Suwon gastropub with a green tangerine highball early dinner: Hwial

I only meant to have one light highball, but I ended up eating a full dinner.

Where Hwial Ajou University Branch is and when it opens

Hwial Ajou University Branch is a Korean-style gastropub on the 1st floor of 6-3 Aju-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, near Ajou University Triangle. It's open Tuesday to Thursday from 16:00 to 00:50 the next day, and Friday to Sunday from 16:00 to 01:50 the next day, closed every Monday. Parking is available at the nearby Uman 2-dong Public Parking Lot, and groups, reservations, takeout, and delivery are all possible.

Doobi and I stopped by Hwial Ajou University Branch on a weekday early evening just for a simple highball. But once we actually tasted the food, it was so much better than expected that we ended up having a full meal. It's a place I'd walked past many times near my house, so I almost regretted not visiting sooner.

It's located near Ajou University Triangle.

It's a good spot to move to for a second round after eating around Ajou University, and also a fine choice if you want to start with drinks and food from the beginning.

Inside Hwial: low lighting and wide-spaced tables

Walking into Hwial Ajou University Branch, the first thing you notice is the overall low lighting and dim interior. Rather than the typical bright, bustling bar vibe, it felt calm and good for conversation.

I thought it would work well as an Ajou University date restaurant, and since the tables are spaced generously, it also looked good for group gatherings with friends, not just couples.

There's also a private space available, plus a separate smoking zone for smokers.

Hwial's new-menu discount prices

Hwial was also running discounts on new menu items with good value. The discounted items included beef yukjeon (raw beef tartare-style dish) at ₩17,000, beef shabu hotpot at ₩19,000, salmon salad at ₩15,000, and aged salmon sashimi at ₩22,000.

Next time I want to try the beef shabu hotpot or beef yukjeon that I didn't get to this time. There were more menu options than expected, so it seemed like a fun place to order a variety and share.

• Beef brisket jjamppong hotpot
• Corn cheese jeon
• Green tangerine highball

Beef brisket jjamppong hotpot: the best dish of the night

The beef brisket jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) hotpot was the most memorable dish we ordered that day, and it was the best of the bunch.

The jjamppong's signature spicy broth came loaded with seafood and beef brisket together, making the broth rich and the portion generous and filling.

The beef brisket gave the broth a deep meaty flavor, and combined with the seafood, it had that full, hearty jjamppong hotpot taste.

I'd only planned on one green tangerine highball, but eating this naturally made me crave a drink.

That said, the portion felt too generous to treat purely as a side dish for drinking — it would work fine as a dinner in itself, the way we ended up using it.

Corn cheese jeon: crisp outside, sweet inside

The corn cheese jeon (pan-fried pancake) was, as the name suggests, loaded with corn and cheese, and felt a bit different from a typical jeon.

The outside was crispy, while the inside had the popping texture of corn along with the funky, savory richness of cheese.

It had a subtle sweetness too, so alternating between it and the spicy beef brisket jjamppong hotpot made a great combination.

Taking a sip of the highball and then eating the corn cheese jeon worked better together than I expected. This was one dish that impressed me more in person than on the menu.

The green tangerine highball that turned into dinner

Our original reason for visiting was really just the green tangerine highball. It was a weekday early evening, and we don't drink much anyway, so we just wanted one light drink and some chatting, haha.

But since the food was so good, we naturally kept reaching for it, and the tastier it was, the more we wanted to drink. I think 'a great food spot' describes Hwial better than 'a place just for drinking.' It could also work well on a day when you want to knock out both dinner and drinks at once.

What I liked most, again, was the food. There are plenty of bars with a nice atmosphere where the food ends up disappointing once you actually order, but at Hwial, everything we ordered was consistently delicious, which made for a very satisfying visit ^^

The dim lighting made conversation easy, and with generous table spacing, this would suit anyone looking for a Yeongtong date restaurant too.

It's a fine spot for a quiet drink as a couple, and equally suited to a group of friends ordering several dishes to share.

Beyond the Naver receipt review event, there are various other review events running, so check them out if that's useful for you!

Went for one highball, left stuffed — a real food-first bar.

There was a place this good near my house, and I can't believe I only just discovered it. Next time I'm definitely trying the dishes I didn't order today!!!

If you're looking for an Ajou University date restaurant or a Gwanggyo bar date spot and want something a bit different in food and atmosphere, this is worth checking out.

Is Hwial Ajou University Branch worth a visit?

Doobi and I set out for a light highball and ended up leaving properly full. With a filling dish like the hotpot on the menu, you can treat this as a dinner spot, not just a place for drinking snacks.

If you prefer a slightly dim, calm atmosphere over something too bright or casual, and you want to eat and talk with a partner, this is worth considering as a Yeongtong date restaurant option.

If you visit with several people and order a variety of hotpots, jeon, and sashimi to share, it could also be a great pick for anyone looking for a Gwanggyo bar date spot.

More than anything, this is the kind of place I wish I'd visited sooner given how close it is to my house, so next time I'll be trying the other menu items!!!