Yeongdeungpo izakaya, bag basket at every bar seat: Nani Byeolgwan

What is Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch, an izakaya behind Times Square?

Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch is an izakaya at 1F, 183 Munnae-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, open Mon–Sat 18:00–02:00 (last order 01:00). Yeongdeungpo is where I always end up meeting my friends from Incheon! We never really have a good spot to go, so we usually just settle for another grilled meat place — but this time we picked a Yeongdeungpo izakaya for a change. Maybe it's the warmer weather and summer creeping in, but I've been craving chicken skewers lately. And honestly — I had no idea a place like this existed in Yeongdeungpo!

Indirect lighting with an old Gyeongseong-era mood

The interior has this vibe like old Gyeongseong-era Seoul, with soft indirect lighting that made the whole atmosphere really nice. Great mood for a date! The table next to us was clearly on a blind date (I was smiling to myself). Early dates really should happen somewhere dim — the results are just better that way.

A bag basket at every bar seat, plus seating on the second floor

Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch has both bar seats and table seats. The inside is bigger than I expected, and there's a 2nd floor too, so it seems fine for small groups or larger parties alike. I sat on the 1st floor — the stools are high, but each seat has its own basket underneath, so even with the tall chairs it was easy to stash my bag. A lot of places only give you one basket per table, so having one at every seat was a really convenient touch.

The free side dish and the three menus we ordered

The complimentary side was a salad with a yuzu syrup sauce. Slightly salty, total beer food, and refreshing enough that we finished it before the beer even arrived.

I'd told myself I was cutting back on drinking, but,,,, if you're at an izakaya you've got to have at least a sip of beer, right??? Still, out of conscience I only had one bottle. We ordered three dishes: chicken skewers, pork belly scallion skewers, and shin ramyun risotto. I went back and forth between the shin ramyun risotto and the yaki udon, but the shin ramyun risotto's look on the menu was too intriguing and unusual, so I went with that!

It happened too fast for me to get a photo, but the staff flipped over a shin ramyun cup, set it upside down on the plate, and shaped the dish right at our table when they brought it out. So cool.

Chicken skewers: tender, with no burnt spots

I ordered the chicken skewers without much expectation, thinking it was just a standard item, but I was surprised by how good it actually was. Looked like it was made from chicken thigh — the meat was so tender, no chewy bits at all, cooked perfectly through. The sauce was great too, and there wasn't a single burnt spot — genuinely well made. I've always eaten chicken skewers with at least a little char somewhere, so this level of smoothness was a first for me. Normally I get tired of the sauce and leave some skewers unfinished, but this time I cleaned the plate completely. It seemed to take longer than usual to come out — maybe that's what happens when you cook it slow over low heat...? I'll have to ask my friend who runs a restaurant.

Shin ramyun risotto: rose sauce and crisp noodles at the bottom

The best dish of the ones we ordered — the shin ramyun risotto! I figured I already knew the flavor, but thanks to that rose + shin ramyun combo, it was just the right amount of sweet and just the right amount of spicy, and it paired perfectly with the chicken skewers. It's a risotto so there's rice, but underneath, there was ramyun sitting at the bottom like a crunchy chip — genuinely a standout touch. Having two different textures together kept it interesting, and we scraped the plate clean. A real must-try for anyone who likes rose sauce dishes. I'm not even that into rose sauce normally, and this was still amazing. I'll probably order this again next time. A dish that can't fail!

Pork belly scallion skewers, just as tender

Last to arrive was the pork belly scallion skewers. Even though it's pork belly rather than chicken, it came out cooked in the same smooth, tender style as the chicken skewers before it. Seems like every skewer here goes for that same soft texture! The skewer dishes do take a bit of time to come out, but it seems like that time goes into getting the doneness just right. If any friend tells me they're going here, I'll definitely recommend they order at least one of the skewer dishes.

The menu at Nani Byeolgwan and what to order next time

I've attached the menu — there's a wider variety than I expected, without much overlap between dishes. All three things we ordered were well seasoned and really tasty, so I want to try everything else next time. This visit was just the two of us, so we couldn't order the salmon sashimi, but next time I'll bring more people, drink some draft beer more comfortably, and try the yaki udon, fried oysters, and semi-dried squid too. The food was great, and the location right behind Yeongdeungpo Times Square made it super easy to get to! Highly recommend!