Mapo Station yakitori, 9 skewers and pasta yakisoba: Yakitori Shomong

Today I visited Yakitori Shomong (야키토리쇼몽), a Mapo–Gongdeok izakaya (Japanese-style pub). I love yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) and had wanted to try this place for a while, so I finally booked and went!! Let's start the review~

Getting to Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch, parking and hours

Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch (야키토리쇼몽 마포역점) is 3–5 minutes from Mapo Station Exit 3, so access is great. The downside is that there's no parking lot, so if you drive you'll have to use public parking.

• Mon–Thu 17:00–23:00 (last order 22:00)
• Fri–Sat 17:00–01:30 (last order 00:30)
• Closed Sundays

The exterior has big glass windows and wood-tone interior that go together nicely, so it felt clean and neat even from far away. It has the vibe of a yakitori specialty shop in Japan, which I thought would be good for a date. There were actually lots of couples.

Yakitori Shomong uses 19 kinds of special cuts, so you can try parts that are hard to come across normally. That was really appealing and got my hopes up.

Seating at Yakitori Shomong: tables and charcoal-grill counter seats

Inside, the warm wood-tone interior has 4-person and 2-person tables, and the tables are spaced widely apart, so it was comfortable to eat.

There are also counter seats (dacchi-seok), and I sat at the counter. I liked being able to watch the skewers being grilled over charcoal right in front of me, and the whole shop was kept clean, so it was a pleasant meal.

Yakitori Shomong menu, prices and what we ordered

At Yakitori Shomong Mapo Station Branch you order from the menu by QR code. This day we ordered the 9-skewer omakase, classic yakisoba (stir-fried noodles), soju and tonic water.

• 9-skewer omakase ₩36,800
• Classic yakisoba ₩22,000
• Soju ₩6,000
• Tonic water ₩2,000

The complimentary side dish was gungchae-muchim (seasoned stem lettuce). It seemed to have a doenjang (soybean paste) taste, but my friend said it was delicious and ate it up.

You can't have yakitori without a drink~ Let's go with soju today. When my friend ordered tonic water, the staff brought a lemon slice and a cup of ice too. Nice touch from the owner!

As soon as we ordered, they grilled the skewers one by one with care.

There's also shichimi (Japanese seven-spice) on the table, so add it to your taste.

What order do the 9-skewer omakase skewers come in?

Chicken tenderloin and negima

The first skewer of the 9-skewer omakase was chicken tenderloin. I thought tenderloin could be dry, but it wasn't at all, it was tender and moist. I enjoyed it.

Second came negima, a signature yakitori made by grilling chicken thigh with green onion!!! The charcoal aroma was subtle and the thigh was full of juice, which I loved.

Today's best: tsukune

Third was the tsukune I was most looking forward to. It's a skewer of minced chicken shaped into a meatball, and the special soy sauce and soft-boiled egg served with it are the highlight!

The tsukune came coated in tare sauce, and the salty-sweet soy sauce with the rich yolk was really delicious. My best of the day!

Heart, breast cartilage and inner skirt

Fourth was heart. I don't normally like heart, so I passed it to my friend~ and he said it was super tender and delicious and ate it up, haha

Fifth was breast cartilage. I heard it's a special cut you don't get much of from one chicken, and from the first bite the distinctive texture was appealing.

Sixth was inner skirt (anchangsal). The staff said it's a rare special cut, only a small amount from each chicken. One bite and it was chewy and tender at the same time, and the more I chewed the more nutty and delicious it got. Second best of the day after the tsukune!!!

Shoulder, neck and knee cartilage

The next part of the course was shoulder, neck and knee cartilage, and I really enjoyed all of them. With the 9-skewer course, trying so many different cuts meant I never got tired of it, and it was just right for a drink.

Is Yakitori Shomong's yakisoba made with pasta noodles? A good way to finish

This is the classic yakisoba (₩22,000) we ordered extra. Yakitori Shomong's yakisoba unusually comes with pasta noodles. It felt strange at first, but it went with yakisoba better than I expected, and the good thing is that it doesn't get soggy even if you eat slowly!

The springy noodles were evenly coated in the special sauce with great savoriness, stir-fried with crunchy vegetables for a nice texture, and it was a perfect finish after yakitori. There's more than you'd expect, so I recommend ordering it when you come!

I had a great meal at Yakitori Shomong in Mapo–Gongdeok today. If you're looking for a yakitori izakaya or a date spot around Mapo–Gongdeok, I recommend giving it a visit.