# Gangnam izakaya with seared flounder fin and pork belly skewers: Goko - By Jina M. (https://superchart.com/en/@roast-letter/) - Written Sep 20, 2026 - Local places › Bars › Gangnam, Seoul - Sponsored: This visit was provided by the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@roast-letter/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@roast-letter/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/index.md) ## In short Izakaya Goko Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch is an izakaya on the 2nd floor of the Banseok Building, five minutes on foot from Sinnonhyeon Station in Gangnam, Seoul. The order was the Goko sashimi for two, seven kinds of yakitori and a cold tokkuri of sake, and the lightly seared flounder fin and the pork belly rice cake skewers stood out most. With window seats, counter seats and room-style private corners, Izakaya Goko suits a date and a group night out equally well. ## Good to know - **Location**: 2F Banseok Building, 21 Bongeunsa-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (under 5 minutes on foot from Sinnonhyeon Station) - **Hours**: Mon–Fri 17:00–02:00, Sat–Sun 16:30–02:00 (last order 00:00) - **Parking**: Not available - **What was ordered**: Goko sashimi for two, 7 kinds of yakitori, tokkuri of sake (served cold) - **Seating**: Tables, window seats, counter (dachi) seats, room-like private corners - **Complimentary snack**: Popcorn *as written by the visitor on Sep 20, 2026* Today I'm bringing you a review of Izakaya Goko, where I had a really nice drink with good vibes in Gangnam! I had a dinner appointment in Gangnam this day, so I stopped by, and the inside was spacious with a ton of customers! The door kept opening non-stop, so I thought, "this place must actually be legit" haha. Let me introduce it right away! ## Where is Izakaya Goko and what are its opening hours? Izakaya Goko is on the 2nd floor of Banseok Building, 21 Bongeunsa-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hours are Mon–Fri 17:00–02:00 (next day), Sat–Sun 16:30–02:00 (next day), with last order at 00:00. No parking available. Here's a look at the exterior! The open window seats looked so atmospheric and nice! I wanted to sit by the window too, so I rushed in, but unfortunately it was full so I ended up at a table seat, haha. It's within 5 minutes on foot from Sinnonhyeon Station haha. No parking available! ## Inside Izakaya Goko: seating and atmosphere The inside of Goko was bigger than it looked from outside. Along with table seats, there were window-side seats and a room-style private space too, so it looked good for visiting with a group as well :) Personally, what I liked most was the counter (dachi) seats! The vibe there was prettier than I expected. It seemed like a good spot for couples too. The overall atmosphere was less of a dark, quiet izakaya and more bright and lively! The customers weren't skewed to one age group either — quite a diverse mix :) ## The Goko menu, from nabe and pasta to sashimi and skewers ![Izakaya Goko menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-01-1tlf5-966.webp) ![Goko menu, sashimi page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-02-1islf-966.webp) ![Goko menu, skewers page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-03-6zbkl-966.webp) ![Goko menu, nabe (hot pot) page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-04-novsa-966.webp) ![Goko menu, pasta page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-05-zzz6y-966.webp) ![Goko menu, side dish page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-06-1v1a2-966.webp) ![Goko menu, drinks page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-07-3uwa6-966.webp) ![Goko menu, final page](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-08-tb1v9-966.webp) The menu was made up of everything from nabe (hot pot) to pasta, sashimi and skewers. It looked good for a simple drinking snack or for ordering several dishes and making a meal of it! ![Summer special: full plate of seared mackerel notice](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-09-tpdbl-516.webp) There was also a summer special — a full plate of seared (aburi) mackerel — and since I'm a fan of mackerel too, I want to try it next time haha. We ordered the signature menu: 'Goko sashimi for two + 7 kinds of yakitori'! ![Goko's sake and highball drinks menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-10-y6kao-m-529.webp) And of course, being an izakaya, there was a really wide variety of sake. Beyond sake, there were also highballs and menu items like Hwayo lemon tonic and Ilpum Jinro lemon tonic, so you could pick based on your taste! ## The free starter at Goko: crunchy popcorn ![Complimentary popcorn served at the table](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-11-1sbn4-692.webp) The popcorn came out, and it had a crunchier, more cracker-like texture than typical movie theater popcorn haha. It was nice to snack on lightly while waiting for the food! ## Goko sashimi for two: sweet shrimp and lightly seared flounder fin ![Goko sashimi for two, plated](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-12-1y34d-518.webp) The 'Goko sashimi' came out first! It was so pretty even just visually haha. It's a two-person menu, but the portion was just right and the variety was great — perfect as a drinking snack! ![Sashimi plate with sweet shrimp, salmon and tuna](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-13-1en1s-701.webp) Sweet shrimp, flounder fin, steamed abalone, salmon, tuna and more came out together as a variety of sashimi. Eating through it piece by piece, I never felt like the portion was lacking, and it was nice to get to taste a little of many kinds! ![Lightly seared flounder fin sashimi](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-14-12p7e-693.webp) The 'sweet shrimp' and 'flounder fin' were especially delicious! You could really taste the shrimp's signature sweetness, and the flesh was so soft it melted in my mouth... And the flounder fin was really good too — it's already tasty raw, but coming lightly seared brought out more of the fattiness, which paired perfectly with drinks, ugh. It was my first time having it lightly seared like this, so it was even more delicious haha. ## Seven kinds of yakitori: pork belly rice cake rolls and chicken tenderloin ![Plate of 7-kind yakitori set](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-15-9r75h-696.webp) And right after, the '7-kind yakitori set' came out! This looked pretty delicious even just visually, right haha. The skewers came out neatly arranged one by one, and overall they were grilled to a nice golden brown haha. ![Yakitori skewer laid over cabbage](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-16-yqlcg-735.webp) ![Yakitori plate served with mayonnaise](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-17-grh0o-507.webp) I love dipping skewers in mayonnaise, and they gave us a really generous amount haha, so I dipped as much as I wanted. There was cabbage laid underneath and scallions on top, and eating those together with the skewers worked really well too! ![Close-up of pork belly rice cake roll skewer](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-18-zg3ag-518.webp) ![Close-up of chicken tenderloin skewer](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-19-4x4xi-522.webp) ![노릇하게 구워진 야키토리 한 꼬치](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-20-1xhak-525.webp) ![Sauce-glazed yakitori skewer](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-21-16goi-519.webp) ![Yakitori skewer dipped in mayonnaise](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-22-zcypq-521.webp) I tried all 7 kinds of skewers, and the 'pork belly rice cake roll' and the 'chicken tenderloin' were my favorites! Soft, chewy rice cake wrapped in pork belly — that combination just can't be bad haha. Even after some time passed, the rice cake stayed nice and chewy! So I enjoyed it happily right to the last bite haha. And the one my companion said was the most delicious was the chicken tenderloin! I was curious too and tried it, wondering if it might be dry since it's tenderloin — but it was way softer than expected and not dry at all, so it was delicious! ## Should you order the tokkuri of sake cold or warm? ![A bottle of cold tokkuri with a cup](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-23-10gbq-1200.webp) Since we were at an izakaya, we also ordered a tokkuri to set the mood haha. Turns out you can order it either cold or warm! We had it cold, and it paired well with both the sashimi and the yakitori haha. ![Table set with sashimi, yakitori and tokkuri](https://img.superchart.com/images/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers-24-1odt1-522.webp) With the table full of food and drinking the tokkuri alongside it, I really had a great, happy drink that day haha. It was a bit hot that day, and the female owner brought over her own personal fan for us!! I was so grateful she thought of that detail in the hot weather haha. It was really nice that she paid attention to that even during such a busy time with so many customers! ## Is Izakaya Goko worth a visit near Sinnonhyeon Station? Izakaya Goko was a place where the menu lineup and food quality felt satisfying overall relative to the price. The sashimi was fresh with great variety, and the yakitori was well-grilled with a sweet sauce — perfect as a drinking snack! - Best sashimi: flounder fin, sweet shrimp, tuna - Favorite skewer: pork belly rice cake roll - Seating: a variety including window seats, counter seats, and room-style private seats - To try next time: pasta, nabe, seared mackerel The interior was bigger than expected with a good variety of seating, so it seemed like a good spot for gatherings or couples alike. I'd like to come back next time and try the pasta or the nabe too haha🐹💛 ## Where it is - Izakaya Goko Gangnam Sinnonhyeon Branch (이자카야 고코 강남신논현점) - 2F Banseok Building, 21 Bongeunsa-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 강남구 봉은사로2길 21 반석빌딩 2층 이자카야고코 - 37.5033195, 127.0261503 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%9D%B4%EC%9E%90%EC%B9%B4%EC%95%BC%20%EA%B3%A0%EC%BD%94%20%EA%B0%95%EB%82%A8%EC%8B%A0%EB%85%BC%ED%98%84%EC%A0%90/@37.5033195,127.0261503,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@roast-letter/sinnonhyeon-izakaya-goko-flounder-fin-skewers/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt