Korean bar near Sadang Station for a 10-person group: Sadang Heonsang

I visited Sadang Heonsang, my recommendation if you're looking for a Korean bar with good atmosphere near Sadang Station :)

• Location: about a 2-minute walk from Sadang Station Exit 11, 2nd floor
• Hours: daily 16:00 - 02:00

Can Sadang Heonsang handle a group of 10?

Sadang Heonsang takes group reservations of 10, and its group seating is well set up. It's close to Sadang Station Exit 11, which made it an easy choice for a get-together.

The location near Sadang Station Exit 11 makes it really easy to reach, and even in Sadang's famously busy surroundings it has a slightly moody Korean bar feel, which suited a group meetup just right :) We booked for 10 in advance, and the group seating worked well, so I'd recommend it for wedding invitation gatherings, company dinners and all kinds of get-togethers.

Interior and atmosphere of Sadang Heonsang

The interior is a modern take on a Korean mood. My first thought walking in was how pretty it is! It isn't overly traditional; it's been translated into something modern, so it feels very stylish.

Once the sun goes down the lighting gets a little dim, so it'd also work for a date or a blind date, and there's a bar table too, which looked good for a casual drink for two. The space is bigger than I expected, so the tables aren't cramped, and I was happy that it wasn't noisy and was easy to talk in.

How do you order at Sadang Heonsang?

At Sadang Heonsang you order a Heonsang set menu by the number of people, and you can add à la carte dishes too. So it's set menus by headcount, plus extra single dishes if you like!

There's a variety of drinks like traditional liquors and makgeolli (milky rice wine), so you can pick to your taste, which I liked! That day we ordered two 4-person Heonsang sets, and for the mains we chose one kimchi jjim (braised kimchi) and one galbijjim (braised short ribs) :)

• Two 4-person Heonsang sets
• Mains: 1 kimchi jjim, 1 galbijjim

To get to the point: if it's your first time at Sadang Heonsang, I really recommend ordering the Heonsang set by headcount. The spread turned out far better than I expected. There are lots of dishes and they keep coming one by one like a course, which is perfect with drinks, and personally I think it's a really good first-round bar in Sadang.

Heonsang set course order and taste

Bossam and tofu

The Heonsang set starts with bossam (boiled pork wraps) and tofu. They were set out first, and the neat presentation already put me in a good mood!

The bossam pork was super tender too. No gamey smell at all, and it was moist, so it went wonderfully with the tofu. The tofu was nutty and soft, and a mild, clean match for the bossam. The plating was tidy overall, and it felt like being treated to a proper meal!

Clam sundubu stew

After the bossam came something like a sundubu jeongol (soft tofu stew) with clams, and this was really satisfying too. The broth was mild yet quietly spicy, the kind you keep spooning up without it feeling heavy.

The cool, savory depth from the clams was great, and it went really well as drinking food. It's easy to eat from start to finish, so my spoon kept going back :)

Seasonal sashimi

Seasonal sashimi came with the set too, and it was aged just right, so the texture was really good. Not mushy at all, nicely chewy yet soft. Loved it!

It was clean with no fishy taste and felt fresh overall. I really liked how food kept arriving in between like this.

Kimchi jjim vs galbijjim: which main was better?

Of the two mains we chose, the one I enjoyed most that day was the kimchi jjim. It looked like it was begging for a drink. The kimchi seasoning was seriously good.

You could really taste the deep savoriness of well-fermented kimchi, and it wasn't too sour, which was just right. The seasoning had soaked into the meat, which was so tender it fell apart at a touch of the chopsticks. It's good with rice and great as drinking food! A little spicy with a rich savory depth, so I kept reaching for more.

The galbijjim was really satisfying too. The ribs were very tender and moist. The sweet-salty sauce had soaked into the meat, a flavor anyone would like.

No gamey smell at all, and the juices came through the more I chewed, so good. The sauce isn't just sugary and punchy; the savoriness comes through, so you keep eating!

Rice and grilled fish

Rice and grilled fish came out midway through the Heonsang set as well, and with that included it really felt like being treated to a proper full table.

The final vegetable pancake

The vegetable jeon (pancake) that came last in the set was the real kicker.. not a thin ordinary pancake but super thick, almost like vegetable tempura! Crispy outside, moist inside, with a really great texture.

It's packed with vegetables, and honestly you can't not order more makgeolli with this one 🍶

Sadang Heonsang overall verdict

Sadang Heonsang has plenty of dishes and every one was good quality, so I was really happy with it! I'd recommend this Korean bar in Sadang to anyone looking for a blind-date spot near Sadang Station, a company dinner venue, or a place for a wedding invitation gathering :)

• Easy access, close to Sadang Station Exit 11
• Nice atmosphere with a modern Korean interior
• Recommended for blind dates, dates and wedding invitation gatherings
• Group seating makes it good for company dinners too
• The Heonsang set is really generous
• Bossam is tender and tasty with no gamey smell
• Sundubu stew broth is cool and spicy
• Seasonal sashimi is well aged with a good texture
• Kimchi jjim has great seasoning and tender meat
• Crispy vegetable pancake pairs perfectly with makgeolli