Ansan izakaya for beef tartare and draft beer: Banwolga

Now that the weather is getting cooler, outdoor drinking season is back! I love the outdoor bar street in Gojan-dong, Ansan, and this time I visited Banwolga, a spot with great vibes and amazing bar food. I found my lifetime-best beef tartare and draft beer here...! It was so insanely good that I’d go back just to eat them again.

Banwolga, an outdoor izakaya in Gojan-dong

Banwolga is on the main outdoor-bar street in Gojan-dong, Ansan. The outdoor tables and chairs are sturdy and comfortable, so it felt perfect for a date while enjoying the outdoor-drinking atmosphere in cool weather.

Inside, it was a cozy, atmospheric izakaya. It would be great as a second-stop bar with friends, and it also seemed like a good place for group gatherings or work dinners.

You can reserve ahead, and if you make a reservation through Naver, they give you a hangover-relief set!! It includes vitamin C before drinking, sweet honey during, and a hangover remedy at the end—I was so touched.

A lifetime-best beef tartare spot

Do you like yukhoe (Korean beef tartare)? I absolutely love it, and the yukhoe here was insane...! It was easily one of the best beef tartares I’ve ever had.

The Korean beef itself was high quality, and because it was sliced thinly, it was tender and practically melted in my mouth!? With sweet, crisp Asian pear added in, it was a clean-tasting beef tartare with a subtle sweetness.

The beef tartare is insanely good even on its own, but dip it in the egg-yolk sauce and you’ll feel pure bliss. The sauce is rich and thick, with the nuttiness of egg and sesame oil, and it made the beef tartare’s flavor explode.

It also comes with a generous pile of minari (Korean water parsley). Eating it with the beef tartare adds a fragrant note that makes everything feel fresher.

It tastes even better when you layer the beef tartare and egg-yolk sauce on the gamtae (seaweed). If you’re looking for great beef tartare in Ansan, please make sure to visit this place at least once!!

Spicy tomato hangover pasta

I wanted pasta and also craved something warm and brothy, so I ordered the spicy tomato hangover pasta too. It was packed with clams, squid, and shrimp, and the portion was seriously generous.

The broth is what matters in hangover pasta, and this was a broth I kept sipping: seafood umami and freshness, plus the sweet-tangy flavor of tomato! The kind of broth that makes you think of soju and end up drinking too much... haha.

Once you finish the pasta, you can add cheese risotto to the remaining broth and tomato sauce—and this isn’t optional, it’s essential!! It was risotto loaded with nutty cheese in a seafood broth full of umami, an addictive dish that kept making me reach for another spoonful even when I was full.

Draft beer from a draft-beer master

Banwolga = draft beer. Start with the draft beer, seriously. I love beer, so I’m picky about draft beer, but the beer here was truly insaneㅠㅠ

You know truly delicious draft beer tastes good from the foam onward, right? It looks dense and soft at a glance, but it’s not just foam—it’s practically cream.

I have a favorite draft-beer place in Seoul, but as of today, this is my favorite draft-beer place.

When I was paying and leaving, I saw that the owner has a draft-beer master certificate!? No wonder... the draft beer quality was on another level... If you want to meet a truly delicious lifetime-best draft beer, I recommend Banwolga’s draft beer!

Banwolga at a glance

• An outdoor bar with great atmosphere
• A spot for tender beef tartare
• Draft beer from a draft-beer master is essential!
• Cheese risotto with the hangover pasta is essential
• Recommended for an Ansan outdoor-bar date course

Location and opening hours

It is on the main street of Gojan-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do. Hours are 17:00–01:00 Sunday through Thursday and 17:00–02:00 Friday and Saturday, and Naver reservations are available.