Oden bar with individual warmers and outdoor seats: Cheolgil Busanjip

Beomgye izakaya 'Cheolgil Busanjip Beomgye Branch' Location: 19 Pyeongchon-daero 217beon-gil, 1st floor, unit 106, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Hours: Fri-Sat 17:00-4:00 / Sun-Thu 17:00-2:00

Mornings and evenings have gotten quite cool lately, so it feels like fall might really be coming😉 Whenever autumn hits I start craving fish cake broth with a drink, so I went to 'Cheolgil Busanjip Beomgye Branch,' famous as an oden bar haha. It's already well known as a Beomgye izakaya so I'd been meaning to check it out, and sure enough I left completely satisfied. Here's my Cheolgil Busanjip post😊

Getting to Cheolgil Busanjip from Beomgye Station, and parking

It's located: from Beomgye Station Exit 3, head toward Pyeongchon Station, and one block past Tous Les Jours you'll see it right in the alley on the right^^ If you need to park, there's a paid public parking lot on the street, so keep that in mind😉

I personally love fish cake, and thanks to the individual warmer system and amazing broth, this is a place that never disappoints me👍

Outdoor drinking season is slowly arriving, and isn't eating oden at the outdoor bar-style seats just so atmospheric😍 No wonder it's famous as a Beomgye date course👍

The interior and the vibe of the bar-style seats

When we walked in, the regular seats were already full and only the bar-style seats were left, so we sat down without hesitation haha — and right after us a waiting line started forming👏 (perfect night timing haha)

Under the soft lighting, this separated space would be great for a date with a partner, and just as good for chatting with friends — a comfortable atmosphere for a drink no matter the occasion😉

The bar-style seats have their own kind of romance, making them perfect for a Beomgye date spot👍

Cheolgil Busanjip's menu lineup

Cheolgil Busanjip's signature is of course fish cake👏 Order the fish cake set and you get to try an assortment of different kinds!! Order a set and you also get a hearty meal at a reasonable price, great for dinner or for a solid second round of drinking snacks👍

There's a really wide range of drinks too, from traditional liquor to distilled spirits, sake, highballs, draft beer, and soju — pick to your taste^^ What we ordered was:

• Haeundae set (fish cake for two + kushikatsu)
• Herjabl highball
• Hanmaek draft beer

There's currently a receipt review event where you get 2 extra curly fish cakes, so it might be worth joining in😉

What we ordered: individual warmer, Herjabl highball, kushikatsu

The real merit of Cheolgil Busanjip is the individual warmer at each table, letting you enjoy hot fish cake right to the end — and everything looked clean and well-managed, so I trusted the hygiene without a doubt👏

Our drinks came out first😍 I personally love highballs and I also love the Starbucks Zabhul drink, so a combination of the two? Couldn't skip that haha. The refreshing grapefruit aroma and sweet taste made the drinks go down so easily🍺

You already know how good a highball and fried food combo is haha

Pollack, cod, squid, hairtail, potato, green beans — every single fried piece was so tasty😉

In particular, this tartar sauce cuts through the greasiness of the fried food, and dipping it once more in the chili sauce on the right makes it spicy enough that you keep reaching for another drink — a truly addictive side dish🤤

The pollack and cod were so tender they disappeared after just a few chews haha, and the chewy squid was also so good👍 Personally I loved the hairtail too, which tasted like a croquette, and the potato fries, like mashed potato, were perfect with beer haha

The fish cake set for two and the 5-hour broth

Next came the fish cake set for two, and the handmade fish cake — need I say more haha. Zero flour taste, just excellent chewiness👍

And their secret broth, simmered for 5 hours, is enough on its own to knock back a whole bottle of soju haha. It's slightly spicy, so I basically drank it like water✌️

The japchae fish cake and cheese fish cake were unique, so it was great being able to enjoy so many different flavors, and especially — the familiar taste hits hardest — dipping the basic curly fish cake in soy sauce was surprisingly amazing haha (why is sweetish soy sauce so good😋)

Our favorites were the konjac and fried tofu mochi, plus the chewy rice cake skewer — the chewy texture is so charming that once you try it, you keep coming back for more haha. You can also order extra of just the fish cakes you like, so eat your fill😉

Final thoughts

Cheolgil Busanjip proved itself a Beomgye izakaya with a great atmosphere and food to match. It's a comfortable, low-pressure spot for friends or couples alike, so I think I'll be back often whenever fish cake weather comes around😆