Euljiro Korean BBQ near Cheonggyecheon: hanwoo with mom at Neoaehanu

I had a Cheonggyecheon date with my mom on the weekend❣️ We went to Gwangjang Market to buy a hanbok (traditional Korean dress) for my niece. I'm a Seoul native, but I think it was my first time at Gwangjang Market on a weekend! After all that wandering around the market and Cheonggyecheon, we got hungry, so I searched for good places in Euljiro and took Mom to Neoaehanu (너애하누) for hanwoo (Korean beef)🐂

Where is Neoaehanu in Euljiro?

Neoaehanu is a private-room restaurant on the 2nd floor of Bongsan Building on Euljiro 9-gil. Being on the 2nd floor makes it extra private, and it gets great natural light.

You can take the elevator or the stairs in Bongsan Building. The elevator is tiny, so I took the stairs.

Neoaehanu takes up the whole 2nd floor, and you can check the menu at the entrance too.

Neoaehanu interior and drinks

The moment I walked into Neoaehanu, the woody and burgundy interior felt calm and classy. At 17:30 on a Saturday, when I visited, there weren't many guests yet, so it was nice and quiet.

🍷They have wine and whisky, so I think it's worth pairing the beef with different drinks. Beef goes well with just about any drink, after all.

Of course they also have the basics like soju, beer and Hwayo (premium soju).

Do you get a private room if you reserve for the weekend?

Since I was visiting with my mom on a weekend, I reserved ahead, and Neoaehanu prepared a private space for us. There was even a welcome letter with my name on it on the table. It put me in a good mood from the moment we walked in, so I'd recommend Neoaehanu for anniversaries or hosting guests 💌

Big panoramic windows let in lots of light, and it stayed bright until sunset. The air conditioning worked well, so it wasn't hot at all ^^

Neoaehanu menu

The Neoaehanu menu runs from set menus to à la carte beef and side dishes, and there are plenty of lunch set options too. You'll also find drinks like wine and whisky, plus takeaway beef and gift sets.

Because I'd reserved, the table was already set, so even though I was starving, the meal got going fast😊

The salad had tender greens and tomatoes, and Neoaehanu says it makes the dressing in-house. It tasted like an oriental dressing, just a bit healthier. It was so good I got a refill 🥗

What does the Neoaehanu hanwoo set look like?

The Neoaehanu set I ordered serves two and comes with 300g of brisket, striploin and rib finger meat. I added the rice and noodle dishes separately after finishing the meat.

The marbling is gorgeous, so yep, this is definitely 1++ hanwoo.

Cast-iron hanwoo, grilled by staff from start to finish

At Neoaehanu, the staff grilled the meat for us from start to finish. It's hanwoo cooked on cast iron, and with an expert grilling it, how could it not be good? They also do something unusual: they oil the grill with 🌿rosemary so the scent coats the meat. They clearly care about adding that fragrance. Honestly, you barely taste rosemary once you're eating beef, but starting with a whiff of herbs just feels nice, haha

They grilled in the order brisket > rib finger meat > striploin, and set out potatoes and vegetables to eat as they cooked.

Side dishes and chive salad

Neoaehanu's side dishes and sauces stick to the basics: the essential salt, wasabi, savory pickles (jangajji), pickled chili peppers, plus kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) and seasoned cucumber to refresh the palate. I kept reaching for all of them.

There was also a chive salad (buchu-muchim), and you should definitely eat it with the meat~ Chives are said to cleanse the blood, so they're a must with beef! The seasoning is Neoaehanu's signature sauce too. It wasn't harsh and the saltiness was just right, so it was delicious.

How were the brisket, striploin and rib finger meat?

I usually only eat frozen brisket at home, so Neoaehanu's 1++ hanwoo brisket was twice as rich and nutty✌🏻

After the brisket, it was the striploin and rib finger meat's turn.

Striploin is my favorite cut, so I was happy it's part of the Neoaehanu set. Striploin is mostly eaten as steak, so they cut it into cubes, which was easy to eat. That thick, juicy bite, so typical of striploin, fills your mouth with hanwoo flavor🎉

As expected, the hanwoo striploin was every bit as good as I'd hoped.

I ate the rib finger meat last. It's fatty, so I had it with plenty of salt and chive salad. You'd think beef fat would feel greasy, but I finished it before I could even notice. My mom can sniff out any gamey smell like a hound, and she said there was none, probably because it's 1++ hanwoo. It vanished in no time 👍🏻

I also ate the grilled mushrooms, potatoes and vegetables alongside. I even grilled the tomatoes from the salad myself, and everything tasted great, maybe thanks to the cast iron.

Neoaehanu finishing meal: doenjang sul-bap and cold radish noodles

After finishing the meat at Neoaehanu, we ordered hanwoo doenjang rice (₩15,000) and yeolmu mul-naengmyeon (cold young-radish-kimchi noodles, ₩13,000). You only feel full once you finish with carbs, after all. When I eat meat I always crave doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), so I tried the doenjang sul-bap, and I ordered the cold noodles for a refreshing finish.

The doenjang sul-bap comes with the rice "toryeom" style (rice rinsed with hot broth). It had lots of hanwoo in it and the broth was delicious, so I meant to eat just a little but cleaned the bowl. The portion was pretty big too, about 1.5 servings?

The cold radish noodles look mild, and the young radish is like well-aged yeolmu kimchi. I'll add vinegar and mustard sauce to taste.

The noodles were thin and the broth was mild. I was expecting icy cold noodles, but there was hardly any ice and it melted quickly, so personally this one was a bit disappointing. My mom cleared the rest.

After the meal: aging fridge, prepaid card, restroom

As I paid and headed out, I saw Neoaehanu's beef aging fridge, and even though I was stuffed, it looked delicious. Strange situation.

Neoaehanu also has prepaid cards, so they'd make a good gift. It reminded me how happy I was when I once got a gift card from a hanwoo chain (hoping someone gives me another, hehe).

The restroom is unisex, but it's clean and located right next to the entrance.

A Euljiro hanwoo restaurant that pairs well with a Cheonggyecheon walk

To digest, we patted our full bellies and strolled along Cheonggyecheon. Lots of foreigners were dipping their feet in the stream. I've never even dipped my own feet in Cheonggyecheon.. Lotte City Hotel is right next to Neoaehanu, so I bet plenty of foreign guests come here too. If I had a foreign friend, I'd want to take them to Neoaehanu: friendly, clean, and the taste is guaranteed.