Friday-night team dinner in Sadang, retro bar: Jindallae Silbi

This review includes a visit paid for with the writer's own money.

A Friday evening, why everyone met in Sadang

After work on a Friday, my coworkers and I decided to grab drinks. Since I live in Suwon, everyone agreed to meet in Sadang to make it easier on me. And Friday night in Sadang was, as expected, absolutely hopping.

Once we settled on Sadang, we debated where to go and ended up choosing Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch, known for its generous spread of side dishes.

Thanks to booking ahead, we got in without any trouble even on a busy Friday night. I actually saw quite a few people wandering around nearby, unable to find a table anywhere.

A retro bar near Sadang Station

I arrived first and walked in, and the vibe hit me right away — this place really nails that 1980s–90s retro feel.

I heard the owner of Jindallae Silbi was born in '86, and honestly, our sense of nostalgia lined up perfectly since I was born in '84. Haha. A Cho Yong-pil poster for a Maccol generation kid like me — what more do I need to say.

There was even a poster for Il Mare, a movie I used to love, and old-school props filling every corner that brought back that retro feeling.

Even the music matched the era, which made me weirdly happy. If you're into this kind of retro vibe, you'll start pulling up memories the moment you walk in.

Is the loud atmosphere okay?

And yeah, it's loud. These days some bars ask you to keep it down the moment your voice rises even a little, but there's none of that worry here. It's seriously loud. Haha. There were also a few group tables on one side that night, which might have made it even louder. Anyway, for someone as loud as me, this place was the perfect fit.

A silbijip serving up 15 side dishes

Once everyone arrived, the side dishes started appearing one by one.

They said there'd be 15 dishes, and I thought, no way — but they really kept coming. Haha. Pink sausage, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), soy-marinated crab, abalone porridge, bossam (boiled pork wraps), pork cutlet, kimchi jeon, steamed whole squid, raw fish — the variety was incredible.

With each dish added, the table filled up fast.

With food like this, the drinks just kept flowing. We ended up ordering bottle after bottle of beer and soju. Haha.

I learned that 'silbijip' refers to a bar that serves generous side dishes at affordable prices. I always thought silbi just meant cheap, but apparently it comes from a term meaning actual cost — kind of a fun fact. Haha. Once I knew the name's origin, it suited this place perfectly.

The raw fish was better than I expected

Among the 15 side dishes, the one that stuck with me most was the raw fish. I didn't expect this kind of quality from a bar. The fish is gwanggeo (olive flounder), sourced by an owner with 20 years of experience in Japanese cuisine. I wasn't expecting much from sashimi at a bar, but it turned out to be quite good.

The texture itself was great, and it had real umami — almost too good to just be a drinking side dish. The friend I brought along kept raving about how good the fish was, too.

The unexpected standout: kimchi jeon

Then there was the kimchi jeon. Our table's order got mixed up somewhere along the way, so we got kimchi jeon instead of the buchu jeon (chive pancake) we'd ordered. But you know what — I love kimchi jeon. And this place's kimchi jeon was genuinely delicious.

Food came out a little late and I was about to get annoyed, but one bite of the kimchi jeon and all was forgiven. Haha.

It was hands-down the best kimchi jeon I've had recently. I actually regretted not finishing it before we left.

Jindallae Silbi turned out to be a solid Sadang spot for a team dinner

When I asked my coworkers about it on Monday, they all said the food was consistently good and they were satisfied. I also brought along some friends who live alone, and seeing them dig into such a generous spread, I felt glad I'd invited them.

More than anything, what made Jindallae Silbi fun wasn't just the food but the atmosphere. The 1980s–90s retro vibe really came through, and it suited a loud, lively drinking night perfectly.

Jindallae Silbi delivered on both taste and vibe. Had a properly fun, wild drinking night on a Friday. Haha.