Yeouido izakaya on the 3rd floor: lamb rack and seafood udon at Nani

Nani, an izakaya in Yeouido

After work I wanted somewhere with a good atmosphere and tasty snacks to have a drink with friends, so we went to Nani in Yeouido. Yeouido is kind of a halfway meeting point for my friend group, so we often look for bars there, and Nani had a lot of reviews raving about the lamb rack, so I'd been wanting to try it. Went there in person and both the food and the vibe were great — a satisfying visit!

Where is Nani Yeouido Branch, and what are its hours?

Nani Yeouido Branch is about a 3-minute walk from Yeouido Station. It was a little confusing to find inside the building at first, but once I took the escalator up I found it right away. Being close to the station makes it easy to swing by right after work.

• Mon–Sat 17:00–02:00 (last order 01:00)
• Closed every Sunday
• Reservations available, group-friendly, Wi-Fi, parking available

Nani's menu lineup and what the seating feels like

Nani Izakaya in Yeouido is the 1st branch, and there's also a 2nd branch, Nani Annex, near Yeongdeungpo Timesquare. We visited the 1st branch, Nani, this time. It was a weekday evening but the place was packed with customers, so I couldn't get a shot of the space itself, but each table is divided by partitions, making it a comfortable atmosphere for chatting with your group!

Looking at the menu, there was a really wide range — sashimi, nabe (hot pot), skewers, tempura, stir-fried dishes, all sorts. Based on other reviews, the lamb rack was the most recommended dish, so we decided that was a must, and since we'd met right after work, we also ordered the yakiudon as more of a meal.

The drinks menu is also quite varied — if you like sake, there are a lot of options to choose from, and plenty of highball varieties too. We went with somaek (soju mixed with beer) that night.

The refillable hardtack starter and the seafood yakiudon

The starter is sugar-coated hardtack and a seaweed stem side dish, and it's a real hidden gem — we ended up refilling it almost three times haha.

The first dish to arrive was the yakiudon. What caught my eye right away was how loaded it was with seafood. Squid, shrimp, baby octopus and more went in generously, along with plenty of vegetables, so it looked delicious just from the sight of it. It doesn't all fit in the photo, but the bowl is genuinely huge haha. A really generous portion!

I was a little worried it might be too spicy, but once I tried it, it wasn't harshly hot — more of a savory, mildly spicy flavor that comes through first. The seafood was chewy and big and delicious across the board.

The udon noodles were bouncy and springy too, and the seasoning soaked in properly, so it worked perfectly as both dinner and a drinking snack.

Nani's signature lamb rack with basil and cumin sauces

Next up was Nani's signature dish, the lamb rack. It comes out on a hot griddle plate, served with basil sauce and cumin sauce.

Can you see how nicely golden-browned it looks just from the visual? Honestly I didn't expect lamb rack of this quality at this price — genuinely impressed right off the bat.

The sauces that came with it were unusual too! I'd usually only seen zi ran (cumin) sauce, but this was my first time seeing a basil sauce. At first I tried a bite without dipping it in anything — the nutty, savory flavor characteristic of lamb was there, but barely any gamey smell, which was exactly my taste. This place is a genuine lamb rack destination, folks.

That sauce in particular went really well with the lamb rack. Take a piece of lamb rack, dip it into the sauce, and it tastes like lamb rack from a fine-dining restaurant. The subtle aroma brings out the flavor of the lamb without it being greasy, so I could keep eating it without getting sick of it.

Is Nani worth it for an izakaya night in Yeouido?

If you're looking for an izakaya in Yeouido with a good atmosphere, Nani is more than satisfying! Honestly I only went in expecting the lamb rack, but the lamb rack exceeded expectations, and the yakiudon was great too, so it was a satisfying visit overall. Passes as a snack-food izakaya destination.

Both dishes we ordered were high quality, so next time I'd like to try other items on the menu. If I have plans in Yeouido again, this is a place I'd go back to.