Nowon bar open till 4am with mentaiko potato pancake: Hoejangnimdaek

My other half came all the way to see me and we had sashimi for round one, but it was too good to end there so we headed to Hoejangnimdaek for round two!! The name literally means "the chairman's house," and I found it hilarious imagining what kind of place that would be haha. Went in with that funny mindset — here's my review! Just got a discount through Supermembers haha.

Hoejangnimdaek Nowon hours and how to find the 2nd floor

⏰ Hours — one of the reasons we picked this for round two! The hours are super generous!!!!! 17:00–04:00 (until 5am on Fridays and Saturdays!!!) The chairman really does live up high — it's on the 2nd floor.

On the way up there's this gorgeous mother-of-pearl cabinet? covering one whole wall..! Seeing craftsmanship like this, put into even the smallest details, is really impressive.

Inside Hoejangnimdaek: a wide hall with mother-of-pearl cabinets for groups

Once inside, the atmosphere felt perfect for catching up with friends over drinks, so I thought it'd be a great pick for a group gathering or work dinner near Nowon Station too. (There actually was a group gathering happening.) But the space is big enough that it doesn't feel chaotic or noisy — just the right bar vibe!

True to its name, it's really spacious...! The tables are spaced far apart and the whole place is just huge — perfect for group gatherings.

Overall clean, and the sparkly chandelier adds so much to the mood — so pretty...☆

There's a spot that isn't actually by a window but gives off window-seat vibes, (though I ended up going for an actual window seat haha)

On one side there's a mother-of-pearl cabinet and vintage props, and honestly I really wanted that spot...★ (but other guests were there so we couldn't sit there..ㅠㅠ)

Free starters and ordering soju at Hoejangnimdaek Nowon

The basic snacks that came out were shrimp chips? and jjondeugi (chewy grilled snack)~~~ Been so long since I had jjondeugi~~~~~ (I don't usually eat it much, but having it again when peckish was pretty great haha)

Since it was round two~~ straight to ordering soju!!!

Mentaiko potato pancake: how big is it and is it worth a second round?

I ordered the mentaiko potato pancake!! Huge, right?!?!

The moment it arrived, the smell of golden-brown mentaiko (seasoned pollock roe) and potato pancake combined was seriously... salivating... wait, we were already full from round one, weren't we???? So strange.

What is going on with this mentaiko.. it's all piled in the middle so of course I'm going to spread it out everywhere while eating, but the amount of mentaiko was way more than expected!! The mentaiko smell is so strong.. anyone who genuinely loves mentaiko, you have to order this!!!! So good!!!!!!!!!!

Wanted to eat it fast~~~~ so I spread it out for easier eating, nom nom

Honestly the mentaiko was salty enough that it was fine without sauce, but the sauce that came with it — sriracha maybe? — wasn't overpowering, so it paired well. Squee><

Spreading the mentaiko out nicely. Even though a good bit of time passed while cutting and spreading it, the cheese still stretched forever>....<

It was way tastier than expected, so even though it was round two, we devoured the snack, and the portion was bigger than expected for two people — enough that we couldn't quite finish it...♡

Thanks for coming all this way~~~♥♥♥♥♥ We ate so happily that we'd nearly finished our drinks by the time~~~~ commemorative shot. lolllll hehe

Are the restrooms at Hoejangnimdaek Nowon clean?

My personal bar litmus test!!! Is the restroom indoors!/ Is it clean! I'm the type who will absolutely never go back if the restroom is dirty

I'm leaving impressed by the owner's thoughtfulness..

So thoughtful!!!!!!

Since they went to the trouble of providing it, I gargled thoroughly on my way out.. bye bye333