Gangnam Station izakaya with aged sashimi and 7-piece yakitori: Goko

Hi, this is Jinnikku :) My sister is obsessed with aged sashimi, so we went together to an izakaya known for great aged sashimi~~ Turns out the yakitori I love is also a popular item here! We were both super satisfied haha. It was a Wednesday evening but there was still a wait — a real hotspot! This is Izakaya Goko haha.

Izakaya Goko hours and location near Gangnam Station

Izakaya Goko is on the 2nd floor of Banseok Building, 21 Bongeunsa-ro 2-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It's open weekdays 17:00-2:00 and weekends 16:30-2:00, with last order at 00:00.

You can spot the Japanese-style yakitori vibe from far away. The weather was so nice that day, with the windows wide open — looked like a nice breeze would drift in haha.

Wednesday evenings have a wait too — book ahead

Izakaya Goko had a wait even on a Wednesday evening. We had a reservation so we got seated right away! Even if you're going on a weekday evening like we did, there could be office worker dinner parties, so I'd recommend booking ahead!

I figured the wait was because the interior was small, but it was actually spacious inside? This country mouse Jinnikku was a little overwhelmed by the crowd haha. There were also curtained-off seats — perfect for people on dates!

The restroom is inside, and there were cute little dolls decorating it too haha.

Goko sashimi for two + 7-piece yakitori: the set saves 5,000 won

Izakaya Goko's signature menu is the Goko sashimi for 2 and the 7-piece yakitori~ Ordering them together as a set was ₩5,000 cheaper than ordering separately!!

And of course, an izakaya wouldn't be complete without sake, which they have in so many varieties~ But we went with the nation's favorite alcohol, soju, haha.

The starter at Izakaya Goko: popcorn with magic powder

Popcorn came out as the basic side dish~ Not your average popcorn — this stuff was seriously delicious... this is popcorn dusted with some kind of magic powder, absolutely amazing!! If the basic side dish was this good, I couldn't wait to see how good the main dishes would be haha.

What does the Goko 7-piece yakitori taste like?

Goko 7-Piece Yakitori

They said the aged sashimi would come out first, but the yakitori arrived first haha. Who cares about order anyway~~! The moment the yakitori arrived, the charcoal smell hit us instantly — it smelled delicious before we even took a bite~~ The meat itself was moist, juicy, and tender — so good!

You could taste the coarsely ground pepper, which seasoned the meat so much better~ Yakitori has this image of being just a drinking snack, but honestly the food itself was delicious even without alcohol!

There's even a yakitori topped with myeongran (spicy pollock roe) sauce! Each of the seven pieces tasted completely different, more varied than I expected~~ You could dip them in mayo or eat them with the cabbage salad, so it was fun mixing and matching according to your taste haha.

Some pieces had bone in them, but they were trimmed nicely so it wasn't hard to pick the meat off~ Paired with soju it was so clean and never got old no matter how much we ate — it was almost a shame watching the seven skewers disappear~~

Goko's aged sashimi, from tuna to abalone

Goko Aged Sashimi

Just as we were finishing off the yakitori, the aged sashimi arrived! Expectations were high after the wait, and it did not disappoint at all haha. Usually I just eat familiar fish like salmon or flounder, so getting to try such a variety felt like such a treat ✨

The presentation looked like a bouquet of flowers~ The aged sashimi bloomed beautifully like a flower 🌸 Red tuna, orange shrimp and salmon, yellow egg and lemon, green wasabi — such a feast for the eyes! So vibrant!

There was such a variety of fish I wasn't sure where to start, but the staff told us to begin with the tuna and abalone~~ Getting told the eating order too made it feel like we were doing it properly haha.

If live-caught sashimi has a chewy texture, aged sashimi is much softer~ The more you chew, the more the flavor and aroma of the fish itself slowly rise up — real depth of flavor!! Each type had a different texture and aroma, so savoring them slowly, I completely lost track of time~~

Why Izakaya Goko is worth the wait

I had no idea it was such a popular spot with waits before going, but now I know exactly why it's so loved!

• ✔️Delicious dishes — from the umami-packed popcorn to the soft, flavorful aged sashimi and the great charcoal aroma of the yakitori haha
• ✔️Great atmosphere — a wide range of ages was there. A place anyone of any age would love haha. It was fully booked but not loud, so it was easy to talk~ Plus it felt a bit like being in Japan!!