Beef sashimi bar with a mini-grill set in Gwangjin: Yukhoe Gongjakso

It had been a while since I looked for somewhere near Konkuk University Station for dinner and drinks, and I stumbled on an izakaya with really nice vibes. Let me introduce Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch, a great-atmosphere yukhoe (beef tartare) spot near Konkuk University Station :)

Where is Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch?

Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch is on the 1st floor of 50 Gunja-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. It's a 4-minute walk from Eorini Daegongwon Station Exit 4 through the Ongnumong alley, or a 7-minute walk from Konkuk University Station Exit 1 through Hwayang Market.

• ✔️ 4-minute walk from Eorini Daegongwon Station Exit 4 via the Ongnumong alley
• ✔️ 7-minute walk from Konkuk University Station Exit 1 through Hwayang Market

I took a bus and got a bit lost at first, but once I entered the food alley it was easy to spot.

The cherry-blossom exterior on the Children's Grand Park alley

I visited on a night with a warm breeze, perfect weather for open-air drinking, and they'd smartly thrown all the doors wide open. That way even the seats inside get that open-air feel〰️

Opening hours and parking in Gwangjin

• ⏰ Open daily 17:00–06:00 (last order 05:55)
• 🅿️ Free parking near Hwayang Police Box or in front of closed shops (no enforcement) / Paid at Dongdo Centreville (₩3,000/hour)
• ✅ Birthday perks
• ✅ Corkage available (free or paid)
• ✅ Terrace seating

Do you need a reservation, and is there a wait?

You can book through the Naver Reservation link, with options for group seats, couple seats, or a pre-7pm booking package — just pick whichever suits you. I booked a 6pm Friday slot with my partner and we were the first guests of the night.

Inside Yukhoe Gongjakso: couple seats and group tables

Before you even step inside, you're greeted by open-air tables that face both indoors and outdoors👋 This table setup seems to be Yukhoe Gongjakso's signature — other branches have the same kind of table.

Inside, cherry blossoms stand out in a Japanese-style interior paired with soft lighting, making it the perfect date atmosphere💕

From partitioned couple seats to group seating big enough for a crowd, there are tables to suit every taste. Having a restroom inside the shop is a total +500 points in my book👍 The ceiling is covered in lit-up cherry blossom branches, and the mood was genuinely great.

Menu, prices and what we ordered

They say all the beef used across the menu is clean-raised Australian beef, round or rump cut, slaughtered at dawn and flown in the same day, then prepped the moment it's ordered👀 Beyond beef dishes like yukhoe, mungtigi, and yakiniku, there's also a range of non-beef options like beet-cured salmon, jokbal/bossam, and ₩3,900 side dishes. ✅ There's also a 900ml sake half-price promotion going on!! (₩19,900)

• Mungtigi beef sashimi set ₩35,000
• Beef bulcho sushi ₩12,900
• 2 bottles of soju ₩5,000 x 2

The two of us ordered the mungtigi beef sashimi set — 190g mungtigi + 5 skewers + 200g budachal beef — plus beef bulcho sushi on the side, so we filled up on carbs too.

The complimentary starter: beef and egg soup

A beef bone broth-based egg soup comes standard, tasting like a mix of beef radish soup and egg soup — savory and salty in the best way… and they refill it endlessly on request👏👏

What comes in the 35,000-won mungtigi beef sashimi set

Ta-da! Here's how the mungtigi beef sashimi set arrives. The skewers were ginkgo nuts x2, spring onion chicken, heart, and chicken skin — plus yakiniku-ready budachal beef and thinly sliced mungtigi!

Truly a drink-summoning spread of food🍻

I tried the mungtigi first — it comes lightly pre-seasoned, so it felt complete on its own without needing to dip it in any sauce.

Sesame oil sauce and chojang (vinegared chili sauce) came on the side too. I tried the chojang, and honestly the tangy flavor paired surprisingly well with the raw beef sashimi?!

Grilling buchaesal (chuck flap) beef on the mini brazier

While we were eating the sashimi, they brought over a mini charcoal grill, so next we grilled the budachal beef yakiniku.

The meat was sliced thin, so it cooked really fast. I dipped the lightly grilled budachal in sesame oil sauce — grilled meat and sesame oil sauce, still the best combo,,👏

The grill's flame was barely holding on so I scrambled to throw the skewers on too haha. It happened that all the skewers were exactly the kinds I like, so I got secretly excited🤤 My personal favorite was the heart skewer!! Not the dried-out, tough kind of heart — this was chewy with just the right seasoning, absolutely delicious🥹🥹 It brought back the taste of the ₩5,000-for-5 skewers I used to buy from a food truck guy behind YBM in Jongno back in the day🥹🥹🥹

Beef bul-chobap (flame-seared beef sushi), 12,900 won

After eating mostly raw dishes, I felt a bit hollow, so I added the beef bulcho sushi to fill up on carbs. It looked like they'd practically poured on the mayo and teriyaki sauce, plus a cute garnish of radish sprouts and microgreens.

It's huge — technically bite-sized but violently oversized, spilling out everywhere💦 But honestly, isn't that a plus?

Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch in one line

I found this great-atmosphere bar, Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch, while looking for a simple meal-plus-drinks spot near Konkuk University Station! It was great being able to enjoy meat of a quality that's hard to believe for bar food — slaughtered at dawn, flown in same-day — at a reasonable price. Located right in a university neighborhood, it seemed to work for group gatherings, dates under the cherry blossom branches, and solo drinking at the counter alike.

• ✔️ A perfect open-air spot for weather like this
• ✔️ An atmosphere that suits solo drinking, dates, and group gatherings alike
• ✔️ A variety of dishes made with fresh beef
• ✔️ Reasonably priced set menus
• ✔️ Plenty of extra menu options to choose from