Yeoksam Station Japanese course restaurant with soundproof rooms: Ikoi

Where to park and when Ikoi near Yeoksam Station is open

Ikoi, an izakaya-style omakase spot in Yeoksam-dong, is at 33 Nonhyeon-ro 64-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (1st floor). It's open every day from 17:00 to 24:00, with last order at 22:00. You can park to the left of the entrance or in the space in front of Cheogajip Yangnyeom Chicken, and the paid Istaville parking lot works too, haha.

Spots are limited, so if you need help with parking, call Ikoi ahead and they'll help you out~

What is Ikoi like? 4 separate private rooms

Tucked into a quiet Yeoksam-dong alley, Ikoi is a Japanese-style course restaurant that runs only with private rooms!

Ikoi runs on just 4 independent private rooms. The soundproofing between rooms is amazing, and the space is quiet and refined, so we could focus on our conversation in private. I loved it!!

The room is really cozy with a great mood, so it felt perfect for setting the scene on a birthday or anniversary, haha. I heard the chef at Ikoi has 25 years of experience in total, including 7 years at Sagahan of Kamisushi in Japan!

Ikoi menu and prices

Besides the Ikoi Special Course (7.7), the Ikoi menu has set menus and a la carte dishes. I've copied the prices exactly as written on the menu (units of ₩10,000).

• Ikoi Special Course 7.7
• Cream ebi mayo + chicken karaage + oden nabe 6.7
• Maguro sashimi + oden nabe 8.2
• Grilled mentaiko (spicy pollock roe) + truffle potato pancake + oden nabe 6.4
• Beef brisket sukiyaki nabe + grilled mero (Chilean sea bass) 5.5
• Assorted kushikatsu (skewers) + 4 Suntory highballs 7.0
• Assorted kushikatsu + 4 Asahi draft beers 6.2
• Hanwoo raw brisket sashimi 4.5
• Raw tuna sashimi 6.5
• Maguro sashimi (fatty belly + akami (lean back meat)) 6.0
• Maguro tataki 2.5
• Beef tataki 2.4
• Beef brisket sukiyaki nabe 3.0
• Oden nabe 2.5
• Grilled mero 2.8
• Grilled mentaiko 2.0
• Truffle potato pancake 2.2
• Assorted kushikatsu 2.5
• Chili shrimp 2.2
• Cream ebi mayo 2.5
• Chicken karaage 2.0
• Aji fry (fried horse mackerel) 2.3
• Goma udon (sesame sauce mixed udon) 1.5
• Yaki gyoza 1.8

What we ordered: the Ikoi Special Course 7.7, Hwayo 25 and ginger ale tonic water.

What's in the Ikoi Special Course?

The Ikoi Special Course goes in these 9 steps!!

• 1. Appetizer
• 2. Cream chawanmushi (steamed egg custard)
• 3. Futomaki (thick sushi roll)
• 4. Shrimp beef sous vide
• 5. Wagyu tenderloin steak
• 6. Maguro sashimi
• 7. Lotus root sando
• 8. Beef brisket sukiyaki nabe
• 9. Yogurt ice

We figured something clean and crisp would go well with the food, so we ordered a bottle of Hwayo too, haha. They gave us a whole bowl of ice as well!

1. Appetizer: toasted rye bread with ricotta and yuzu sauce

The first appetizer of the Ikoi course is grilled rye bread with ricotta cheese + yuzu sauce!! Delicious already at the appetizer stage!! The ricotta has a hint of herbs so it's fresh, and the yuzu sauce goes with it so well that it really woke up my appetite, haha.

2. Cream jjim (cream steamed dish)

Ikoi's cream chawanmushi has a rich, savory flavor from the mix of egg and cream, and it was so soft that it was seriously delicious, ugh!!! Not your ordinary steamed egg, it just melts away.

3. Futomaki (thick sushi roll)

This futomaki has dashimaki (rolled omelet), maguro (akami), cucumber, pickled ginger and shiso inside. Everything was fresh and packed in, so it was so big it was hard to eat in one bite, haha.

4. Shrimp and beef sous vide

A real eye-catcher!!! The shrimp beef sous vide is shrimp and beef ground together and cooked sous vide. It's tender and juicy inside, and the shiitake mushroom purée sauce underneath was so good that my friend and I scraped the plate totally clean.

5. Wagyu tenderloin steak

Next came a wagyu tenderloin steak, aged just enough and lightly seasoned!!! I love beef so much, ugh. It comes with Maldon salt and wasabi, and topping the meat with them was so good. Full of juice and so delicious.

6. Maguro sashimi (otoro)

Tuna maguro sashimi! It was even the otoro (fatty tuna) cut, so I was so happy.. The tuna was super fresh and the plating was so pretty, perfect for a birthday or anniversary course, ugh.

They also give you seaweed, and wrapping the tuna in it with wasabi made it really melt in my mouth. The tuna wasn't fishy at all, just clean and delicious!!

7. Lotus root sando

Seasoned minced meat sandwiched between lotus root slices and deep-fried: the lotus root sando!! I don't usually like lotus root, but was it always this good? Super crispy and insanely tasty.

8. Beef brisket sukiyaki nabe

The finishing meal was the beef brisket sukiyaki nabe~~ Packed with vegetables and brisket in a savory, umami-rich broth, it was hot and filling!! Honestly I was already so full, but it was so good I couldn't resist, ugh.

9. Yogurt ice

The yogurt ice cream that came last had a slight yuzu flavor and felt like a fresh, light way to finish!!

Is the 77,000-won Ikoi Special Course worth it?

Honestly, every single dish in the Ikoi course was so delicious, and with the reasonable price of ₩77,000 I left really satisfied, haha.

Because it's all private rooms, it's great for important meals like birthdays and anniversaries too. If you're looking for a Gangnam omakase or a good place in Yeoksam-dong, I totally recommend Ikoi!!