Okonomiyaki bar seats and draft beer in Seongsu, Seoul: Hotcho Seongsu

A great spot to enjoy okonomiyaki and yakisoba made fresh on the griddle, paired with draft beer.

There are so many good restaurants around Seongsu and Seoul Forest, but sometimes you want something a bit different from your usual go-to dishes. This time I visited Hotcho Seongsu, well known for teppan okonomiyaki and yakisoba! I'd been to other branches before but never this one, and since I'm a fan of Japanese-style teppan cooking, I'd been curious about it for a while.

That day I ordered the signature Hotcho Hiroshima okonomiyaki and soy sauce yakisoba, plus draft beer on the side, which made for a lunch that felt like a little trip to Japan.

Where is Hotcho Seongsu and what are its hours?

Hotcho Seongsu is located on the Seongsu galbi alley, near Ttukseom Station Exit 8 and Seoul Forest Station Exit 5. It's on the first floor of the building, so it's easy to find. It's open daily from 11:30 AM to 10 PM, with a break time from 3 to 5 PM.

The entrance area of Hotcho Seongsu. There's a separate waiting kiosk at the entrance, so you can register in order even during busy times.

Four-person tables or bar seats: where to sit at Hotcho Seongsu

Once inside, there are various types of seating available. The regular tables are mostly for four people, so the space works well for couples, families, or groups of friends. Overall the interior felt clean and calm.

There are also bar-style seats further inside. Since teppan dishes are fun to watch being made, sitting at these bar seats and watching the cooking up close is a great option. Looking around the inside of Hotcho, I could feel a bit of the vibe of an actual okonomiyaki restaurant in Japan, which made the space itself fun to take in.

Hotcho Seongsu menu and the paper order slip

We sat at the bar seats and checked the menu. At Hotcho Seongsu, you can enjoy Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and yakisoba with a variety of toppings added to your taste. You can also add à la carte dishes like mentaiko (pollock roe) rolled omelet.

You write your order by hand on a piece of paper, and writing out the menu with the paper in front of you really added to the feeling of being on a trip to Japan. We ordered the signature Hotcho Hiroshima okonomiyaki and soy sauce yakisoba.

After ordering, while you wait, you can watch the okonomiyaki being made right on the griddle. The thick pile of ingredients cooks on the hot plate, and once the egg goes on top, it gradually turns into the okonomiyaki shape we're all familiar with. Eating the finished dish is great, but watching it being cooked is just as fun, so I'd say sitting at the inner bar seats is a good experience in itself.

Draft beer with teppan cooking at Hotcho Seongsu

Of course, cold draft beer is the way to go with teppan food! Both the okonomiyaki and yakisoba have fairly rich sauces, so cold, clean draft beer naturally goes well with them. It was nice to sip on while waiting for the food, and just as good to keep drinking alongside once we started eating.

How did the soy sauce yakisoba taste?

The first dish to arrive was the soy sauce yakisoba. Even the look of it was appetizing, with glossy noodles coated in soy sauce. The noodles were evenly seasoned, giving a salty yet slightly sweet flavor, and the griddle-frying gave it a distinct nutty aroma.

The noodles alone were delicious, but eating them together with the other ingredients added more texture. The sauce was rich but not too heavy, so it paired well with the draft beer. It was plenty tasty as is, but adding the mayo sauce on the table made it even smoother and more enjoyable.

Hotcho Hiroshima okonomiyaki with beef topping

Next came Hotcho's signature okonomiyaki. We added beef topping to the basic okonomiyaki, and with the meat piled on top of the thick okonomiyaki, it looked noticeably more filling.

The well-cooked batter was moist inside, with a good chewy texture from all the mixed-in ingredients, and the egg and sauce on top gave it a rich, savory flavor. Adding the beef made it noticeably more flavorful and filling than the basic version, and it made for a satisfying lunch.

Yakisoba and okonomiyaki are both Japanese teppan dishes that use similar sauces, but eating them side by side, the textures are completely different, so I was glad we ordered both. One gives you chewy stir-fried noodles, the other thick, moist okonomiyaki — it was fun to go back and forth comparing the two.

Craving Japanese teppan food in Seongsu? Hotcho Seongsu verdict

From the moment you step inside to watching the dishes being made on the griddle, Hotcho Seongsu offers plenty to look at that feels like a trip to Japan, and we got to enjoy both okonomiyaki and yakisoba here. I also liked that there are both regular tables and bar-style seats, so you can choose depending on your group size or the mood you're after.

If you're near Seoul Forest or Seongsu and craving Japanese-style teppan food, or looking for a Seongsu restaurant for a different kind of meal with draft beer, Hotcho Seongsu is worth a visit.