Sinnonhyeon oden bar with warm sake and an oden platter: Odeng Osaek

Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch: a Japanese-style oden bar from the storefront in

Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch is a Japanese-style oden bar tucked in an alley between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. The exterior leans into wood-textured signage and lighting, nailing that izakaya feel right from the entrance.

This place is dripping with Japanese atmosphere~! The exterior is so pretty and Japanese-looking. The wood-textured sign and lighting give it exactly that izakaya feel.

I've been completely obsessed with tokkuri lately. So when a friend and I were looking for a bar near Sinnonhyeon Station for round two after work, we ended up at Odeng Osaek Gangnam. It was one of those days when I really wanted the full Japanese oden bar vibe. After a light first round, heading to a place with this izakaya feel for round two really shifts the mood.

Address: 1st floor, 42 Seochodae-ro 73-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Where is Odeng Osaek? Between Sinnonhyeon and Gangnam Station, with outdoor seating

Odeng Osaek Gangnam is roughly in the alley between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. It's not a bad walk after work, so I'd guess plenty of people find it searching for bars near Sinnonhyeon Station.

The interior is on the spacious side, so it never feels cramped — good for settling in and drinking at ease. If you're looking for a roomy bar near Sinnonhyeon Station, this one's worth considering. Even a bigger group coming for round two wouldn't feel squeezed. And there's outdoor tent seating too, which is a nice bonus, haha.

The second we sat down, I ordered the tokkuri first, lol.

The basic side snacks were crackers and tuna!! Surprisingly tasty too.

What we ordered: tokkuri sake for 9,000 won and oden moriawase for 24,000 won

At Odeng Osaek Gangnam, we ordered the tokkuri for 9,000 won and the Japanese oden moriawase for 24,000 won. Since I've been so into tokkuri lately, there was no hesitation on that order.

The tokkuri had a subtle aroma that spread gently as it went down. A different kind of charm from cold beer — the kind of drink you sip slowly and savor. The cup is cute too, lol.

The moriawase brings together all sorts of different oden on one plate, so it's the best choice when you want to try a bit of everything. Next up, the moriawase platter arrives.

The best bite on the oden moriawase platter was the simmered radish

All the different oden pieces were delicious, but the radish was the best of all. It was simmered so thoroughly that it broke apart softly with just a light press of the chopsticks. The warm broth aroma had soaked deep into the radish, so one bite and the broth's scent bursts out. I thought about ordering another one à la carte, but I was too full — pass!

Eating it alongside the tokkuri, the warm broth oden and warm sake combo paired really well together.

The fried tofu pouch, lol — this one's tasty too. It's fun dipping it into the broth.

All the other oden pieces had different textures too, so you never get tired of it and keep reaching for more. That one looks kind of like rice cake...?

In between, we kept snacking on the crackers and tuna too!!

Some of the oden had a chewy texture, others were soft, so it was fun picking through a variety. There was even egg — a nice little surprise point.

Chomp chomp. Dipped in the broth, it's got a bit of sweetness and tastes great.

Broth refills at Odeng Osaek come in a spicy version too

The bean sprouts cut through the richness nicely. Dipping each piece one by one is quietly addictive. The broth in particular is really good — and when you refill it, you can choose the spicy version! I went spicy, and it turned out to be surprisingly hot.

This is really the perfect spot for a second round. Sure, you're full, but there's the fun of taking your time and picking at things one by one, haha. It kind of brought back memories of being in Japan, haha.

Is Odeng Osaek worth it for an after-work second round? Final verdict

Odeng Osaek Gangnam Station Branch was really satisfying as a second-round spot after work. If you're looking for a bar near Sinnonhyeon Station, it's worth a visit at least once. The variety of oden made it fun.

I'd especially recommend it to anyone looking for a tokkuri-and-oden combo. With its spacious interior and pretty exterior, it'll stick in my memory as a bar near Sinnonhyeon Station. I think I'll come back here next time I'm craving tokkuri.

Wrapped up today with two bottles of tokkuri again!! Highly, highly recommend for round two!!!