Sangsu Station izakaya on a chilly day: Sootmakase udon set, Soottori

After work, I went to Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong, an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) near Hapjeong, to have a beer with a friend over some snacks (the Korean slang is "ganmaek", a quick drink with light bites). The mood was great for chatting, and the variety of good-value dishes won me over too!!

Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong location, hours and parking

Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong is at 18 Dongmak-ro 9-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 1st floor, and it's open every day from 18:00 to 04:00 (from 17:00 on Fridays and Saturdays). There's no parking, and it's a 7-minute walk from Hapjeong Station.

It's 7 minutes on foot from Hapjeong Station and 6 minutes from Sangsu Station, so this Hapjeong izakaya was easy to get to.

The restaurant has no parking space of its own. If there's a wait, register on the Catch Table device in front of the restaurant and wait there!!

Is Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong good for a date?

The inside is styled like a fusion izakaya, and the lighting is a little dim, which makes it a nice place to talk. I'd recommend it as a Hongdae date-night bar too.

Maybe thanks to the slightly dim lighting, the vibe was really good for chatting.

Window bar seats with an open-air pub feel

Besides group seats and table seats, Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong has bar seats by the window. And this was my favorite part!! On cool days like these, you start craving an open-air drinking spot ("yajang", a street-side outdoor pub), right? The window in front of the bar seats is left open, so it feels just like one ❤️

Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong menu and skewer sauces

Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong sells skewers and à la carte dishes, and skewers are the main menu!! True to a skewer specialist, every seat has sauces that go well with skewers, and the tablet also lists which sauce to pair with each skewer. It's fun to follow them one by one, you know?

The complimentary starter when you sit down is cabbage! For some reason, at izakayas this kind of cabbage seems to go down endlessly, haha.

What I like about Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong is that besides skewers, it also sells à la carte dishes. They range from meal-style dishes to light snacks, so it's easy to visit for a first round or any round after.

What comes in the Sootmakase udon set (38,900 won)?

The Sootmakase udon set is ₩38,900 and comes with 7 charcoal-grilled yakitori and kimchi yuba udon (udon with fried tofu pouches). We had Sootmakase, a twist on omakase (chef's choice), and you can enjoy it with various à la carte dishes such as the fresh seafood set and the Korean beef set!

• Sootmakase udon set ₩38,900
• 7 charcoal-grilled yakitori + kimchi yuba udon

Kimchi udon with fried tofu, perfect for a chilly day

The weather suddenly turned a bit chilly that day, and the hot kimchi yuba udon was just right. It's spicy and rich, so I think it'd make a great snack with soju. It has big pieces of fish cake, fried tofu and udon noodles, and the chewy noodles were really delicious 👍🏻

Iced Sapporo draft beer (5,500 won)

The iced Sapporo draft beer is ₩5,500, and we ordered it the moment we sat down, haha. Just like the name says, it comes in an ice-cold glass, and one sip makes your thirst totally vanish T_T It really washes away the whole day's fatigue... The draft machine seems to turn over fast too, because the beer tasted fresh.

Seven yakitori skewers, grilled and served one at a time

For the yakitori in the Sootmakase udon set, they grill and serve them in order while you're drinking beer and having the kimchi udon. Instead of everything arriving at once, they bring them one by one as they're grilled, so they don't go cold and taste even better, haha. It really felt like having omakase!!

You get 7 different cuts, including shoulder, chicken skin, pork neck and heart. The staff explained each cut, and they were chewy and tender, so tasty. They're slightly salty, so I highly recommend them as a beer snack..

Is Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong worth a return visit?

The atmosphere, the friendliness and the food were all so satisfying at this Hapjeong izakaya, Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong!! I really recommend it.