Hongdae izakaya for groups with Korean beef tataki: Kushino Kitchen

A yakitori place so good I'd wait again — Kushino Kitchen

Today's a yakitori review from a visit with 5 people where we waited to get in! We came completely hungry and ready to try a bunch of menu items :)

Where Kushino Kitchen is in Hongdae, and how long the wait runs

Kushino Kitchen is in the basement level of 218-1 Dongyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, tucked into an alley near Hongik University Station. It's open daily from 16:00 to 12:30, and since there's no dedicated parking lot, using a nearby public parking lot is recommended.

• ⏰ Daily 16:00–12:30
• 📍 B1, 218-1 Dongyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• 🚗 No dedicated parking (nearby public parking recommended)

The place is set back in an alley, so there's no parking lot attached!

We put our name down at the entrance and waited about 30 minutes with 4 parties ahead of us before getting in!

What a group of five ordered at Kushino Kitchen

(Easier to view if you click through)

• ✔ Kushino nabe 33.0
• ✔ Lemon cream karaage 15.0 (highly recommend 💘)
• ✔ Tuna onigiri 9.0
• ✔ Wagyu tartare 29.0

You might think that's not much, but here's the thing — we ended up ordering one item again!

Kushino nabe, 33,000 won: a tomato-jjamppong hot pot with skewers

Kushino nabe (33.0), Kushino Kitchen's signature dish. Apparently "kushino" means skewer, and true to the name, it's grilled skewers in a tomato-jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup style) broth!

The broth was spicy and tangy, and the grilled skewers were genuinely delicious. So tender and full of juice!

Since there were 5 of us to feed, we added pork cutlet and spaghetti noodles to enjoy! At first I thought there was already noodles in there because the spaghetti portion looked so generous. Turns out no — they add it later, haha.

Tuna onigiri, 9,000 won: the side that pairs best with the nabe

This one's the tuna onigiri (rice ball, 9.0). It paired really well with the nabe. Cheap price, but delivers way more than that — great side to fill in the gaps!

It's tuna onigiri but the outside is almost like crispy scorched rice, and the rich crab-shell sauce that comes with it was so.. good. Highly recommend as a broth-dish side.

Lemon cream karaage, 15,000 won, and the refill order

Lemon cream karaage (fried chicken, 15.0), the dish that was everyone's number one pick in our group 🍋. Can't remember the name, but you know that mala tang place famous for cream shrimp? Kind of that vibe.

The lemon sauce completely cuts the greasiness of the fried chicken while the umami is off the charts. (This photo looks like it was taken 3 seconds before a crash, haha)

The batter was crispy and so delicious it disappeared fast, so we ordered a refill and ate it again. This dish is a must-include!

Korean beef tataki, 29,000 won

Wagyu tartare (29.0). Not just beef tartare (X), but wagyu tartare (O). It's seared just on the surface to lock in the juices, true to authentic tartare style, and you could tell the meat quality was good from the color to the texture. You eat it with sliced onion, radish sprouts, and pickled ginger, and personally I thought it paired really well with the nabe too.

Dip it fully in the egg yolk and special soy sauce, and the soft texture combined with a clean, savory flavor fills your mouth. I'm not even really into tartare but I ate so much of this,, especially recommend it to anyone who loves tartare!

Green grape and peach highballs at Kushino Kitchen

Of course we had to have highballs too. There are plenty of other drink options besides highballs, but the highballs here are genuinely delicious, so you should definitely get at least one.

We ordered the green grape highball and the peach highball, and whole chunks of super refreshing fruit are packed inside 🍑🍇 One sip and a bite of fruit, and even lightweights can enjoy this happily.

Partitioned booths and the mood inside Kushino Kitchen

The interior was a little tricky to capture in one shot since the seats are divided up into booths, but I tried to capture as much of the atmosphere as I could! You can tell why people wait to come here.

Perfect for chatting privately with your group. It had that authentic Japan-local feel too, and the tables were wide enough to be great for a group drinking session, haha. Would also recommend it as a Hongdae date spot.

If you're looking for a Hongdae izakaya with delicious food and great atmosphere, definitely give Kushino Kitchen a visit! I'm from out of town so I couldn't avoid the wait, but if you put your name down ahead of time you can probably get in quickly :) Had such a great time eating well and hanging out with friends here!