Birthday party bar in Gwangjin with salmon yukhoe: Yukhoe Gongjakso

🎂 To cut to the chase, unlimited beef egg soup refills plus high booth partitions made this the perfect birthday hangout spot.

This is Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch, a popular spot near Sejong University, 3 minutes on foot from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station and 7 minutes from Exit 1 of Konkuk University Station. They say you can eat here until 6am. How long will today go...haha. On Monday, September 21, at 5:30pm — my birthday — my friends and I walked in and got seated right away, no wait.

Yukhoe, seafood jjamppong tang, and skewers all on one table meant both food and drinks were handled at once — as a bar near Konkuk University Station, it's hard to beat for a birthday dinner course. Honestly one of the best value bars around Konkuk.

Where is Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch, and where do you park?

The address is 50 Gunja-ro, 1st floor, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. By subway, exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station (Line 7) and head into the Ongnumong alley — 3 minutes away. 🚇 From Konkuk University Station (Lines 2 & 7), take Exit 1 and cut through Hwayang Market — about 7 minutes. So whether you're a Children's Grand Park regular or coming from the Konkuk University bar scene, the walk is short either way.

• Open daily 17:00–06:00
• Corkage available
• 🅿️ If driving, check the free public parking lot near Hwayang Police Substation first. If full, the closest option is the Dongdo Centreville paid lot at ₩3,000/hour.

Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch has broken off from headquarters and is no longer part of the franchise. It's run directly by an owner who trained as a meat specialist at a five-star hotel, and we're committed to only the freshest, hand-selected beef every day. We'll take care of you from dinner all the way through late-night drinks.

🌸 Booth seats under cherry blossom lights: a quiet, stylish bar near Konkuk University

Since it was my birthday, my friends and I agreed to meet somewhere near Konkuk and went looking for a nearby bar. Since everyone was coming straight from work, we wanted somewhere that could double as dinner too, and Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch caught my eye.

I came from Children's Grand Park Station and my friend from Konkuk University Station, and both walks were easy. It felt like they'd just opened when we arrived. Walking in, the first thing you notice is the interior — cherry blossom lights covering the ceiling, and it instantly felt like being in Japan.

Every table has high partitions, so we didn't have to worry about the next table over even singing happy birthday out loud haha.

There's also a separate bar-style seating area outside, which looks comfortable for anyone drinking solo. The restroom is inside too, so no need to step out.

Japanese izakaya (pub) decor pieces are scattered throughout, which should satisfy anyone looking for a unique bar near Konkuk. You could really feel how much care the owner put into every corner of the interior.

📋 The menu at Yukhoe Gongjakso, starting at 3,900 won

Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch isn't just about yukhoe — the menu ranges from mungtigi (chopped raw beef) to yakiniku, gravlax salmon, pork trotters, bossam (boiled pork wraps), and soup dishes. The beef is Australian grass-fed rump and top round, slaughtered at dawn and flown in the same day, prepped to order the moment it comes in. Getting to eat sashimi that fresh alone was a real treat.

Extra dishes come in ₩3,900 / ₩5,900 / ₩7,900 tiers, which makes it a genuinely good-value spot for college groups near Sejong University's back gate. They were also running a promotion with 900ml sake half-price at ₩19,900. Between the affordable snacks and various deals, it's an easy place to enjoy without worrying about the bill.

There's a good range of drinks too, so pick whatever suits your taste — just a heads up, many places don't carry zero-sugar cider.

🍲 Free beef egg soup, refilled as often as you like

This beef egg soup is unlimited refills. It's made with a bone broth base, so the soup is rich, and there are decent chunks of beef in it. Add rice cakes and it's basically tteokguk (rice cake soup); order a bowl of rice with it too and you're set.

Having it before the yukhoe warms up your stomach first, so it doubled as a hangover-soup-style starter before the first drink even went down. We refilled twice, and they filled it right back up whenever we asked. Served piping hot in a stone bowl, it stayed warm the whole time.

🥩 Raw salmon yukhoe, 26,900 won: the signature dish

The raw salmon yukhoe comes with 180g of premium wagyu yukhoe and 300g of gravlax (salmon cured in a low-temperature rub of salt, sugar, and spices) salmon. Break the egg yolk and mix it in, and the sesame oil aroma comes alive alongside the grain of the meat — the chewy texture unique to top-grade wagyu really shows.

Since the salmon is cured, there's no fishy taste, just a rich, fatty flavor — I'd recommend this as the first thing to order at Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch.

It comes with shredded onion, capers, sprouts, radish sprouts, and wasabi, which all go well with the salmon. Diners can tell right away if sashimi isn't fresh these days — and it's especially something to watch out for in fall — but since the owner manages it personally, I trusted it and dug in.

🍢 Skewers and sides to drink with

Ginkgo nut skewers are ₩3,900, and fried chicken skewers are ₩8,900.

The ginkgo nuts have a slightly bitter edge that pairs perfectly with drinks, and the fried chicken skewers have a slight char that brings a smoky flavor.

The side prices are low enough that it's easy to order several and share — a great bar near Konkuk University Station for that. We also got fries, and honestly, drinking without fries just feels incomplete. Cheap and a surprisingly generous portion — loved it.

We also ordered fried dried filefish, and it was genuinely delicious. Crispy, hot, freshly-fried dried filefish is hard to come by done well, but this was really good. Cheap enough that ordering several servings didn't feel like a splurge.

Trying a bit of everything is honestly the best part. Hard to find a better value bar than this.

🍜 Ending the night with seafood jjamppong tang, 19,900 won

Honestly, the seafood jjamppong tang was really delicious — the refreshing, spicy broth kept pulling me back for more. It comes with mussels covering the entire top of the pot, plus crab, squid, and fried tofu.

Spicy and refreshing at once, with the sweetness of seafood coming through — exactly the kind of soup-based snack that keeps the soju flowing, very fitting for a bar near Konkuk University Station.

Eat down the solid ingredients first, then add udon noodles to round it out as a full meal.

Adding up just the four dishes — raw salmon yukhoe, seafood jjamppong tang, ginkgo skewers, and seasoned potato fries — came to ₩56,600 total.

With unlimited beef egg soup on top of that, it was more than enough to fill four to five people — a great spot near Sejong University. Everything else on the menu is also affordable enough that friends could easily split the bill with just ₩10,000–20,000 each.

💡 What to know before visiting Yukhoe Gongjakso

• Booth seats are limited, so if you're planning a birthday or group gathering, call ahead to confirm seating.
• To avoid the crowd of people coming for a second round at this bar near Konkuk University Station, arrive around 5:30pm like we did for an easier pick of seats.
• This is a busy restaurant alley in Hwayang-dong, so parking fills up fast in the evening — the subway is the easiest way to get here.

🎂 The verdict in one line

A birthday dinner handled in one stop — a spot near Sejong University with free beef egg soup refills and a jjamppong tang finish, top value among bars near Konkuk University Station

You can really feel the lively college-town vibe here, and since there are enough hearty dishes to double as a meal, you don't need to eat separately before drinking. How about celebrating your next birthday at Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch?