Izakaya near Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, Mapo: Mulgogijip

A romantic view of Mapo's Gyeongui Line Forest Trail — my Sinsu-dong restaurant pick, Mulgogijip.

Location and hours

The address is 서울 마포구 신수동 35-8, and it's open 17:00 - 24:00. It's near Exit 4 of Daeheung Station on Line 6.

Getting there and parking

The Gyeongui Line Forest Trail is an even more beautiful date-walk path at night. Follow it a while and Mulgogijip appears, tucked among the trees.

You can also enter from behind the building via a staircase. There's a building parking lot, but if it's full, the nearby Sinsu public parking lot works too.

What's the atmosphere inside?

Sleek interior, quiet and cozy. Lo-fi music and just-right lighting make it one of Sinsu-dong's best spots for atmosphere.

And the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window looking out onto the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail is genuinely worth recommending on its own. Sunny afternoon or atmospheric night, it's pure romance either way.

Menu prices

A distinctive dry-aged sashimi specialist. The signature moriawase set gathers seven kinds of sashimi that change daily, all in one bowl, for ₩39,000.

Ebisu draft beer

On a sweltering summer night, an ice-cold Ebisu draft is the first thing to rinse everything clean. The complimentary cabbage-and-chicken-breast salad is plenty as a starter snack.

Dry-aged sashimi moriawase, seven varieties

It's both the restaurant's signature dish and a perfect match for beautiful Sinsu-dong's vibe, so I recommend it highly. That day, we got seven kinds total: abalone, tuna, salmon, Spanish mackerel, red seabream, yellowtail kingfish, and sweet shrimp.

Rather than just dropping the plate and walking off, the staff explain each fish one by one. Knowing what you're eating makes it taste even better.

Personally, the Spanish mackerel is where the magic of dry-aging really showed — totally delicious. If I come back, I'd honestly consider ordering just that; rich umami, chewy-firm texture.

The yellowtail kingfish arrives a bit ahead of winter season. As it ages, the texture gets much softer and the fat content rises, making it taste properly like kingfish.

The chewy red seabream and sweet shrimp were also excellent — high-end snacks that fit perfectly with the upscale atmosphere.

Truffle abalone-innard cream pasta

A dish that instantly caught our eye — we're suckers for abalone innards. The generous noodles and hefty abalone portion were satisfying already.

The dark green-brown sauce color is so intense you can't quite tell what's in it. The abalone roe is thick, and the springy chewiness is incredible.

The perfect combo for a great evening: the lyrical scenery of the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail, a bite of well-aged sashimi, a mouthful of rich pasta, and a cold gulp of beer.

A deep, rich flavor achievable only with abalone innards, plus a sophisticated hint of truffle. The colorful popping candy bits add a crunchy accent too.

Honestly, I barely held back from ordering a bowl of rice just to mix it all together. This abalone cream pasta sauce has a bewitching quality that makes you forget the ambiance and lick the plate clean.

Limited mackerel sushi roll

We got lucky and made it into the first-come, first-served limited run. Unlike the usual rectangular-block shape, this kept the mackerel's natural form.

First off, the raw mackerel itself is huge. The rich fat and the umami boost from aging that come from a fish that size are considerable.

A lightly seared, smoky char and just-right acidity cut any fishiness and maximize the savoriness. This sushi roll is on the level of a dedicated Sinsu-dong sushi restaurant, far beyond what you'd expect from an izakaya.

Mulgogijip is a place I'd wholeheartedly recommend for the romantic atmosphere of the Gyeongui Line Forest Trail.