Hongdae bar for native chicken yakitori: Soottori Hapjeong

After work, my boyfriend and I were looking for an izakaya in Hapjeong and ended up at Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong (숯토리 홍대합정점).

Since it was autumn, they had all the windows open.

Skewers and a glass of draft beer by a breezy seat—it was the perfect evening.

An izakaya in Hapjeong open late

It stays open until 4 a.m., so it is great for a second or third stop. There are window seats looking outside, plus tables where you sit facing each other.

The tables are divided by partitions, so even when it is busy, you can focus on your conversation.

A lot of Hapjeong izakayas have tables packed tightly together and get noisy, you know?

This place was not like that. The lighting, the projected videos, every bit of the interior felt cool. It felt like stepping into a little bar down some alley in Japan.

Yakitori grilled over charcoal with native chicken

Soottori makes yakitori with native Korean chicken. Yakitori specialists using native chicken rather than standard broiler chicken are not common.

That makes the meat firm and chewy. You can also watch the skewers grilling over charcoal.

They keep grilling skewers on one side, and just watching them made me more excited. Once seated, we got barley tea and pickled cabbage. The tea was nutty and the cabbage was fresh—perfect for resetting your palate between skewers.

The table is well stocked with seasonings such as shichimi, sansho pepper, and soy sauce. Recommended pairings are written down for each skewer, so I kept switching up the dips.

What we chose on the table-order menu

You order from the table screen, and even after scrolling and scrolling, it never seems to end.

There are more than 20 individual yakitori choices alone, plus bacon rolls, kushikatsu, karaage, tebasaki, udon, and hot-pot-style dishes.

They also have sweet shrimp sashimi, Korean beef yuk sashimi, and tako wasabi. Drinks range from draft beer to highballs, sours, and sake. We wanted charcoal-grilled skewers, so we started with the native chicken yakitori set and two Tori iced draft beers.

Tori iced draft beer

The Tori iced draft beer came out first.

These days, lots of places charge over ₩5,000 for one draft beer, but it is ₩3,500 here.

It comes in a frozen glass, so the coldness is on another level, and the foam is soft. The carbonation is perfectly lively too.

Native chicken yakitori: seven random skewers

The native chicken yakitori random set comes with seven skewers for ₩19,900. Considering each skewer is around ₩3,000, it is definitely a better deal than ordering individually. That day, we got chicken skin and thigh meat.

• Shoulder meat
• Tail meat (bonjiri)
• Knee cartilage
• Chicken heart
• Neck meat

There were so many cuts, which made it fun to taste them one by one.

The charcoal aroma had really soaked in. Although it is a random set, I liked that it was centered on the main cuts.

I noticed something funny. I like fatty things, while my boyfriend likes lighter flavors. As we ate all seven kinds, our preferences split so clearly.

• If you like rich, fatty cuts: skin, tail meat, knee cartilage
• If you prefer lighter cuts: neck meat, thigh meat, shoulder meat

If you go as a pair, there is no reason to fight even if your tastes differ. You can just share the cuts each of you likes.

The savory signature bonjiri

The best of the seven was the tail meat. The name is a little creepy, but one bite tells you why bonjiri is Soottori's signature. It is the part of the chicken that moves the most, so the fat practically runs out.

But it is not greasy. It is tender yet chewy, and a savory flavor builds as you chew. Now I understand why it is called the toro of chicken. If you love fatty cuts, you have to try this one. You can order it separately too. After finishing one plate, we ordered it again haha.

Black pepper karaage and a second beer

Our second order was black pepper karaage. It was ₩13,900.

The karaage here is divided by cut. You can choose wings, breast, or thigh, and choose between black pepper and red flavors. We chose thigh meat. The skin was thin and crisp while the inside stayed juicy—classic karaage exactly as it should be.

Honestly, it was more appealing than fried chicken. The black pepper fragrance comes through gently, so it does not feel greasy. The cabbage salad alongside it was crisp, nutty, and refreshing, which made a great pairing. It was delicious dipped in the spicy sauce too.

For our second drink, we ordered Sapporo draft beer. It was ₩5,500.

That is ₩2,000 more than the Tori draft beer.

After trying it, it definitely had a stronger malt aroma and more bitterness. The beer itself was good, but honestly, regular Tori draft beer would do just fine. Considering the ₩2,000 difference, Tori is the better value. Of course, if you like a strong malt flavor, Sapporo is for you.

After eating, I realized I was not very drunk haha. Maybe because we had filled up on protein with skewers and karaage, my stomach felt comfortable too. Even if you are dieting, I think you would be satisfied ordering what we did.

There was one fried dish, but most of it was grilled meat. We wanted another drink each, but held back for the sake of tomorrow-me. The autumn streets on the way home, pleasantly buzzed, were just lovely.

Even on a weekday evening, the place gradually filled up. There were groups of friends, couples, and international guests too.

Seven native chicken yakitori skewers for ₩19,900 and draft beer for ₩3,500. With good food and a great atmosphere at those prices, it is no surprise people flock here. If you are looking for an izakaya bar in Hapjeong, how about Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong? Make sure to try the bonjiri tail meat. I am 100% willing to return.