Sweet shrimp sushi you build yourself at Cheonjan, a Sadang izakaya

I had plans with a friend in Sadang over the weekend, and while looking for a spot for round two, I found Cheonjan — great vibes, and apparently amazing seafood snacks! Hadn't been to an izakaya in a while, but the fresh, chewy texture of the sweet shrimp and the crispiness of the corn pancake made it a perfect second-round choice, so my friend and I were both happy. Sharing it here!

📍 Location: 66 Dongjak-daero 7-gil, 1st floor, Dongjak-gu, Seoul / 🚊 270m from Sadang Station exit 10 / 🕖 Hours: daily 17:00 - 02:00 / 👦🏻 No-kids policy

What does Cheonjan, a Sadang Station izakaya, look like inside and out?

Cheonjan is a ground-floor izakaya in an alley 270m from Sadang Station exit 10. The exterior has a real Japanese feel to it, which made me curious about the inside.

You can check the menu right outside the shop, so a lot of people grabbing round two after dinner near Sadang Station were reading the menu before heading in. There are set meal options good for eating a full meal, plus a wide range of dishes, hot pots, and sides.

The inside of Cheonjan isn't huge, but it's cozy, with a good amount of space between tables, and there are private-feeling seats with partitions too.

On weekends — Fridays, Saturdays, and public holidays — Cheonjan limits table time to 2.5 hours. There's also a phone charger at the counter, which is handy if you need to top up your battery.

The fridge is stocked with cold drinks, and since it's an izakaya, a variety of sakes caught my eye.

For someone like me who cares about having an indoor restroom when picking an izakaya near Sadang Station, Cheonjan was a great choice.

Cheonjan's menu and sharing platter prices

Cheonjan's set meals are priced at ₩52,900 for A, ₩68,800 for B, and ₩101,900 for C. All come with salmon, yukhoe (raw beef), sweet shrimp, rice, seaweed, buckwheat pancake, and geotjeori (fresh kimchi) as a base, with different sides added depending on the set.

The menu itself is printed on crinkled, vintage-looking paper, and the varied food photos made everything look even more delicious.

There are also plenty of a la carte dishes — sashimi, yurinchi (fried chicken with vinegar sauce), hot pots, soups — so many that it was hard to choose, and they're all great pairings for sake, beer, and highballs.

Cold water, utensils and small plates were set up, and while we waited for our order we decided to get the beer first.

Cold draft beer is always my go-to at an izakaya, and Cheonjan's draft was smooth as well as cold.

Drinking draft beer with a close friend right before sunset at a Sadang Station izakaya really cools you off from the inside.

Even as we chatted and time passed, the fizz didn't fade — a genuinely good draft beer.

Sweet shrimp, 18,900 won: rice and seaweed for making your own sushi

Cheonjan's sweet shrimp is ₩18,900, and the texture was chewy from being well aged. I love sweet shrimp so I ordered it first, and it came with rice, egg, seaweed and soy sauce, so we made our own sushi with it — delicious.

Honestly, I didn't expect much from the rice at an izakaya, but the fluffy, chewy vinegared sushi rice was better than expected.

Corn pancake, 14,900 won: loaded with fried vegetables

I ordered Cheonjan's corn pancake, ₩14,900, for my corn-obsessed friend. The corn kernels were crispy and the mayo sauce gave it a sweet-salty balance, plus it was pretty large.

The corn pancake had a lot of volume on top, and when I lifted it up, it was packed with fried vegetables underneath.

It also paired well with the shichimi mayo sauce served alongside.

The sweet shrimp was so good that before we knew it only one piece was left, and yes — we ended up ordering more draft beer before leaving!

Verdict: is Cheonjan a good second-round bar near Sadang Station?

If you're looking for an izakaya for round two near Sadang Station, Cheonjan is worth checking out. It's tucked in an alley close to the station, which made for a good atmosphere for a second round of drinks, and beyond the set menus, the a la carte dishes were solid quality too — more than I expected for enjoying good snacks and drinks with friends or a date.

If you're planning to meet a friend or go on a date near Sadang Station and izakaya dishes like sweet shrimp, salmon, or other seafood come to mind, Cheonjan is worth a visit.