Library-style bookshelf seats at a Yeongdeungpo izakaya: Nani

I walked into a bar and for a second felt like I'd wandered into a library by mistake. Wooden shelves stacked with books, small wall lamps, and dark tables caught my eye first. Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch, the Yeongdeungpo izakaya I visited today, was fun to look around before the skewers even arrived. I came in expecting a typical yakitori joint and instead got hooked on the twist in the space itself.

What Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch looks like inside and out

A twist that begins beneath the tiled roof

The exterior of Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch has a tiled roof, a wooden door, and a sign that just reads 'Nani.' The warm light glowing through the doorway makes you want to peek inside as you pass by.

But the interior is quite different from that first impression outside. Repeating-pattern wallpaper is hung with angular wooden mirrors, and a long bar lined with brown leather chairs sits out front. Light from the wall lamps reflects off the mirrors and wood, filling the whole space with brown and gold tones. There's a lot of decoration, but since the colors are so consistent, it feels less cluttered and more like an old-fashioned drawing room. Even on a first date, it seems like an easy place to start a conversation just by looking around.

Bookshelf seats and the counter facing the bar

An evening spent beside the bookshelf

Deeper inside Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch is a shelf with books, bottles, and small objects tucked into every compartment. Lights built into the shelving make the shapes of the bottles and books stand out clearly. Both large and small tables are visible together, and the woven-back chairs suit the wooden interior well.

If you're choosing a Yeongdeungpo izakaya based on the mood of sitting there as much as the food itself, this place is worth a look. There are side-by-side bar seats and face-to-face tables, so which you prefer might depend on the mood of your date. It's worth checking the shop's info before you visit to confirm hours and whether your preferred seating is available.

First round: Asahi draft beer and a soda water highball

The first drinks: beer and a highball

What we ordered at Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch was Asahi draft beer, a soda water highball, a beef intestine skewer, a pork belly and scallion skewer, and cucumber muchim (dressed cucumber salad). A small plate of cabbage in big chunks with dressing drizzled on top also landed on the table. We picked up leaf after leaf, dressing dotted here and there, while waiting for the first skewer.

The beer had a layer of white foam on top, and the highball came with ice and slices of dried fruit. Two heavy glasses with handles sitting on the dark wood table matched the interior lighting well. That night, the color of the glasses right through to the skewer plates kept the same warm tones, which made for fun photos too.

How the beef intestine skewer is served

Starting with the plump beef intestine skewer

The beef intestine skewer catches your eye first with its round, plump shape. The surface has a glossy sheen with dark char marks here and there. Lift up one skewer and each piece is slightly different in shape and thickness, which makes it fun to look at up close.

On one side of the plate sat small pickled chilies and red powder. Rather than piling everything on at once, it's nicer to eat one piece plain first, then one piece with the pickle. Unlike a big dish you scoop from all at once, skewers get eaten one at a time, slowly. Even while choosing the next skewer, the conversation kept going.

When people look for a good yakitori spot, chicken skewers usually come to mind first, but this time we went with the beef intestine and pork belly-scallion combo. Same skewer format, different ingredients and makeup — good for going back and forth between the two plates.

Cucumber muchim between rounds

Cucumber muchim as a palate break

The cucumber muchim is a plate of cucumber cut into large chunks with the green skin still on. Powdered seasoning is sprinkled on top, with a little sauce pooled at the bottom. Placed next to the reddish, golden-brown skewers, it changes the whole mood, color-wise.

The cucumber pieces are bite-sized but thick, easy to pick up one at a time between skewers. After a bite of meat, moving to the cucumber breaks up the feeling of eating the same thing over and over. Rather than ordering only heavy dishes, adding a plate like this suits my taste better.

The pork belly and scallion skewer, sliced through

A pork belly-scallion skewer packed edge to edge

The pork belly-scallion skewer was the item I photographed the most that night. Thin-sliced pork wraps scallions packed in tightly, so every slice reveals a cluster of little green circles. The brown outside contrasts with the green inside, making the shape stand out even more when you hold the skewer upright. Rather than eating the meat and vegetable separately, both ingredients come together in a single bite.

The plate came with white sauce, red powder, and pickled chilies on the side. Eating it plain versus dipping a bit in the sauce lets you enjoy the same skewer two different ways. On a date at a Yeongdeungpo izakaya, each person holding their own skewer and sharing the same dish this way is a small pleasure. The beef intestine stood out for its plump shape, the pork belly-scallion for its tightly packed cross-section — the two plates never overlapped in character.

Nani Byeolgwan Yeongdeungpo Branch location, hours, parking and reservations

• Address: 183 Munnae-ro, 1st floor, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea (about 9 min walk from Yeongdeungpo Station Exit 6, about 12 min from Munnae Station Exit 4)
• Hours: Daily 6 PM – 2 AM (closed every Sunday)
• Parking: Nearby public parking lot
• Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation

Overall: what I remember from that night is as much about where I was sitting as what I ate. The tiled-roof exterior, the library-like interior, and the skewer plates on the wooden table all connect into one scene. Worth remembering if you're after a different vibe from bright, flashy bars. If you're into yakitori and skewer dishes and care about the interior of your date spot, Nani Byeolgwan is worth keeping in mind. On a day you want to spend an evening sharing skewers at a Yeongdeungpo izakaya, this is a place you'll want to pull the photos back up — both of the food and of the space.