Hongdae izakaya couple-ring date: ₩66,000 set for 2 at Gusa Yeonnam

Now that the weather has turned cool, I keep craving something sizzling off a teppan (iron griddle) with a cold drink. I was back in Hongdae for the first time in a while with Cheol, so I wanted a cozy date spot. I'd also spent the morning at the hair salon and hadn't eaten, so we headed to Gusa Yeonnam (구사 연남), where you can have both a proper meal and drinks.

Where is Gusa Yeonnam in Hongdae?

Gusa Yeonnam is on the basement level of Yeontral Tower, tucked down an alley just off Hongdae's main street. Once you turn into the alley, the strongly Japanese-style entrance greets you.

The menu board outside is nice and big, and the entrance is on the right.

There are seats set up outside too, and eating out there would have been nice, but a sudden shower came and the inside looked so good that we ate indoors. Next time I'd love to try the patio seats.

Gusa Yeonnam interior, atmosphere and seating

The inside has wood-tone interiors and soft lighting, so it feels warm and snug. Little Japanese knick-knacks are displayed all around, and it honestly felt like visiting a small izakaya (Japanese pub) in Japan.

Book the teppan counter seats in advance

The dacchi (counter) seats in front of the teppan look great, and the relaxed table seats are nice too, so it's a perfect place for a date. The counter seats were already reserved when we went, so we couldn't sit there, sob. They'd be great for watching the cooking, so I'd reserve ahead!

The free side dish was a crunchy cabbage salad, and I liked that tissues, wet wipes, cutlery and so on were already set out at each seat. The cabbage salad was salty and I kept eating it, haha.

Gusa Yeonnam menu and how to order

There's no paper menu at Gusa Yeonnam; you scan the QR code on the table to order. A Naver receipt review event was also running, so it's worth joining in and trying a variety of dishes.

Scrolling through the QR menu, there are lots of dishes. There were plenty of single items, but the Signature Set for 2 (₩66,000) jumped out at me as good value for tasting the key dishes. It comes with wagyu, grilled black tiger shrimp, okonomiyaki (savory Japanese pancake) and a noodle dish, so we picked it without a second thought. There's also a set for 3, and since teppan cooking is the specialty, there were so many dishes I wanted to try, sob, haha.

Gusa Yeonnam is famous for teppan dishes, but also for Japanese dishes like okonomiyaki and yakisoba (stir-fried noodles). They range from basic styles to tomato, mentaiko (spicy pollock roe) and Kirai, so you can pick to taste. There are simple sides too, and they looked like a good match. I considered the garlic butter fried rice and skipped it, and I'm a little regretful.

The drinks list was varied too: Japanese sake, Kirin draft beer and chuhai (shochu highball), plus Korean soju and beer, so it's easy to choose. For some reason I was craving something sweet like an ade that day, so Cheol started with beer and I started with chuhai, haha.

What's in Gusa Yeonnam's ₩66,000 Signature Set for 2?

The Signature Set for 2 is made up of wagyu skirt steak, grilled black tiger shrimp, okonomiyaki and yakisoba, so it's a definite win for two people. Once you order, the cooking starts on a fairly open teppan, but we weren't at the counter, so I only managed to film the start, haha;

The dishes of the set arrived one by one. Since it's grilled on the teppan right after you order, the savory smell alone was unreal. From the wagyu skirt steak to the big grilled black tiger shrimp, yakisoba and okonomiyaki, the table was packed and the generous spread looked amazing.

Wagyu skirt steak: order it medium rare

We tried the wagyu and the black tiger shrimp first. The meat was juicy and melted in the mouth. The wagyu comes cut into bite-size pieces and you can choose the doneness; we chose medium rare.

The doneness was exactly the medium rare we wanted, and with a little wasabi on top it was rich and savory. It came with stir-fried bean sprouts and garlic chives, and since the sprouts are already seasoned, it was delicious without any sauce.

Grilled black tiger shrimp, head and body prepared separately

The black tiger shrimp was plump too, with a savory, springy bite. The head and body were prepared separately for easy eating, which I thought was thoughtful. A white mayo-like sauce came with it, and its nutty richness went well.

Next came the okonomiyaki and yakisoba, the stars of teppan cooking, and they smelled delicious just from the aroma. One bite and I understood right away why Gusa Yeonnam is known as a great Hongdae izakaya. We went around 5pm on a weekday, an awkward time, yet customers kept on coming.

Tomato okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake)

The okonomiyaki was golden outside and fluffy and soft inside! We ordered the tomato okonomiyaki, which is generously filled with cabbage and seafood. The special sauce isn't too salty and has a rich savoriness, so it was perfect with drinks, and I didn't get tired of it down to the last piece.

Kirai yakisoba: about as spicy as Buldak noodles

For the yakisoba in the set we chose Kirai, described as about as spicy as Buldak (Korean fire noodles). We love spicy food, so no way we'd resist! We dipped it in the soft-yolk egg too. The noodles were stir-fried springy and not mushy, with the sauce soaked right in. It was tasty in a spicy way, and great with drinks again.

All the dishes had a salty, deeply savory seasoning, so I think they'd go well with rice, and they matched the alcohol really well too! The yakisoba had big pieces of seafood and generous toppings, so it was nice to eat a bit of everything.

Drinks at Gusa Yeonnam: draft beer, green grape chuhai and tokkuri sake

First round, keep it simple? We had a draft beer and a green grape chuhai at Gusa Yeonnam to start.

But after happily finishing the beer and chuhai, there was still quite a lot of tasty teppan food in front of us, and it felt a shame to just get up, haha. So with no need for a second round, we decided to add a Japanese tokkuri (sake flask) at Gusa Yeonnam and finish neatly! It came in a vessel like house wine, served cold, and it was delicious.

When you come to an izakaya, you can't skip the fun of sipping from those little tokkuri cups, haha. Pouring a cup each and chatting quietly was lovely. That day we'd gone to a ring workshop in Hongdae to make couple rings and then had dinner. If I didn't have work the next day I'd have kept going, but I'm an adult, so I held back.

Is Gusa Yeonnam a good Hongdae date izakaya?

Among the Hongdae izakayas I've visited in a while, Gusa Yeonnam nailed all three: food quality, atmosphere and value. One Signature Set for 2 covered wagyu, shrimp, okonomiyaki and yakisoba, so the two of us left full and happy.

If you're looking for a good date izakaya near Hongdae or Yeonnam-dong, I recommend Gusa Yeonnam, with tasty teppan dishes and a wide range of drinks. Customers kept coming in, so at peak times you may have to wait; booking ahead seems like a good idea!

• Address: 6 Donggyo-ro 30-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul (Yeontral Tower, basement level)
• Hours: Mon–Thu 12:00–23:00 (break 15:00–17:00), Fri–Sun 12:00–24:00 (no break)
• Dogs allowed, no parking
• Reservations available via Naver and CatchTable