Izakaya in Suyu, Seoul for a cozy mackerel sashimi date: Bunko Suyu

I went to Bunko Suyu, a Japanese-style izakaya near Suyu Station, with my boyfriend! There's a Bunko at Sadang Station too and I remember visiting it. If the Sadang branch feels a bit more modern, the Suyu branch is cozy and full of Japanese charm. The food was good and the mood was great, so I loved it!

This time I wanted sashimi and a highball, so we came to Bunko. We ordered the set for two (₩64,000) and a Bunko highball. Everything from sashimi to pasta to jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) was in there, so it felt like amazing value!

What does Bunko Suyu look like from outside?

Bunko Suyu is an izakaya with real Japanese vibes. From the outside, the soft lighting and cute atmosphere caught my eye. Suyu has lots of grilled-meat places and pocha (street-tent-style pubs), but that day I wanted to drink somewhere a little cozier. Dinner with my boyfriend plus a highball sounded just right, so we went in.

Bunko Suyu location and opening hours

Bunko Suyu is at 2F, 34-4 Dobong-ro 87-gil, Gangbuk-gu, Seoul (서울 강북구 도봉로87길 34-4 2층), 232m from Exit 7 of Suyu Station. It's closed on Mondays; open Tue–Thu 18:00 to 02:00 the next day, Fri–Sat 17:00 to 02:00, and Sunday 17:00 to 01:00.

• Monday: closed
• Tue–Thu: 18:00 – 02:00 (next day)
• Fri–Sat: 17:00 – 02:00 (next day)
• Sunday: 17:00 – 01:00 (next day)
• Last order: Tue–Sat 01:00, Sunday 00:00

It's an easy walk from Exit 7 of Suyu Station, so access was decent. It opens at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 5 p.m. on Fridays and weekends. It stays open late, so it works for dinner or as a second round of drinks.

Is Bunko Suyu's interior good for a date?

Walking into Bunko Suyu, the first thing I noticed was the display of Japanese liquor bottles. Wood-tone interior plus soft lighting made it feel like a real izakaya in Japan. I personally love this kind of atmosphere, so it won me over.

On a date with your boyfriend, food matters, but you can't ignore the mood, right? It was nice to sit at the table chatting about this and that while waiting for the food. The sake selection also looked varied, so you could come for Japanese drinks other than highballs, too.

What's on the Bunko Suyu menu?

The menu was more varied than I expected. Centered on sashimi, there were pasta, nabe (hot pot) and plenty of Japanese-style anju (drinking snacks). We debated ordering just sashimi, then chose the set for two so we could try lots of things. If two of you want a bit of everything, the set is a good choice.

What came with the Bunko set for two (₩64,000)?

Assorted sashimi

The first thing that caught my eye in the set was the assorted sashimi. Several kinds of raw fish came prettily arranged on a black plate, and the plating was quite neat. Salmon and other fish came with okra, cherry tomatoes and radish sprouts.

Wasabi and pickled ginger came too, so you can eat it to your taste. Each sashimi had a different texture, which made picking through them fun. The salmon was nice and soft, and the other fish each had their own charm.

6 pieces of sushi and mackerel sashimi

Crab innard pasta

Bunko Suyu's crab innard pasta is a Japanese-style cream pasta: a rich crab innard cream sauce topped with seaweed flakes and chopped scallion. Eating pasta at an izakaya felt a little different, honestly. There was plenty of cream sauce, and it had a Japanese touch unlike ordinary cream pasta.

The nutty cream sauce plus the seaweed aroma made a good combo. Having warm pasta in the middle of eating sashimi made the whole meal feel more varied.

Jjamppong

The last dish in the set was jjamppong! It was topped with bean sprouts, scallion and sesame, and looked spicy at first sight. If the cream pasta was the rich dish, now it was time to switch up my taste buds with a spicy broth!

When you're drinking, a hot soup is nice, right? Alternating with the cream pasta cut the heaviness, and the combo worked well.

Bunko highball and the 7-second timer event

For drinks, I ordered the Bunko highball. We're at an izakaya, so a highball is a must! It went well with light dishes like sashimi and was also good alongside the cream pasta. Having a highball with tasty food and my boyfriend really felt like a date.

Bunko Suyu was also running an event: stop the timer at exactly 7 seconds and get an extra highball. My result: 7.06 seconds! 😂 I'm hopeless at these so I didn't expect much, but still, so close..

Instead, I joined the sake review event. The sake really went well with the food, so I highly recommend trying it!!

Bunko Suyu overall: pros and cons

What I liked most about Bunko Suyu was being able to enjoy a variety of dishes in one go. Sashimi alone might feel a bit lacking, but with cream pasta and a spicy soup dish, the lineup felt varied. I also liked the Japanese-style interior, and it was a good place for a date over highballs.

One thing: at ₩64,000, the set for two might feel a bit pricey if you only want one or two light snacks. But if you want to eat many kinds of food together, it's a lineup worth considering.

I failed the highball timer event, but even that became a fun memory. 😂 If you're looking for an izakaya with a nice mood near Suyu Station for you and your boyfriend or girlfriend, Bunko Suyu could be a good option.