Hongdae late-night bar: value set and brisket udon at Soottori

What kind of bar is Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong?

Today's find came while hunting for a second-round bar in Hongdae.

This is Soottori, a Hapjeong izakaya. I'd seen it before at hotspots around Seoul — Jongno, Sinchon, Bucheon, Sillim — but never went in. After a Japan trip where I somehow missed out on yakitori, I couldn't resist walking in this time.

This station is Charcoal Omakase, Soottori Station. Haha, the Japanese vibe is strong.

The open kitchen is right there when you walk in, charcoal skewers being made in real time. That craftsman's touch, so cool. There's Suntory whisky, and a bottle of "Dad, cheer up!!" too.

You can pay easily with Naver Pay or Zero Pay, and there are phone chargers, fabric deodorizer, and blankets on hand. Nice touch.

Seating, restrooms and how to order at Soottori

A clean, atmospheric exterior, with a good group room and a bar table with an outdoor street-stall feel.

Wide, comfortable chairs with generous spacing between seats. On the wall shelf you'll find shichimi, sansho pepper, and soy sauce.

Restrooms

The restrooms are inside the shop, separated by gender. Clean.

You order using the tablet at each table. There's everything from individual skewers to soups and full dishes, plus set menus like the charcoal omakase for 3-4+ people, the value set, and the Osaka set.

The bottle opener and coasters are so cute, I can't. There's also a receipt review event where you can get a fruit highball or 2 pieces of spicy rump skewer.

Select photo review on the tablet, write your review, and you get the rump skewer. Haha, and this rump really is delicious.

The 20,400-won value set and beef brisket seafood udon

Value set (Signature HOT + Rump HOT) 20,400 won (ice matcha draft beer + rump skewer x3 + kushikatsu), negima (chicken and green onion skewer) x1 for 3,000 won, and beef brisket seafood udon for 13,900 won. Whew, this is round two, right? Yeah... but whatever, look how pretty it is!

If you enjoy it, it's zero calories.

The kushikatsu, matcha draft, and ice draft beer came out first. A matcha draft beer, seriously... haha. The smell was odd but the taste worked in a strangely harmonious way, so it was fine. Still, the Cass ice draft was better. Haha. Kushikatsu is usually fried vegetables, but Soottori's was generously packed with chicken breast, cheese, sausage, lotus root, and quail egg.

Here's the rump yakitori I mentioned earlier. I said I'd do the review event if it was good, and it was so good I wrote the review right after the first bite.

And here's the negima, essential for any yakitori spread. Can't-go-wrong classic.

The beef brisket seafood udon. Surprisingly it had a spicy, savory feel like janchi kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup)! Plenty of beef brisket in there, and even a whole crab, whoa.

Is Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong worth a second round?

If you're looking for an izakaya with good atmosphere or a bar open late near Hapjeong or Sangsu Station, I'd recommend swinging by Soottori without much thought. Pro tip: the rump skewer is a must!!