Hapjeong bar pasta set and skewers for four: Soottori

Spacious, cozy seating at Soottori, a Hapjeong bar

This is Soottori Hongdae Hapjeong, a bar in Hapjeong near Hongdae.

There are reservable seats, and each table is generously spaced out. The chairs have backs, so you don't have to worry about bumping into people behind you. It feels incredibly cozy...

When you come in, you get two flyers: one for the charcoal omakase Japanese pasta set and one with three popular dishes. In an era when pasta can cost up to ₩15,000 per person, ₩38,900 for 3–4 people is such a bargain! We ordered the set too.

The basic sides were cabbage salad and two sauces. Why was that cabbage so good...? We kept getting refills, haha.

They give you hamster-mascot drink coasters—Soottori's mascot—for everyone at the table. Each has its own character, so picking one you like before starting your drinks makes for an even better memory. It had been so long since I'd seen coasters this cute at a Hapjeong bar~

Drinks and the charcoal omakase set for four

There were four of us, and we ordered draft beer, sours, sherbet, and the signature pasta set. We hadn't eaten, hahaha, so we ended up ordering loads. I loved that, like any proper Hapjeong izakaya, they had so many drinks—and sours too. So many drinks that pair well with yakitori (Japanese grilled skewers)~

Each table has sauces and a skewer container on the wall, so you can grab what you want right from your seat.

We were all tired after being out, but the seats were wide and sofa-like, which was great, haha.

Charcoal omakase skewers and snacks that keep coming

Nacho potato salad and a skewer set, one of the items in the charcoal omakase yakitori selection! At first I thought, “Oh, the portions are small...” but then dishes kept coming out like omakase, haha. So that's why it's called charcoal omakase...

The fried coating isn't thick, so it doesn't feel greasy! The batter is packed on so finely that it's extra crispy.

At first I thought it was just potato salad, but it was better than expected, haha. Soottori Hapjeong really does have great bar food. It's honestly perfect for a second round.

They bring the glasses straight out of the fridge, nice and cold. The sours and beer were so icy they seemed to have a thin layer of frost. Take care—one sip and you get brain freeze, haha. It was hot out, so this made me happy... It's also a good stop if you're looking for a highball bar around Sangsu.

Since we came to a Hapjeong izakaya, we had to enjoy it with drinks.

It wasn't salty and had a lovely nutty flavor, so I kept reaching for it. Can you see the cheese inside? It isn't the stretchy kind—it has a gentle, condensed-milk-like quality, and that's a treat in itself.

Spicy beef belly pasta and three kinds of skewers

True to the omakase name, the dishes came out one by one. Second up were three kinds of skewers and the spicy beef belly pasta we chose from three menu options!

The spicy beef belly pasta looked like it had been stir-fried on a griddle. The generous shrimp, blue crab, seafood, vegetables, and katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top really stood out. There was a lot going on, but it came together better than expected and tasted great.

The chicken hearts were tender, not tough. They looked fatty, but they weren't greasy at all—just savory. Having a chili skewer one at a time was the key to whetting the appetite even more!

I caught the moment a friend was taking some out for us to eat and misjudged the force, sending it flying, hahaha.

The charcoal omakase menu ended with three skewers: pork neck, duck, and chicken breast cartilage! The pale color made me wonder if they were undercooked, but that worry was completely unnecessary—they were evenly cooked through. This is seriously delicious... and why it makes sense to come to Soottori Hapjeong for a second round even when you're full.

The charcoal aroma was so strong that you need to savor every bite! Otherwise they're gone too fast, which would be such a shame ㅠ

Here's the full spread. For this price and this amount of charcoal omakase food, it's an absolute steal.

Jjamppong and dessert all in one stop

You know how there are always people who crave something brothy when they drink? That's us! Haha, so we ordered beef belly seafood jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) as a final hangover cure too.

We even ordered dessert, so there was no need to go to a café—we did it all in one go at this Hapjeong izakaya^^ An incredibly cold peach-bomb sherbet to cut through the oiliness!

And truly, truly last, pudding to cleanse the palate. You don't often find pudding at a bar, but it was sweet and delicious.

We finished with a chestnut tea-shot highball! Since most dishes come as separate items, friends can share without fighting over food. It wasn't dead quiet, but it wasn't noisy either, which I liked. There are lots of highballs and the skewers are delicious, so it's worth a visit.