Nurungji highball and perilla oden at Gangnam bar Odeng Osaek

I visited Odeng Osaek, a great spot in Gangnam when you want warm broth snacks and highballs together.

Where is Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch, and what are its hours?

Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch is on the 1st floor at 42 Seocho-daero 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul. It's a convenient spot to swing by for a second round after dinner near Gangnam Station, or to start the night with a light drink.

• Sun–Thu 16:00–02:00 (last order 01:00)
• Fri–Sat 16:00–04:00 (last order 03:00)
• Takeout, reservations, group seating available, Wi-Fi
• Separate men's/women's restrooms, parking available

Inside the Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch

Inside, the wooden tables and warm lighting gave the place an izakaya feel. I especially liked that every table had its own burner, so you could keep the oden broth simmering hot while you ate.

Odeng Osaek menu and prices

What comes in the Odeng Osaek couple set?

We ordered the couple set. This time, the couple set included the following:

• Basic Busan hand-made oden set
• Oi tangtangi (smashed cucumber)
• Negi takoyaki

The sides can be chosen, so keep that in mind.

Tuna salad and crackers were served as a basic starter. Piling the tuna salad on top of the crunchy crackers had a salty, smooth flavor that naturally got the appetite going. It was a nice light bite before the oden and sides arrived in earnest, and the contrast between the cold starter and the hot oden broth worked really well together.

Just as our appetite was building, the main dishes started coming out.

Simmering the basic Busan hand-made oden set on the tabletop burner

The basic Busan hand-made oden set comes with konjac, kkobuli (curly) hand-made oden, and mul-tteok (rice cake) as standard, and I chose cheese oden and perilla leaf oden to round it out. Rather than ordering just one dish, being able to enjoy broth snacks, cold dishes, and warm sides together made this a great combination for two people.

The oden comes out in the pot, and you simmer the broth right on the tabletop burner. Each skewer had a different shape and texture, so it was fun picking through them one by one.

The konjac soaked up the broth's flavor cleanly, and the kkobuli hand-made oden had a chewy texture unlike your typical flat fish cake. The mul-tteok, left soaking in the broth long enough, turned out moist and soft.

Cheese oden and perilla leaf oden

On top of the basic set, I also tried the cheese oden. Dipped in the warm broth, the fish cake's mild flavor got an extra boost from the savory cheese, making it feel a bit more filling. Among all the skewers, this one had a soft, rich flavor worth picking if you're an oden fan.

Dipping it in wasabi soy sauce gave it a clear accent — personally, dipping was more my style. The perilla leaf oden showed perilla leaf visible in its cross-section, giving it a more fragrant note than regular fish cake, and it paired well with the clear, hot oden broth. On a slightly cooler day, this broth alone would probably be satisfying enough. And notably, the broth at Odeng Osaek is refillable — with a fresh batch of broth provided individually for each refill, which felt much more hygienic than at a typical oden bar.

Oi tangtangi (smashed cucumber) and negi takoyaki

The oi tangtangi that came with it was thick-cut cucumber topped with sesame seeds. It was great paired between the hot oden broth and the takoyaki, and its crunchy texture helped refresh the palate.

The negi takoyaki was topped generously with sauce, mayo, and green onion. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, the takoyaki with its sweet-savory sauce paired really well as a highball snack. It added a nice change of pace to a menu that might have felt a bit one-note with just oden.

What does the nurungji highball with nem moi taste like?

For drinks, we ordered a nurungji (scorched rice) highball and a bourbon highball. They came in big glasses packed with ice, good for alternating with sips of the oden broth. The nurungji highball caught my eye especially since it's made with nem moi, a Vietnamese liquor. Seeing a drink I'd come across on a recent trip to Vietnam again at an oden bar in Gangnam naturally brought back travel memories. True to its name, it had a subtle, toasty character, worth ordering if you're after a highball with a different profile. The bourbon highball was a more familiar, clean choice. The two had such different characters that ordering one of each to share made for a fun comparison.

Is Odeng Osaek worth a visit near Gangnam Station?

Odeng Osaek in Gangnam was a great place to simmer oden at the table and take your time, making it easy to cover both dinner and drinks in one stop. With the couple set, tasting the Busan hand-made oden alongside the oi tangtangi and negi takoyaki gave a well-rounded menu that didn't feel lopsided. Above all, an uncommon item like the nurungji highball with nem moi made it memorable. If you're near Gangnam Station looking for a combination of warm broth snacks and highballs, give it a visit. Dishes done for today ;)