Yeoksam date night with seafood pancake and pork suyuk: Kkeutjang

My girlfriend and I went back and forth on dinner for a while, and she said she wanted spicy soup AND something hearty to go with drinks, so we ended up at Kkeutjang Yeoksam (끝장 역삼), a Korean restaurant near Yeoksam Station known for its food haha 😊 They serve jang kalguksu (spicy noodle soup), pancakes, boiled pork, and makgeolli, so let me walk you through what we ordered.

Where is Kkeutjang Yeoksam and how do you get there?

Kkeutjang Yeoksam sits at 12 Nonhyeon-ro 98-gil, 1F, right in the alley roughly halfway between Yeoksam and Eonju stations, so it's a comfortable 10-minute walk or so from either one. The alley is one block in from the main road, which might be a bit confusing at first, but the sign itself is big and easy to spot, so once you're in the area you won't have trouble finding it.

• 📍 12 Nonhyeon-ro 98-gil, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ 11:00 – 23:00
• 🚘 No confirmed dedicated parking — use a nearby paid lot
• 📝 Reservations available via Naver

Floor seating with hanok-style vibes inside Kkeutjang Yeoksam

The moment we walked in, a row of floor tables that felt like wooden soban trays stretched out in front of us, and it genuinely felt like stepping into a hanok house.

The lighting was on the softer side too, which was nice for photos, and the seats were spaced generously enough that the neighboring table's chatter didn't really bother us.

Why pancakes and anju are only served from 5pm

There was a sign saying pancakes and anju (drinking snacks) at Kkeutjang Yeoksam are only orderable starting at 5pm. If you're planning a lunchtime visit, worth keeping this in mind so you don't make a trip for nothing. We got there around 6.

Ice-cold makgeolli mixed with cider, 5 to 1

See the ice piled up at the bottom of the kettle? Thanks to that, we could drink it cold right down to the last glass!

Okay, let's dig in...

We like mixing a little cider (Korean lemon-lime soda) into our makgeolli — it adds sweetness and fizz for an even more refreshing taste. A ratio of about 5:1 makgeolli to cider hits the spot, so give it a try sometime!

Free barley rice with one dish per person

Near the kitchen there was a detailed sign explaining how to use the barley rice and extra side dish station, so even first-timers could just follow along without getting confused. A small thing, but that kind of signage is genuinely convenient.

It also noted that the barley rice is free only if everyone orders one dish per person — worth keeping in mind if your group is planning to split dishes.

I topped mine with mu-saengchae (spicy radish salad) and drizzled on some sesame oil to mix it up.

The nutty sesame oil smell hit as soon as I scooped a spoonful, and the radish salad here wasn't overly tangy, so I finished the whole bowl without any effort. It was good enough that I wanted to fill up on this before the mains even arrived. But I couldn't do that, could I? haha

Gabrisal pork suyuk with bossam radish kimchi

While we were eating, the suyuk (boiled pork) arrived! It came sliced into thick pieces with a light sprinkle of sesame seeds, still steaming, so we dug in right away while it was hot — not too fatty, so it never felt greasy and we kept reaching for more.

First, we tried it with the bossam radish kimchi that came alongside it.

The rich pork flavor combined with the spicy radish kimchi cut through the fattiness perfectly. They also have a kalguksu-and-suyuk set menu — I highly recommend it. If you're visiting for lunch, go for that.

How big is the haemul pajeon (seafood and scallion pancake)?

And then the seafood pancake showed up. The size was overwhelming, and that crispy edge — how am I supposed to resist that?

Picking through it piece by piece with chopsticks was half the fun. Big chunks of clams and squid were packed in generously, so every bite felt substantial, and we also tried it topped with cheongyang chili for some heat — perfect for cutting through the richness.

Finishing the meal with free yogurt

There was a row of dessert yogurts lined up in the fridge, so we each grabbed one on the way out — the tang cut through the richness in our mouths and made for a perfect finish.

Overall, from the soup to the pancakes to the boiled pork, we got to cover all the bases, making Kkeutjang Yeoksam, a Korean restaurant near Yeoksam Station, a great spot for two people to eat hearty. Especially with the gabrisal suyuk and seafood pancake alongside ice-cold makgeolli, it'd make a solid date spot in Yeoksam for anyone who loves pancakes and rice wine. If I ever need pancakes on a rainy day, I think I'll come back here!

📍 Walkable from Yeoksam and Eonju stations, low wait times / 📱 Tablet ordering at the table, free barley rice and yogurt with one dish per person / 🥢 Recommend the gabrisal suyuk + seafood pancake combo, try the ice-cold makgeolli mixed 5:1 with cider too / ⏱ Pancakes take time to cook, so order them right at the start