Jongno izakaya for second-round drinks: mentaiko tamagoyaki at Ilsim

After a work dinner, I headed out for a second round with a friend!! I went to Ilsim, a Gwanghwamun-area izakaya near Jonggak known for its great drinking snacks 🧡🧡

Where is Ilsim? Jonggak Station Exit 2, second floor of 94 Building

Ilsim, my go-to Jonggak bar recommendation, is close to Exit 2 of Jonggak Station on Line 1, so it's really convenient to get to by public transit. At the entrance there's a board with that day's sashimi and recommended dishes, so you can check right away!

Ilsim is on the 2nd floor of 94 Building! It's a traditional Japanese izakaya sitting right in the Jonggak office district — a place I've come to often for a drink 🧡🧡 It's genuinely popular haha.

Inside Ilsim's 60-pyeong room: how far apart are the tables?

It's over 60 pyeong, so I remember being surprised the first time I visited haha. It's way more spacious than you'd expect. The whole space feels roomy and clean!!

Once we got a table, it was time to order 😎 Let's take a look at the menu at Ilsim, my recommended Jonggak/Gwanghwamun izakaya.

Ilsim's menu: skipping the sashimi on a second round

Whenever I come to Ilsim I usually get sashimi, but since our first round was already at a sashimi place, we skipped it this time! True to an izakaya, the menu is really varied, right?

From assorted sashimi to motsunabe (offal hot pot), kamonabe (duck hot pot), and beef sukiyaki, Ilsim has all sorts of traditional Japanese dishes ready to go. This time we ordered beef sukiyaki and mentaiko tamagoyaki 🧡🧡

It didn't take long for our order to arrive!!!

The food comes out fast here, which I really appreciate. I live way out in Gyeonggi-do, so I can't exactly take my time hahaha. I love sukiyaki, so I order it often when I come to Ilsim — you really have to try it.

Ilsim's beef sukiyaki, with two egg yolks for dipping

Here's the beef sukiyaki at Ilsim, my recommended Jonggak/Gwanghwamun izakaya 🧡 Sweet soy-based broth loaded with meat and vegetables — so hearty!! With how chilly evenings have gotten lately, a warm soupy dish like this is honestly the best drinking snack, hehe.

Tables at Ilsim are spaced well apart, so you can chat freely over drinks without worrying about the next table — that's a big reason I keep coming back 🧡

Sukiyaki bubbling away is exactly the kind of warm bar snack you want. The broth is salty but not overpowering, so you just keep eating it hahaha. It would honestly pair perfectly with soju all on its own 🤣🤣🤣

And then there's the egg yolk kicker!!! They give you two whole yolks, hehe. Dipping the beef deep into the yolk is pure gold... They're not stingy with the yolks here, which I love 😎 You've got to dunk it in deep like this hahaha.

The beef wasn't tough at all — nice and tender, so it was really enjoyable to eat 🧡🧡 The savory aroma of the beef blends beautifully with the light, sweet vegetables, so it works great as a drinking snack but also goes well with rice if you want dinner and drinks together!!!

Mentaiko tamagoyaki at Ilsim: a huge portion

Fluffy, pillowy mentaiko tamagoyaki (rolled egg topped with seasoned pollock roe)! The size is no joke, right? A thick rolled egg piled high with mentaiko on top — if you love eggs, you absolutely have to try this. The portion is seriously huge.

Ilsim's tatami room for groups of up to 16

Oh, and Ilsim, my recommended Jonggak/Gwanghwamun izakaya, also has a group tatami room that fits up to 16 people, which is probably why so many people come here for after-work dinners or office gatherings 👍

The egg was moist yet fluffy, with a sweet egg flavor that was really tasty. My friend loves eggs and this was the first time we tried mentaiko tamagoyaki, and it was way better than expected — genuinely surprised us 👍👍

I worried the mentaiko might be too salty, but the balance between egg and roe was just right, so we kept going back for more hahaha. With that moist texture on top, ordering this as a side dish was absolutely the right call — very satisfied.

Why Ilsim is worth it as a Jonggak izakaya

A clean, quick round of drinks, then rushing back to Gyeonggi-do~ Moments like this make me want to move back to Seoul, but hahaha, maybe living for these little Seoul outings isn't bad either? If you're looking for a Japanese bar near Jonggak Station with a good atmosphere and great food, I recommend Ilsim, my go-to Jonggak/Gwanghwamun izakaya pick!