Wonju izakaya with private rooms: beef nabe and udon at Momo

I'd been wanting somewhere with good food and good atmosphere for once, so I headed to Momo, an izakaya in Wonju. There's parking in the surrounding alleys plus a private lot, so it was easy even with a car, and a solid spot for a proper meal.

Momo

Inside Momo: seating, private rooms and atmosphere

Momo is an izakaya on the 1st floor of 52 Jangmigongwon-gil in Dangye-dong, Wonju. Unlike what you'd guess from outside, the interior is surprisingly spacious, with a big floor-to-ceiling window that lets you see straight outside — no cramped feeling at all.

Overall it's dim in a comfortable way, and every table has a partition, so it felt private for a meal — and there's even a room, which looked great for a blind date or an important meeting.

Momo's menu: what to order if you skip the raw fish

Momo's main draw is aged raw fish (sukseonghoe)!! Even so, there's plenty on the menu that looks delicious without it, haha. From nabe hot pots to simple snacks and fried dishes, I liked that there was such a range for a proper meal too.

The drink selection is huge too, haha. The highballs looked amazing just visually, and there was a wide range of sake, so it looked easy to find something to suit your taste.

But since I had my car, non-alcoholic beer it was, hahaha. So glad and happy they had at least that option, ㅠㅠ. The standard side dish is braised konjac with quail eggs, which was great for casually picking at.

Chadol tantan nabe at Momo, with extra udon noodles

What we ordered at Momo was the chadol tantan nabe!! The weather had suddenly turned chilly and I wanted hot soup, so I ordered it — and the portion was way more generous than I expected..!! Loaded with seafood and beef brisket (chadol), it looked great the moment it arrived, haha.

Inside there were bean sprouts and even udon noodles, so this wasn't just a broth-only nabe — it was hearty enough to count as a full meal! As it bubbled away, we fished out the beef and seafood piece by piece, and the savory flavor of the chadol mixed with the umami from the seafood made the broth richer and tastier than I expected.

The bean sprouts especially added a crunchy texture, and alternating between the meat and seafood made this a dish that worked as well as a drinking snack as it did as a proper meal, haha.

And you can't skip the udon noodles in a nabe, haha. Eating the noodles along with the broth after all the toppings ramped up the satisfaction, so we scooped everything out and then finished off the udon properly. And yes, I'll admit it — we ended up ordering a second round of noodles because it was just too good...!!

What does Momo's scallop wasabi gratin taste like?

Our second dish was the scallop wasabi gratin, haha. Loaded with scallops, mushrooms, and cheese, it was a little rich, but the sharp kick of wasabi cut through every so often, so it ended up not feeling too heavy.

The soft, savory cheese paired with the clean flavor of the scallops, and the faint punch of wasabi hitting on top made for a pretty great combination, haha. It's best eaten hot while the cheese still stretches, hahaha — scooping up scallops, mushrooms, and cheese all in one bite delivered a proper savory, salty hit.

And it paired really well with the chadol tantan nabe we'd had earlier. Between spoonfuls of the hot, spicy broth loaded with beef and seafood, digging into the savory, thick gratin gave each dish a distinct contrast that made switching back and forth fun, haha. One side hot and clean, the other savory and full of cheese — I was glad we'd ordered both together.

Small touches at Momo, down to the restroom amenities

Momo showed thoughtfulness even in the restroom, hahaha. It was handy for checking your look mid-meal, and I noticed hair ties, cotton swabs, and mouthwash all neatly set out on one side — the kind of detail that made me think they really care about their guests.

Is Momo worth it as a Dangye-dong izakaya in Wonju?

Overall, Momo has a great atmosphere and a varied menu, making it just the spot for a proper meal with some real ambience after a while away from that kind of place. It's centered on aged raw fish, but even without ordering it there's plenty to choose from — nabe, gratin, fried dishes — so picking a menu was genuinely fun, and the generous portions made it work well as a full meal too.

The rooms and partitioned seats especially made for a private meal, and the care put into even the restroom gave the whole place a considerate, guest-first feel! If you're looking for an izakaya with good atmosphere in Wonju, Momo is worth a visit for a date, a blind date, or a quiet meal, haha.