Date night at Konkuk izakaya Ito: halibut salt gimbap and mizutaki
In short
Ito is a basement izakaya about five minutes on foot from Konkuk University Station in Gwangjin, Seoul. On a weekday evening, two of us ordered the halibut salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll) for 30,000 won and mizutaki hot pot for 26,000 won with fresh noodles added, then finished with garlic baguette. Unlike the noisy bar streets around Konkuk, Ito is quiet and low-lit, which made it a good pick for a date or a blind date.
Good to know
- Location
- 22 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, basement level 1 (within a 5-minute walk of Konkuk University Station)
- Hours
- 17:00 to 01:00 the next day, last order 00:00
- Closed
- Every Monday
- Halibut salt gimbap
- 30,000 won
- Assorted sashimi (21 pieces)
- 39,000 won
- Sweet shrimp sashimi
- 23,000 won
- Nabe hot pots
- Mille-feuille nabe, mizutaki and sukiyaki, 26,000 won each
- Seating
- Bar seats fine for solo drinking, tables for four, and a wide private area
- Conditions
- No-kids zone, pets allowed, free corkage, no parking
as written by the visitor on Sep 17, 2026
Ito, a basement izakaya five minutes from Konkuk University Station
This place gets you to a bar in under five minutes from Konkuk University Station! I visited Ito izakaya. Since the shop is underground, I was curious what the vibe would be like at first, but once I went down, it felt way cozier and calmer than I expected.
It has a totally different feel from the busy, noisy Konkuk bar scene, and honestly I liked that better. It was easy to chat and eat in that quiet atmosphere, and the spacing between tables felt comfortable too, so I'd recommend it for a blind date or a date spot!
Ito's opening hours, closing day and visitor rules
- Address: 22 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, basement level, South Korea
- Hours: 17:00 - 01:00 (last order 00:00)
- Closed every Monday
- No-kids zone
- Pets allowed
- Corkage allowed (free)
- No parking
There's also a bar you can drink solo at!
4-person tables, and even the spacious area feels private
Ito's menu and prices, and what two of us ordered
Ito's aged sashimi options are assorted sashimi (21 pieces) for 39,000 won, sweet shrimp sashimi for 23,000 won, and halibut salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll) for 30,000 won. The nabe hot pots — mille-feuille nabe, mizutaki, and sukiyaki — are each 26,000 won. That day, for a date-slash-dinner, the two of us ordered halibut salt gimbap and mizutaki.
Halibut salt gimbap, 30,000 won: an unusual anju to look at
First up was the halibut salt gimbap I'd been looking forward to. Even the look of it caught my eye — it's a genuinely unusual dish.
I'd recommend the halibut salt gimbap without hesitation. From how carefully the halibut was prepped to how neatly it was plated, it was the perfect anju (drinking snack).
The clean flavor of the halibut and the subtle salt seasoning worked really well together, and like gimbap, it was easy to eat in one bite. The moment it hit the table, that nutty, salty seaweed smell spread out — the aroma was genuinely great, and I was glad we ordered it first. They sprinkled on plenty of sesame seeds too.
What aged halibut tastes and feels like at Ito
Aged halibut has a different charm from freshly sliced sashimi, right? The flesh is softer yet still has a chewy bite, and the more you chew, the more the clean flavor and umami quietly build up — great for enjoying the fish's own taste.
Sipping a drink alongside it, we really slowed down to properly savor the deep flavor of the halibut.
Rather than piling on heavy seasoning, they let the halibut shine with just salt, so you could taste its full flavor. We dipped it in the vinegar-chili sauce, wrapped it with aged kimchi, and enjoyed it in all kinds of ways as a well-rounded drinking spread.
Why a weekday evening at Ito works for a date
The vibe was great too — such a good spot for a date!
We visited on a weekday evening, and every single person who came in was either a couple or a guy-and-girl pair. Yep, this is definitely a great date spot.
Mizutaki hot pot, 26,000 won, with fresh noodles added
Just as the weather started turning a little chilly, I found myself craving nabe — and here was mizutaki, a clean, exotic way to have it! The broth itself is really clean-tasting. It's mainly chicken, simmered hot-pot style with vegetables, mushrooms, and other ingredients, so you can enjoy that clean broth flavor for a long time.
Thanks to the warm broth, it sat easy on the stomach and wasn't too sharp-flavored, making it a perfect pairing with the halibut salt gimbap. We also added fresh noodles.
Finishing with garlic baguette at Ito
The garlic baguette we ordered as a last bite surprisingly worked well too. By that point we were really full and looking for a light anju, and a crispy baguette with that nutty, sweetish garlic aroma seemed just right.
Sure enough, crispy outside and soft inside, the toasted baguette felt almost like eating a snack — a light, easygoing anju that helped us finish off the rest of our drinks.
This was a great izakaya to visit on a day when you want to slowly enjoy delicious anju while chatting. 💛 I'd recommend it as a date course.
Where it is
22 Achasan-ro 33-gil, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, basement level, South Korea서울특별시 광진구 아차산로33길 22 지하1층
