Pork belly bean sprout stir-fry at Hamaru Hoegi, a Hoegi izakaya

I was looking for somewhere good to grab a drink with a friend in Hoegi and ended up at Hamaru Hoegi, near Kyung Hee University. Whenever I go to an izakaya I like ordering a bunch of different things instead of sticking to one dish — skewers, stir-fries, all of it — and this place had such a wide menu that picking was half the fun haha. So this time we went all out and ordered a whole spread.

Where is Hamaru Hoegi, and what is the mood inside?

Hamaru Hoegi is on the 1st floor of 11 Gyeonghuidae-ro 1-gil, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. It's right between Hoegi Station and Kyung Hee University, so it's a great spot if you're meeting up around here.

Inside there are regular tables and bar seats, and the Japanese-style props and interior give it that distinct izakaya vibe. It felt just as good for a relaxed drink with a friend as it would for a date — a solid Hoegi bar either way.

From skewers to stir-fry: what we ordered at Hamaru Hoegi

Hamaru's menu goes way beyond yakitori, with teppanyaki, stir-fried dishes, and specialty items all on offer. What we ordered that day was stir-fried pork belly with bean sprouts, buttered shrimp and scallops, and the 5-piece yakitori omakase. Then, once we got going, we wanted more skewers and added a heart skewer on top haha.

Cabbage comes out as a free side, which is nice to nibble on while you wait!

What comes in the 5-piece yakitori omakase?

The 5-piece yakitori omakase comes with a random selection of skewers.

So part of the fun is not knowing which skewers you'll get haha.

Since the omakase is random, our lineup that day was king oyster mushroom, tsukune (Japanese chicken meatball skewer), cheese tenderloin, cherry tomato, and wing.

The tsukune in particular came with an egg yolk on the side,

and the cheese tenderloin had cheese piled generously on top, so each skewer looked distinctly different.

Even after finishing all five, we still wanted more skewers, so we ordered a heart skewer on top haha. Starting with the omakase to sample a range and then adding whichever skewer you liked best seemed like a solid approach.

Buttered shrimp and scallops

Along with the skewers, we also ordered the buttered shrimp and scallops.

Being a completely different type of dish from the yakitori, it was great for switching things up across seafood and skewers at the same table.

It's a good dish to order alongside other plates when you want a spread of small bites at a Hoegi izakaya.

Pork belly and bean sprout stir-fry: the best plate to share

We also ordered the stir-fried pork belly with bean sprouts. If yakitori is the kind of dish you pick at one skewer at a time, this stir-fry is the one for digging into together as a group.

Since Hamaru serves a range of Japanese dishes beyond yakitori, it seemed like a good spot for a group with different tastes to visit together.

Looking for a good izakaya to drink at in Hoegi?

Hamaru Hoegi was a Hoegi izakaya with a wide range of options, from yakitori to seafood to stir-fried dishes. Personally, I prefer ordering several dishes to share rather than just one, so this kind of menu lineup really suited me. I also liked that you could enjoy a variety of skewers through the 5-piece omakase and then top up with whichever skewer you wanted, like we did haha.

If you're looking for somewhere relaxed to drink with friends near Hoegi or Kyung Hee University, or a good-atmosphere Hoegi bar for a date, Hamaru Hoegi is worth checking out :)