Rainy-day makgeolli and nurungji chicken hot pot: Hwieol Migeum

Today I visited Hwieol, located in the Migeum Station bar alley :)

It was raining that day, so I found myself craving warm broth and makgeolli, and I went — the food turned out to be so much better than expected.

At first I just wanted a casual drink, but looking at the menu there were so many things I wanted to try! From hot pots to muchim (seasoned raw seafood) to all kinds of anju (drinking snacks), there was a huge variety and everything looked delicious, so choosing was actually a struggle. In the end we went with the set menu, and I think that turned out to be the right call haha.

Hwieol Migeum Branch business info

• 📍Address: 25-6 Migeumil-ro 74beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, 1st floor
• ⏰Hours: Mon–Thu 16:00–01:00 / Fri–Sat 16:00–02:00
• Closed: Sundays
• 🚗Parking: Street parking in the alley
• 🚽Restroom: Shared, inside the building — clean!

What's the vibe inside?

It's tucked inside the Migeum Station bar alley, so it wasn't hard to find from the station.

Overall the lighting is on the dim side, but each table has its own light, so the mood felt calm. Every seat also has a partition, so it feels separated from the neighboring table — more private than I expected.

Menu and happy hour discount

Looking at the menu, everything looked good and the food quality seemed high, which made it hard to choose. There's quite a variety of dishes too, so I'd like to try other menu items next time.

At opening time there's a happy hour with 50% off drinks! With today's prices, soju for ₩2,500 is such great value 🥹 We ordered set 2 that day!

1. Whole squid muchim

The whole squid was so large it caught my eye as soon as it arrived. It was cooked just right — no chewiness at all — and eating it with the sweet-and-tangy sauce and vegetables was really good. The squid itself was plump with a satisfying bite, and the sauce wasn't too intense, so I kept reaching for more.

2. Nurungji chicken hot pot

This one was delicious from the very first sip of broth — a rich chicken stock with a strong nutty flavor. It had tender chicken thigh meat and plenty of vegetables inside, so I really enjoyed it.

Since we visited on a rainy day, we also ordered makgeolli, and the chilled makgeolli paired perfectly with the hot pot.

3. Basic anju

At first I thought it was just a shrimp cracker, but it was coated in a sauce like Ppuring Kkal (a spicy-cheese seasoning), and it was way better than expected haha. Even this basic snack was delicious, which made a great first impression.

Overall impression

I personally like this kind of dim-lit bar, and having a separate light at every table meant I could still see the food clearly while keeping the mood nice. I especially liked that every seat has a partition, so I didn't have to worry about the neighboring table. Even though it's in a busy, noisy bar alley, inside the store it feels much calmer to drink.

The menu ranges from hot pots to muchim to all kinds of anju, so there's plenty of variety to pick from depending on your taste. Everything we had that day was satisfying, and I'd like to try other dishes next time.

Visiting on a rainy day and having makgeolli alongside it, the warm, rich nurungji chicken hot pot paired with cold makgeolli was such a good combination. It felt like the kind of pairing I'd crave again more on a day like this than on a nice sunny one.