Chilean sea bass and cha-dol ramen set near Saetgang Station, Seoul

Today was one of those especially gloomy days at the hospital, so after work I went out for a bite and a drink to shake it off... haha. On days like that, I just can't resist good food and a drink.

The place I'm introducing today is one where the food quality was seriously impressive among Yeouido izakayas — especially fun because you can watch everything being grilled fresh right in front of you at the counter grill. The freshly grilled skewers and dishes were properly delicious, and honestly my gloomy mood just melted away. Let me introduce this Yeouido restaurant, Yeouido bar, Yeouido izakaya right now!

Hours and location

Open daily 17:00 to 01:30 the next day (last order 00:30), open every day of the week, no closed days.

It's located across from the KBS annex in Yeouido, and reservations are available through Naver Reservations.

Exterior and interior

There were two entrances — one leading in from inside the building, and one connecting directly to the street. Once inside, you immediately get a strong Japanese-style interior vibe.

At the center of the restaurant sits this huge open grill, and if you sit at the bar counter you can watch everything from the prep to the grilling happen right in front of you. Honestly, watching this, you can't NOT order a drink.

Besides the bar counter, there were quite a few 4-person tables too. Partitions were placed between the tables, which gave a nice sense of privacy.

A fish aging fridge — looked like salmon.

What's on the menu

Since the grill is the main event, there's a wide variety of grilled dishes. Among them, chicken skewers (yakitori) and grilled fish seemed the most popular.

There were also drinking-snack dishes like the beef brisket bean sprout stir-fry, and lighter side menu items.

There are also set menus that let you enjoy skewers, soups, and dishes together at a more affordable price! We ordered the grilled Chilean sea bass and the beef brisket bean sprout stir-fry (includes cha-dol ramen).

Basic side dish — fried egg

The basic side dish served with drinks, a fried egg. Perfect for lightly coating the stomach.

Grilled Chilean sea bass — over 90% lean meat

Next up was the grilled Chilean sea bass. Since it's grilled slowly right at the counter as soon as you order, it does take a while to arrive — but that's exactly why the flesh came out so moist and tender, with that signature rich, oily flavor and umami that bursts more the more you chew. Amazing.

At other places that serve grilled Chilean sea bass, sometimes you get a cut that's almost all fat with barely any meat. Here, the lean meat ratio was easily over 90%, which made me super satisfied.

Beef brisket bean sprout stir-fry (includes cha-dol ramen) — ₩25,000

So I honestly didn't read the menu carefully and thought only the beef brisket bean sprout stir-fry would come out. About 2 minutes into eating, the cha-dol ramen suddenly showed up too, and I was like, wait, what — haha. Checking the menu again, it did say in small letters underneath "(includes cha-dol ramen)." But honestly, getting both the stir-fry AND the ramen for 25,000 won at a Yeouido bar is an absolutely insane deal.

And even the amount of beef brisket in the stir-fry was no joke.

The cha-dol ramen broth was seriously incredible too. Not your typical plain ramen broth — it was deeply spicy in a jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) style, with the rich, savory oiliness of the beef brisket fully soaked into the broth. Take a sip mid-drink and it completely resets your stomach. Soju just goes straight down after that.

Vanilla cheese ice cream

Last up was the vanilla cheese ice cream, received as a Naver receipt review perk. It comes with a butter waffle, and the golden cheese drizzled on top of the ice cream was especially delicious.

Wrap-up — order these two if it's your first time

Overall I came away fully satisfied, from the signature robatayaki atmosphere of watching everything grilled right in front of you, to the food quality itself. The grilled Chilean sea bass in particular was really satisfying since it wasn't a fatty cut but was packed with moist lean meat.

And the beef brisket dish that comes with the spicy cha-dol ramen on top of the stir-fry is pure value for money. Both dishes we ordered were so satisfying that if you're visiting for the first time, I'd definitely recommend trying these two!