Yeouido Japanese pub for post-movie drinks: Nani Yeouido Branch

After watching a movie with my boyfriend, it felt a little sad to head straight home, so we stopped by this atmospheric Yeouido izakaya (Japanese pub), Nani Yeouido Branch (나니 여의도점), for a casual drink!

Nani Yeouido Branch information for a first round in Yeouido

• Closed every Sunday
• Hours: 17:00–02:00
• Last order: 01:00
• Naver Booking available
• 3F, S-TRENUE, 37 Gukjegeumyung-ro 2-gil, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
• 79 m from Exit 3 of Yeouido Station

It is right in front of the station, so getting there is easy! For parking, use basement levels B2–B3 of the building!

Inside Nani Yeouido Branch, great for dates or gatherings

This Yeouido izakaya was spacious and dark, with soft lighting that made for such a nice atmosphere! I especially recommend it for dates or get-togethers because the seating is partitioned and you can draw the curtains. It feels more private for drinks, and my boyfriend said he often comes here for beer with his coworkers after work ~.~

Since there were just two of us and we wanted to drink while looking outside, we took a two-person window seat haha.

A wide range of bar snacks, from sashimi to nabe

Nani has a lovely atmosphere, but it is also known as a Yeouido drinking spot with seriously good food. There was sashimi for a neat, light meal; grilled dishes including lamb, scallop cheese, mero, and mentaiko yaki; and à la carte dishes such as pasta, braises, steak, rolled omelet, and tataki. They also had tempura, creamy shrimp, fried oysters, and karaage; stir-fried dishes such as yakisoba, stir-fried bean sprouts, and okonomiyaki; plus spicy nabe (Japanese hot pot) and soups. That is why I recommend it for a first round in Yeouido haha. You have to fill up on tasty food and good drinks!!

The sake, an essential at an izakaya, was explained clearly too. There was a wide range of drinks—Korean alcohol including soju and beer, draft beer, bottled beer, and highballs—so you could order according to your taste.

They were also running a review event. You get yogurt ice cream for taking part, so it may be worth trying! We ordered the lamb shoulder rack (₩43,000), grilled mero (₩28,000), Asahi draft beer (₩10,000), and a tonic highball (₩9,000)!

What we thought of the lamb shoulder rack and grilled mero

The basic bar snacks were hardtack crackers and seaweed stems.

We wanted a light drink, so we ordered a highball and draft beer! Both were cold and refreshing, and went so well with the lamb and grilled mero haha. My boyfriend was not feeling up to drinking much, and I am a lightweight too, so this was just right—easygoing but enough to put us in a nice mood.

Lamb shoulder rack

The lamb shoulder rack looked so amazing that I could not close my mouth when it arrived! It was beautifully browned and I wanted to dig in right away.

Maybe because it was such good-quality lamb, the meat was incredibly tender! Use the scissors and tongs provided to remove the bones, then cut it into easy-to-eat pieces.

First, can you see how big and thick the pieces are? The savory richness and flavor that you do not get from tiny lamb skewers filled my mouth... ㅠㅠ There was no gaminess or tough bit at all, so it was delicious even without dipping it in anything. It came out piping hot straight from the grill plate, which made it twice as good.

The sauces served alongside were basil and cumin sauce, and dipping it made it delicious in a whole different way—what more can I say? It was already seasoned with pepper as it grilled, so it was great on its own too...

Since it is meat, it felt less heavy than carb-based dishes and filled me up quickly! Above all, the food itself was so delicious that it was one of those genuinely satisfying dishes that lets you drink happily...

Grilled mero

This is mero fish marinated in doenjang (Korean fermented soybean paste) and grilled! I ordered it because I love mero's signature soft texture and savory flavor, and it was a bar snack that paired beautifully with beer.

The grilled mero was crisp outside and moist inside. Like the lamb, it was a clean dish with none of that greasy feeling, so it sat lightly on the stomach!

Add a little wasabi, dip it in soy sauce, and it is classically delicious... Have a bite of lamb, then a bite of fish, and before you know it your drinks are gone. It was truly a place for excellent drinking food.

Because it is in Yeouido, the dishes we ordered cost a little more than at a typical university-area spot, but the flavor and atmosphere immediately made it understandable and worthwhile... I highly, highly recommend the lamb shoulder rack and grilled mero! The staff were kind and it was not noisy, so it was great for conversation too haha.