Late-night Seoul bar open until 4am near Sadang: Gyeongseong Sanghoe
In short
Gyeongseong Sanghoe is a Japanese-style izakaya in a semi-basement on Bangbaecheon-ro, about 180m from Sadang Station Exit 13 in Seocho, Seoul. From the counter seats I watched the skewers hit the grill and the day's fish being sliced, and ordered the five-skewer omakase assortment (19,000 won), today's sashimi for two (19,000 won) and Kirin draft beer (9,000 won). Open until 4am with last order at 3:20am, Gyeongseong Sanghoe is one of the easiest Sadang spots for a second round.
Good to know
- Location
- 12-3 Bangbaecheon-ro, B1F, Seocho-gu, Seoul (180m from Sadang Station Exit 13)
- Hours
- 16:30 to 04:00 the next day (last order 03:20)
- Parking
- No parking lot of its own
- Today's sashimi
- 19,000 won for two (minimum order of two servings)
- Five-skewer assortment (omakase)
- 19,000 won
- Kirin draft beer
- 9,000 won
- Sashimi a la carte
- Flounder, sea bream, salmon: 12,000 won for 6 pieces each / akami (lean tuna): around 14,000 won for 5 pieces
- Complimentary snacks
- Pickled chili peppers, braised konjac
- Price reference
- ₩12,000 ≈ $8.8 · ₩14,000 ≈ $10.5 (2026-09-16)
as written by the visitor on Sep 12, 2026
What kind of bar is Gyeongseong Sanghoe?
Gyeongseong Sanghoe, the Sadang izakaya, is a Japanese-style tavern in a semi-basement in a Bangbae-dong alley, 180m from Sadang Station Exit 13. The interior has that old-tavern feel and the menu centers on sashimi and skewers, so I'm mostly just letting the photos do the talking here.
Photo by Gongnan-ssi
- Gyeongseong Sanghoe
- 📍 12-3 Bangbaecheon-ro, B1F, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
- 🕒 Hours: 16:30 – 04:00 the next day (last order 03:20)
- 🅿️ No dedicated parking lot
- 180m from Sadang Station Exit 13
The Sadang branch of Gyeongseong Sanghoe is a good spot for after-work drinks near Sadang Station, or for keeping the night going into the early hours after a first round elsewhere.
How to walk from Sadang Station Exit 13, and the semi-basement atmosphere
A cozy vibe that calls for a drink
Walk about three minutes from Sadang Station Exit 13 and you'll spot a building with a yellow sign, black exterior, and even a red lantern hanging out front. The sign is written in Chinese characters, and you enter by going down a set of stairs into the semi-basement.
Open the door and the mood shifts completely. Bare-bulb lighting under a worn ceiling, wooden tables, retro props like old caramel ad posters on the wall — it's a different vibe from the bars you usually see around Sadang. Wooden partitions separate the tables, and toward the back there's a long open bar counter where they grill sashimi and skewers right in front of you.
Once seated, you get pickled peppers and braised konjac as basic side dishes — not too salty, clean flavors, good for cleansing the palate before the main dishes arrive.
Gyeongseong Sanghoe menu and prices
There's a wide range on the menu — set menus, sashimi, grilled skewers, hot pots, fried dishes, and more.
The dishes and side menu cover sashimi, grilled skewers, hot pots, grilled items, stir-fries, and fried dishes — a nice range so you can pick to your taste.
There's also a good drinks lineup — highballs, sake, Japanese shochu, draft beer, and Korean soju.
What we ordered: today's sashimi for two, the five-skewer assortment and Kirin draft beer
Today's sashimi for 2 — ₩19,000 x2 Five-skewer assortment (omakase) — ₩19,000 Kirin draft beer — ₩9,000 x2
The draft beer came out first, and honestly it looked refreshing just to look at ^0^
Sitting at the counter seats meant I could watch the skewers being grilled up close, which was great.
Why the five-skewer assortment is a no-choice omakase
Skewers came out first. You can't pick which ones you get in the five-skewer assortment — it's omakase-style, whatever's ready that day. The first four skewers to arrive were a chicken skewer topped with mentaiko mayo (pollock roe mayo), a butabara (pork belly) skewer, a king oyster mushroom skewer wrapped in bacon, and a crispy-skinned chicken wing skewer.
The mentaiko mayo skewer had that salty roe and savory mayo melting right into the chicken, so my chopsticks kept going back for more, and the skin skewer was crispy outside and juicy inside — a great match for beer.
What comes in today's sashimi, including engawa (fin meat)
They prep today's sashimi right in front of you too.
Next came the main event — today's sashimi. This dish requires a minimum order of two people, and that day's lineup was flounder, salmon, sea bream, akami (tuna), amberjack, and abalone, totaling 20 pieces. À la carte, flounder, sea bream, and salmon sashimi run ₩12,000 for 6 pieces each, and akami (tuna lean cut) is around ₩14,000 for 5 pieces.
The sea bream was lightly seared skin-on to bring out the aroma, and the flounder was cut thick with a chewy bite. The akami had a vivid red color with little fat, so it was good just with a touch of wasabi.
The grilled shiitake mushroom (shiitake nikuzume) and grilled eggplant that came later — genuinely, genuinely delicious. This was the day I realized how much I love eggplant and shiitake.
Honestly, how big does a flounder have to be to produce engawa this large? One piece filled my whole mouth.
Gyeongseong Sanghoe verdict: what worked and what didn't
The clear strength of Gyeongseong Sanghoe, the Sadang izakaya, is the atmosphere. It's rare to find a Japanese-style tavern near Sadang Station with retro interiors this well done, and staying open until 4am means you can drop in late. Today's sashimi also changes composition daily, so it's fun getting a different combination each visit.
Since the five-skewer assortment is a no-choice omakase, if you're set on a specific cut, ordering it à la carte separately might be the better move. For me, everything they served was satisfying.
★★★★★ Gyeongseong Sanghoe, the Sadang izakaya, is worth remembering as a Sadang Station spot with old-tavern charm where you can enjoy fresh sashimi and skewers into the early hours.
Where it is
12-3 Bangbaecheon-ro, B1F, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea서울특별시 서초구 방배천로 12-3 지1층 경성상회
