Yeongdeungpo izakaya chicken skewers and onion-wasabi salmon: Nani

A mood-filled izakaya near Yeongdeungpo Station

• Address: 183 Munnae-ro, 1st Floor, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul (near Times Square)
• Hours: Daily 18:00 - 02:00 (closed Sundays)

Today the drinker in me came out to drink again, haha. But as someone who lives for romance, I can't skip the mood either, hehe. I found a really atmospheric spot near Yeongdeungpo Station.

It's Nani Byeolgwan!!! Can you feel the mood already just from the entrance? The inside is even better.

Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch seating: bar seats for solo drinking, 2F room for dates

The moment you open the door at Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch, warm lighting and a cozy vibe hit you — an izakaya through and through. I nearly fainted from the mood, honestly. The interior is so carefully detailed everywhere that just sitting there put me in a good mood. There's a bar table near the entrance, so solo drinking looks totally possible here!!

Upstairs there's even a room-style space like this — perfect for a date!! Honestly, it's harder than you'd think to find an izakaya with this kind of mood, but Nani Byeolgwan was good enough to be a solid date spot. The tables were spaced out just right, too, so it was comfortable to chat quietly with each other.

What to order at Nani Byeolgwan: a menu that's fun to pick from

At Nani Byeolgwan, you scan the QR code on the wall to see the menu. Sitting down and browsing, I ran into a happy dilemma — there were just too many dishes I wanted to eat. The menu lineup was varied enough to work for a first round or a second round of drinks. After much deliberation, I ordered the skewers, their apparent signature, and the sashimi. Honestly I wanted to order everything, but I held back somewhat and went for protein since I'm supposedly on a diet, haha.

The owner's top pick: chicken skewers with smoky char

The first thing to arrive was the chicken skewers, and one bite in, I knew something was different. It brought back the nostalgic taste of skewers from outside school as a kid, but with the chicken tasting fresh — juicy, juicy — and with real char on top!!! This didn't feel like an ordinary izakaya at all — you could tell they really cared about flavor. I started getting excited for the other dishes, hehehehe.

With food this good, us drinkers can't hold back on the soju. Cheers~~

Beef intestine skewers grilled for you by the staff

Next up were the beef intestine skewers, and even the friend I went with, who isn't usually a fan of intestine, said this was the best one. Beef intestine really is best when someone else grills it for you, bb. The rich, savory flavor of the fatty intestine spread through my whole mouth, and it made me want to reach for another drink right away. Cheers~~

Salmon sashimi with onion and wasabi, clean and not watery

Last was the salmon sashimi. I'm particular enough that I usually age salmon myself at home, so I was half excited, half worried. But the moment I put a piece in my mouth, my worries melted away like snow. There was no fishy taste at all — just the good, clean umami that salmon should have. It was truly satisfying.

This place is different from other izakayas that just coast on atmosphere, honestly. An izakaya in Yeongdeungpo that nails both mood and flavor — this is a moment I'm proud to be a Yeongdeungpo local.

At first I tried it plain, just soy sauce and wasabi — ugh, so good. The soy sauce, the wasabi, the onion, all delicious.... T_T The onion even came drizzled with something like sesame dressing, so I could enjoy it in different combinations. I stole the onion and wasabi from the salmon and put it on the intestine skewers... wait, this is a golden combo. Straight to another drink.

I could feel the care put into every single dish, and I was happy the whole time I was there. Next time I want to try the other menu items. I'm glad I finally found such a great izakaya in my own Yeongdeungpo neighborhood — I think I'll be coming back often, and I'm already planning my next visit soon~~