Seoul izakaya 6-course skewer omakase in Mapo: Yakitori Shomong

Today was one of those days where I wanted a cold drink after work, so I brought my cute junior coworker along to Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch 🍺

Where is Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station and how do you book?

Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch is about a 4-minute walk from Mapo Station Exit 3 (✿◡‿◡). You'll need to book via Naver Reservation or Catch Table before visiting, so keep that in mind! Since we went on a weekday evening, we pre-booked through Catch Table :)

There's also a flagship location near Gyeongui Line Forest Park nearby, worth knowing about too!

• Mon–Thu, Sun 17:00–23:00 (last order 22:00)
• Fri–Sat 17:00–24:00 (last order 23:00)
• No parking available

What comes in the omakase courses at Yakitori Shomong?

Source: image provided by Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch via Naver

The 3/6/9-course omakase is ordered per person, and you can also order individual skewers 🍢

• A la carte 🥘 yakisoba, grilled shishamo, chicken nanban, seafood tomato hot pot, clam sool jjim (steamed with soju), gyu tataki, avocado yukhoe (beef tartare), grilled marbled snapper cheek
• Small dishes 🧆 pollack roe potato salad, basil cream tomato, fig cream cheese, mochi tofu
• Drinks 🍶 sake, draft beer, highballs, soju, bottled beer

You order by scanning the QR code on the table and tapping in whatever you're craving 😋

Drinks: Yebisu draft beer and a Kaku Bin tonic highball

My Yebisu draft beer arrived 🍺 It had been so long since I'd had draft beer,, 🥹 To me it wasn't overly carbonated and had that grainy lager flavor.

My cute junior's Kaku Bin tonic highball also arrived 🥂 I snuck a sip — the sweet-bitter flavor of tonic water hit first, followed by a subtle whiskey aroma haha. The alcohol from the whiskey wasn't strong, just so you know :)

The 6-course omakase: all six skewers

We ordered the 6-course omakase. Starting with these empty plates~

Skewer one: chicken tenderloin

Ta-daa ✨✨✨ The first course was chicken tenderloin. Super tender with the juices still intact 🍗 For my taste, the salt seasoning felt a bit strong overall haha.

The seasoned pickled squash side dish and a sip of beer reset the palate before moving to the next course. Vroom vroom 🚗

Skewer two: negima (chicken and scallion)

Negima, ta-da! Chicken thigh skewered with pieces of scallion in between :) The charcoal aroma and scallion flavor blended really well 🔥

Skewer three: tsukune (chicken meatball)

The third dish was tsukune (grilled chicken meatball skewer) ✪ ω ✪ This was the one I was most looking forward to, and as expected, it was my favorite.

Break the soft-boiled egg over it, dunk it well in the soy sauce, and honestly — is this heaven 😇

Skewer four: grilled chicken heart

Fourth up was grilled heart. Chewy and springy texture first, then the savory flavor of the organ meat lingered in the mouth!

Dip it in shichimi (Japanese seven-spice) and the flavor doubles 👍

Skewer five: chicken shoulder

The fifth dish was chicken shoulder. Compared to the tenderloin, it was chewier and had more texture :)

Skewer six: chicken wing

Finally, the sixth and last course arrived — chicken wing! Since the bone is left in, just debone it carefully as you eat 🪽

Yakisoba, the extra order worth adding

We were full, but couldn't resist ordering yakisoba on top. The portion was seriously huge,,, the noodles seemed thinner than usual and it reminded me of takoyaki flavor 😎 It had shrimp in it too, and with the cabbage and soft-boiled egg, it was a completely can't-go-wrong combination!

Naver review event and seating at Yakitori Shomong

If you write a Naver review at Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch, you get a tomato pickled in plum sauce 🍅 I've made this at home before, but the combination of plum and tomato is genuinely, genuinely delicious,, everyone should try making this at home!

At the bar table, you can watch the skewers being grilled directly over charcoal. At the regular tables, the floor-to-ceiling windows let you take in the Mapo neighborhood shops at a glance 👀

So how was my review of Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch today? It's a great space for gatherings or date nights, and the food is just as good, so if you've got plans near Mapo, I'd recommend giving it a visit.