Hyehwa outdoor bar for premium oden and draft beer: Hanamato

A great Hyehwa spot for outdoor drinks on a cool day

The weather has gotten so pleasantly cool since yesterday. It felt like exactly the kind of day to enjoy outdoor drinks, so I visited Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa, an izakaya-style bar in Hyehwa. Its colorful, flashy sign catches your eye even from a distance.

Maybe because they have such a varied yakitori menu, delicious smells were already wafting out before we went in. Most of all, draft beer was ₩3,500, which felt reasonably priced, and there were plenty of snacks that were easy to share. They are open until 3 a.m. too, so it seemed like a good place to visit late at night. I thought it would make a nice Hyehwa Station bar to come to for a second or third round after dinner and drinks nearby. By the time we left, the outdoor seats were almost full!

From outdoor bar seating to group tables

There was also this counter-style outdoor bar table. It would have such a great atmosphere on a nice day, right?

To the side, there were two more tables seating four people each. It looked nice for a date for two, but also for visiting with friends and enjoying the outdoor-drinking atmosphere.

Inside on the first floor, there were bar tables ideal for drinking alone as well as four-person tables. I liked that it had an easygoing atmosphere where you would not feel awkward stopping by for a casual drink on your own.

The second floor also felt airy with its large windows open, and it had group seating. If you are visiting with several people, it would be lovely to have a drink upstairs while still getting that outdoor-bar feel. It seemed like a good option for anyone looking for a group gathering spot near Hyehwa Station, too.

On one side, they were even selling Monchhichi keychains, which I absolutely love. The prices were reasonable too, and I almost bought one without thinking, haha. It was unexpectedly fun to find cute little items like the ones you see in Japan while looking around a bar.

They also sold famous Japanese snacks. You can eat them right there, or buy them and take them home like you would at a convenience store! I liked that you could grab something like at a gamek (convenience-store beer bar), especially when you are already full.

Snacks and draft beer ordered at an outdoor table

We sat at an outdoor table today to properly enjoy the outdoor setup. Ordering is easy through the table-order system at your seat. We ordered yakisoba, taco karaage, and five kinds of premium oden. Just sitting outside made choosing the menu feel oddly exciting :)

For drinks, we started with Sapporo draft beer. It was Sapporo draft for ₩4,900, which was a good price too. We worked hard today—cheers! On weather like this, a cold glass of draft beer really is the best.

How we ate the five premium oden varieties

The five premium oden varieties came out first. The yubu jumeoni (fried tofu pouch) was so cute, and the plate included several different premium fish cakes.

The broth comes separately, so you can put in the oden and warm it up whenever you want to eat it. I liked that it was set up so we could eat it hot, and the broth was wonderfully refreshing.

First, I warmed up an oden with Cheongyang chili peppers and glass noodles. Maybe because I love spicy food, but it was really delicious! Once the weather gets a little colder, this oden soup with a cup of warm sake would be absolutely perfect. It would also suit anyone looking for a warm, brothy bar snack near Hyehwa Station. Oh! A lot of people were ordering motsunabe as well.

Crispy taco karaage and seafood yakisoba

Then the taco karaage arrived too. The batter was thin and crisp.

It was seasoned just right, so it was tasty on its own, and also delicious dipped in the mayonnaise sauce that came with it. This was totally a beer snack :) You really cannot go wrong with crispy fried food and cold draft beer.

We ordered another Terra draft beer too. Beer really is the answer with fried food. This seemed like a good place to visit when you want to enjoy draft beer with a range of snacks in Hyehwa, rather than just a casual chicken-and-beer meal.

The yakisoba came out next.

It had seafood inside too, including clam meat and squid. With the seafood added, it felt more generous than I expected.

We dunked in the remaining oden pieces and ate those too. The yubu jumeoni was unusual because it had rice cake inside. The chewy rice cake made it a special treat as well.

They said you can ask a staff member for more broth if you run out. We enjoyed every last piece of oden. Personally, I would recommend the five premium oden varieties! Since you can have it with the broth, it goes wonderfully with drinks too.

For an outdoor-bar date in Hyehwa or a Daehangno gathering

The weather was so cool, and having an outdoor-table date made me feel as though I had come to Japan. If you are looking for a reasonably priced izakaya in Hyehwa or Daehangno where you can enjoy outdoor drinks, I recommend Hanamato.

Hanamato also has separate, cleanly maintained restrooms for men and women, so it was convenient to use. Now that the weather is cooling down, it is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoor-bar mood. If you are looking for a great Hyehwa Station restaurant or bar where you can have delicious snacks and a drink at an easygoing price while soaking up that outdoor atmosphere, I recommend Hanamato! The five premium oden varieties in particular, broth and all, will probably stay on my mind, so I think I will visit again the next time I am drinking around Hyehwa. Keep it in mind if you are looking for an outdoor-bar date or a Daehangno group gathering spot on a cool day :)