Magongnaru izakaya with aged sashimi for a late drink: Kuro Yakitori

After going out with friends and completely filling up on meat for round one, we were looking for somewhere light for round two and ended up at a spot near Magongnaru known for aged sashimi! It's an izakaya called Kuro near Magongnaru — the vibe was really good and the aged sashimi quality was super satisfying, so I'm bringing you the review haha. Here's my honest take on Kuro, which was perfect as a second-round bar :)

Where is Kuro Yakitori?

• Location: 168 Magokseo-ro, Room 105, L-dong, Lux9 Officetel, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (5-minute walk from Magongnaru Station Exit 1)
• Hours: Opens daily at 17:00

Walking to Kuro Yakitori from Magongnaru Station

Come out of Exit 1 at Magongnaru Station and walk straight for about 5 minutes — you'll find it on the 1st floor of L-dong in the Lux9 Officetel building! When you see Ilmi-jip Gamjatang, turn left and go through the alley and you'll spot it quickly. But heads up, Kuro apparently has both a yakitori shop and an izakaya shop? Not sure if they're run by the same owner, but they're two different stores, so make sure not to get confused when finding your way haha.

Inside Kuro Yakitori: the look and mood

Kuro is on the 1st floor of the building, and one whole wall is floor-to-ceiling window glass, so it feels open and airy looking out! The interior is toned down and dark, quite modern and clean, which makes it perfect for a stylish second-round drink~ As soon as we sat down, they brought out cold barley tea, which was a nice way to start!

Side dishes and what we ordered

The free cabbage salad side dish

After getting the menu and placing our order, the basic side dish was set out — a crunchy cabbage salad with a savory, nutty sauce that kept my chopsticks going back for more haha. It was perfect for light snacking with barley tea before the main dish arrived!

Ordering the aged sashimi platter

Since we'd already filled up on meat during round one, we ordered the aged sashimi, which was perfect as a second-round snack! The sashimi lineup was quite varied and generous — salmon, tuna, sweet shrimp, and more — so it passed with flying colors just on looks haha.

How does the aged sashimi at Kuro Yakitori taste?

I put a little wasabi on top and dipped it in soy sauce! It definitely had that chewy yet tender texture unique to aged sashimi, and it was genuinely so delicious ㅠㅠ The tuna and salmon quality were so good that it was fully satisfying as a simple drinking snack haha.

The radish hiding under the sashimi

But there was a little mishap while we were eating haha. I assumed what was under the salmon slice was of course sliced cabbage or onion, so I picked it up with the salmon and popped it straight in my mouth. Turns out it wasn't onion — it was shredded radish, just basic garnish — and I chewed it and was shocked ㅠㅠ I guess you're not really supposed to eat what's underneath the sashimi, but I hope none of you mistake it for onion and eat it together like I did haha.

Verdict: a second-round bar rather than a first-round meal

Kuro Izakaya might feel a bit lacking in quantity if you're going straight there for round one to fill your stomach, but it was fantastic for enjoying high-quality aged sashimi and dishes in a nice mood as round two! If you're deciding on a second-round bar near Magongnaru, I'd totally recommend Kuro Izakaya haha.

Today I wrote up my review of Kuro, the aged sashimi spot near Magongnaru that I completely fell for during round two with friends! If you're craving cool barley tea and a quality bite of sashimi around Magongnaru, definitely give it a visit :)