Cucumber gimbap and sashimi basket at Baennori, a Mangwon-dong pub

⏰ Mon–Thu 17:00–1:00 / Fri 17:00–2:00 / Sat 16:00–2:00 / Sun 16:00–1:00

🚻 Inside the store, unisex

Hello! This is Baennori, a Korean bar (한식주점) in Mangwon-dong! Let's head right in.

What Baennori looks like inside: seating and the 5pm Saturday crowd

Baennori was bigger than I expected! We sat at a 4-person table, but the bar table looked good too — perfect for a cozy drink together.

We arrived just before 5pm on a Saturday, so I figured we'd be first. But there were already more customers than I expected — a bit surprising. I think by 7pm there'd be no seats left.

How to order at Baennori: tablet ordering and the spoon you bring to pay

At Baennori you order via tablet! When it's time to pay, grab the spoon sitting in the kettle.

(Actually, thinking back, we forgot too and just went to pay — but the kind staff sorted it out right away. That was probably because we were seated right up front, so don't forget your spoon, everyone!)

I'm a soju lover so I only go to bars to drink, but if you just want to eat, on Mon–Thu you can visit as long as you order at least one non-alcoholic ade! Good to know!

I ordered my food first — let me show you the basic banchan (side dishes).

Baennori's free banchan: tofu with three toppings and ssamjang-style soybean paste

Here's the tofu! Tofu and its topping friends — from left, stir-fried kimchi, spicy soybean paste (gangdoenjang), and salted pollock roe.

I assumed tofu-kimchi would be the tastiest, but the gangdoenjang was surprisingly good! It'd probably pair well with makgeolli, but I'm a soju person myself~!

Since it's a Korean bar, besides soju and beer there's traditional liquor, makgeolli, and even highballs — so you can drink whatever suits your taste. So what did I order?

Flatfish and beef tartare sashimi basket, 39,000 won: half and half, both good

The Flatfish & Beef Tartare Sashimi Basket, ₩39,000. It's a half-and-half of flatfish sashimi and beef tartare! I wanted flatfish, and my partner loves tartare, so this menu was a perfect match!! There's also a flatfish + beef tartare set, so if you prefer more tartare, pick that one!

We ate the flatfish fin, the beef tartare, and wrapped both in seaweed! It would've been nice if the flatfish were a bit chewier, but we enjoyed it as it was! Even as-is, it's a perfect match for soju!

But the real reason I came here was...

Baennori's cucumber gimbap, 4,000 won: the side that beat the main

This is it — cucumber gimbap (seaweed rice roll)! ₩4,000. Seriously, the cucumber gimbap has such a satisfying bite — no tuna in it, but it tastes like tuna gimbap! It was so good I asked my mom to make it for me when I got home.

(She still hasn't, though — because I'd already turned all our cucumbers into cucumber water kimchi ㅠ)

It's also delicious with flatfish or tartare piled on top of the gimbap! There's a set with tartare and gimbap together, and since it wasn't in the menu I ordered, I thought I couldn't add it — but you actually can add cucumber gimbap as a side dish! Please, order it. I'm the person who enjoyed the side dish more than the main — remember the cucumber gimbap!

There was somewhere else I wanted to go, so we kept it light as our second stop, but there are so many good dishes here that next time I'd love to come and really dig in! We forgot, but I think there was a review event for something like yakgwa ice cream? So if you visit, be sure to enjoy everything properly.

Oh wait, one more thing!

Is there a restroom at Baennori? Yes, inside the venue

I love that Baennori's restroom is inside the store. I really hate having to go outside to find a bathroom, haha.

If you're on a date around Mangwon-dong looking for good food, give Baennori a try! And don't forget to order the cucumber gimbap~! Seriously, that cucumber gimbap — crunchy, clean, the best!