Snow crab steamer course at a Sadang pub in Seoul: Jindallae Silbi

Hi everyone~ office worker here!

Looking for a hearty, budget-friendly bar near Sadang Station where the side dishes never stop coming? Let me tell you about Jindallae Silbi, a samchon-kase (uncle's choice course) spot near Sadang Station where 15 handmade dishes come out in relay — perfect for a group dinner or a wedding invite gathering.

Imo-kase and samchon-kase (chef's-choice courses picked by an "aunt" or "uncle") have been all the rage on social media lately, right? I'd only ever heard about them and never actually been.

Thinking about it, though, the old-school silbi (neighborhood tavern) is basically the original version of imo-kase and samchon-kase!

It just so happened that near my neighborhood at Sadang Station there's a famous samchon-kase spot known for great side-dish quality — Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch — so I grabbed my drink-loving boyfriend's hand and went right away!

Where is Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch and what are its hours?

Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch is on the 2nd floor at 70 Dongjak-daero 7-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, 294m from Exit 7 of Sadang Station (Lines 2 & 4). Hours are 18:00–24:00 (last order 23:00), closed every Sunday.

• Address: 70 Dongjak-daero 7-gil, 2nd floor, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Subway: 294m from Exit 7 of Sadang Station (Lines 2 & 4)
• Hours: 18:00–24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Closed: Every Sunday
• Parking: No dedicated lot (use the public parking lot near Sadang Station)
• Vibe & amenities: 8090 retro tavern feel, large projector screen, welcomes group dinners and wedding invite meetups, unlimited self-serve rice and ramen noodles

It's tucked inside the Sadang Station food alley, so you can find it just 3 minutes after walking out of the subway exit.

Since Sadang Station is where Lines 2 and 4 cross, it draws office workers from all over Seoul and Gyeonggi for after-work dinners — and it's also super convenient as a spot for a friends' wedding invite gathering.

We ordered the samchon-kase course, ₩39,000 per person.

Inside Jindallae Silbi: an 8090 retro pub in Sadang

The moment we stepped through the door at Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch, we were hit with an unmistakable retro tavern feel!

A huge projector screen on the wall was playing footage from the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, and a sparkling disco ball spun on the ceiling — genuinely hip atmosphere.

The window wall was packed with old soju and beer posters, along with heartfelt autographs from past guests and celebrities, and vintage liquor bottles you can't find anymore these days — fun to look at, and it made us nostalgic haha.

See that Cyworld-style quote taped to the wall? Lol. "I'm going crazy right now... because music is the only drug the state allows..."

There were couples like us there for a cozy date, but plenty of tables were also group dinners or Sadang wedding invite meetups, people sitting together for a round of drinks.

Thanks to the fun, retro atmosphere, conversation flowed easily without any awkwardness.

Reading the sign on the wall, I understood why this place is known as a samchon-kase landmark near Sadang Station. It said the sashimi they serve is carefully selected — only 4kg-class flounder raised in the waters off Wando, aged with care!

There was even an ohsipse-ju menu (a mix of baekseju and soju) and a free makgeolli event on rainy days — lots of little details clearly aimed at winning over drink lovers.

How do you order the samchon-kase course for two?

The signature menu at Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch is, without question, the samchon-kase! When everyone in a group has different tastes, picking a menu can be a hassle — but here you just order the samchon-kase for however many people, and top-tier side dishes come out one after another automatically. So convenient.

We sat down and ordered the two-person course without even looking at a menu. As soon as we ordered, neat, generous dishes started getting set out at lightning speed.

Round 1: abalone porridge, bossam and spicy pork cartilage rice balls

The moment the first round landed on the table, both our jaws dropped. "Portion gangster" is the only phrase that fits — it was massive!

The first thing we reached for was a big bowl of abalone porridge (jeonbokjuk). It gently settles your stomach before drinking, and the nutty sesame oil combined with the deep flavor of abalone got us really excited for what was coming next.

The bossam (boiled pork slices) came out tender with zero funky smell, and paired with the crunchy, spicy-sweet dried radish kimchi, each bite melted in your mouth — the juices were incredible.

The side dish lineup was also solid — golden egg-battered nostalgic pink sausage, savory soy-marinated crab packed with meat, sweet-salty japchae, and seasoned soft tofu.

And front and center in round one: spicy cartilage (odolppyeo) and seaweed-flake rice balls! Honestly, I normally barely touch cartilage because of the hard, chewy texture. But the smoky sauce here was so full of flavor that I kept scooping it up with the rice balls without even thinking, lol.

Fair warning, it's pretty spicy — if you're heat-sensitive, definitely grab the rice balls.

Round 2: aged sashimi from a 4kg Wando flounder, plus salmon

After filling up on Korean-style dishes, round two arrived — a gorgeous plate of sashimi that could rival a high-end Japanese restaurant. On a black plate: Wando flounder sashimi and orange salmon sashimi, crunchy fin meat (engawa), sushi rice, aged kimchi, and kkosiraegi seaweed — the plating alone drew a gasp.

This was the exact 4kg-class Wando flounder sashimi we'd seen mentioned on the sign! Nothing like a smaller flounder — thick, chewy texture, and every bite burst with the deep sweetness and umami that comes from proper aging.

We laid a thick piece of the flounder over crisp seaweed, added crunchy kkosiraegi and a bit of sharp fresh wasabi, and wrapped it into one bite — an absolutely perfect combination!

And the salmon genuinely surprised us — my boyfriend never touches salmon because of the fatty, greasy taste he doesn't like. But this place must have aged it just right, because he kept saying "wait, the salmon here is actually really good!" and inhaled it, lol.

Round 3: a seafood steamer with snow crab over clams

Before we knew it, round three arrived — a big wooden steamer basket set right on the table. We cheered the second we saw it!

The red snow crab curled around the clams was just too cute haha.

Underneath the crab were plump scallops, pale clams, big shrimp, chewy squid, and a generous layer of fragrant minari (water celery).

It was so generous that we thought, "you could fill up on this steamer alone." No heavy artificial seasoning — just the seafood's own clean sweetness, which paired perfectly with a shot of soju.

Round 4: minari-packed pancake and a surprisingly good pork cutlet

By this point we were getting full, but round four brought grilled dishes, pancakes, and fried food.

This seafood minari pancake was totally my thing! The batter was kept minimal, packed instead with fresh green minari, so the moment you bit in, the crisp texture and fragrant minari smell filled your mouth. Crunchy dried shrimp on top added even more umami — incredible.

This is the dish that made both our eyes go wide — the pork cutlet! Honestly I didn't expect much from a cutlet at an old-school silbi, but it came out freshly fried, still steaming, the breading crisp and the meat moist and free of any funky smell, lol.

With the sweet Western-style sauce it was a perfect match — we said "this could genuinely rival a dedicated cutlet restaurant!" and cleaned the plate to the last bite.

Round 5: spicy seafood stew and melon to finish

The final dish that capped off the Jindallae Silbi course was a spicy seafood stew (haemultang). The pot was piled high with rich, savory pollock roe, soft tofu, crisp bean sprouts, and minari.

Once it bubbled away on the gas burner and we tasted a spoonful of the broth, it felt like all the alcohol from earlier washed right out — refreshing and cleansing.

(Side note: Jindallae Silbi gives you unlimited free self-serve rice and ramen noodles, so I highly recommend boiling ramen noodles in the leftover broth!)

After warming our stomachs with the stew, they brought out two slices of cool, sweet melon for the true finale!

With that sweet juice cleansing our palates, it really felt like we'd been served a course meal with a perfect beginning, middle, and end.

Verdict: a Sadang pub that makes even non-drinkers want a glass

Honestly, the side-dish lineup at Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch is so impressive that it has a way of making even someone who doesn't usually drink pick up a glass. (Yes, that's me, lol.)

None of it felt like cold food made in advance just to hit a dish count — everything tasted freshly made and full of care, right down to the very last bite.

It's a place where you get both value and flavor wrapped in a retro atmosphere, so whether you're after a hearty samchon-kase or imo-kase bar near Sadang Station, or hunting for a crowd-pleasing Sadang spot for a wedding invite gathering with friends, I'd highly recommend giving Jindallae Silbi Sadang Branch a visit!