat had such a vibe that I sat down right away.

🌳 🌳🌳 The view right in front was so green and full of trees, you'd never believe it was right by Dangsan Station 🌳 🌳 🌳

The inside had even more of that izakaya feel! The dachi bar had such a vibe too 🫪 I couldn't decide where to sit, honestly.

There were neat table seats too, and next to me sat what looked like a father and daughter. Made me want to go to an izakaya with my own dad someday 🥹💕

Kaken's menu and signature dish prices

Kaken's signature menu includes the mixed sashimi platter for ₩36,000, the 10-skewer mixed platter for ₩28,000, and karamiso motsunabe (spicy miso offal hot pot) for ₩30,000.

Cass and Suntory draft beer at Kaken: rich, not watered down

At Kaken I ordered Cass draft beer and Suntory draft beer. The Cass wasn't watery at all — it was quite rich.

Ah... I drank it the second it arrived. Why do I keep forgetting to take photos and put my mouth on the glass before doing my blogger duty... But that first-sip Cass draft at Kaken had that sharp, throat-tingling taste! Sometimes when you order Cass draft it tastes watered down, but Kaken's near Dangsan Station poured it thick and satisfying — total Cass-stan approval!

This was the basic side dish, and it looked homemade! How do I know? I saw quail eggs in the owners' hands, haha.

Couldn't make it to Japan, but let's get the mood going — kanpai!

The 28,000 won 10-kind skewer platter: which skewers stood out

For the food, I chose the 10-skewer mixed platter for ₩28,000. The mushroom, garlic, ginkgo nut, tomato-bacon, shrimp, and chicken skin skewers were especially memorable.

Mixed skewers for the side dish! Pretty Japanese, right? If nobody told you, you'd think you were in Japan. We were enjoying the outdoor-bar mood but some inconsiderate passersby kept smoking, so we moved to the dachi bar — but that meant we got to watch the staff (owner? employee?) grill the skewers, which made it feel even more Japanese, haha.

The first skewer I tried was mushroom, and wow, you really have to try it. The mushroom was so full of juice — mushroom juice, I guess? — the flavor was incredible.

The garlic was really tasty too, and the ginkgo nut had such a fun texture! I actually kept nibbling the ginkgo nut more than the garlic, haha.

The tomato-bacon skewer was good too — the tomato was cooked just right, not too soft, not too firm.

The shrimp and chicken skin skewers were great too. Especially the chicken skin — the person sitting next to us liked it so much they ordered another round. Right, it's so good... chicken skin is irresistible.

A Dangsan date course: Kaken, then sunset at Han River Park

After a solid drink at Kaken, a bar worth knowing near Dangsan Station, we walked straight over to Han River Park in the cool air, and such a pretty sunset was setting in. This would make a great Dangsan Station date course!

Final verdict on Kaken

Kaken, a bar worth knowing near Dangsan Station, was a place I found on a whim, but it's close to the station and has such a strong Japanese izakaya vibe — perfect for when you're craving Japan and want to fill that longing just a little.