Gwanak izakaya for second-round drinks: spicy oden nabe at Tomo

Once you hit your 30s, you start avoiding loud bars. I'd been racking my brain for somewhere quiet, which usually means ending up at a friend's studio apartment. But apartments in Seoul are so cramped — isn't there somewhere better? That's how I found Tomo, an izakaya near Seoul National University Station!

It's apparently the only private-room bar near Seoul National University, so if that's what you're after, this is your only option. But I walked away pretty satisfied with both the food and the space, so here's my honest review.

Tomo basics: location, hours, parking

Tomo is on the 2nd floor at 24 Gwanak-ro 15-gil, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, on Sharosu-gil near Seoul National University Station. It's open daily from 5 PM to 2 AM, until 3 AM on Fridays, Saturdays, and nights before holidays. No parking available.

Menu lineup and drink prices

They seem pretty confident about their sashimi. Apparently they use a Tsumoto-style aging method to bring out the essence of aged sashimi... and the plating looked far from ordinary.

Sashimi, soups, noodles, tataki, skewers — a huge variety.

There's fried food and full meal options too. Everything looked delicious just from the photos.

The drinks. Somaek is ₩6,000.

Whiskey, sake, all sorts of drinks!

The 6-person room on the 2nd floor — reservations essential

We were too busy drinking, so sadly I didn't get photos of the 3rd floor...

We'd booked ahead and were shown to a 6-person room on the 2nd floor. I highly recommend reserving through Naver.

The moment the door closes, all the noise outside disappears and you've got your own cozy hideout. The dim, soft lighting settled in quietly, making it perfect for having a real conversation for once — a chance to fully focus on each other, away from all the noise.

Apparently they have various rooms that fit anywhere from 2 people up to groups of 15 or more. The seats were spacious and the tableware neatly set, so the whole time felt comfortable, cool, and clean.

The basic side dishes. That refreshing cabbage pickle kept calling my name...

Round two: what we ordered for four

Since we'd already had lamb skewers for round one, we went with a lighter, cleaner lineup for round two.

Naver reservation perk: butter-steamed clams

This came as our perk for booking through Naver! With a reservation, you can pick either butter-steamed clams or tako wasabi. We went with the butter clams, and it's a bit different from your typical steamed clams — it has that buttery aroma and tastes more like a delicious vongole stew, which made it dangerously good with soju.

Beef tataki

The beef tataki was also fresh and clean, easy to pick at even when full. The meaty flavor came through just enough, which made it even better!

Sweet shrimp

Since sashimi seems to be their signature, I ordered the sweet shrimp even though one of my friends was against getting shrimp. It just melted in my mouth and had this amazing sweet shrimp flavor! (It was also bigger than typical sweet shrimp, which was a nice bonus!) The fried shrimp heads that came with it were crispy and salty — a perfect combo that had the drinks flowing nonstop. Personally, it made me crave sake!

We kicked off round two with these three dishes. Looking back, that was a really solid combo...

Spicy oden nabe

The AC was blasting so it was getting a bit cold, and it felt like the right timing for something with broth, so we added the spicy oden nabe. Various kinds of oden (fish cakes) in a spicy broth — perfect as a mid-round dish. There was a good variety of oden to pick through, which made it fun. (Turns out the AC could be adjusted by turning the vent installed on the ceiling...)

Salmon salad

We ordered the salmon salad last as a palate cleanser. It was packed with cubed salmon, the dressing was refreshing, and both the vegetables and salmon were fresh with zero fishiness — so good that it made it easy to happily knock back one last shot of soju. I think the four of us went through about six bottles total...?

One small (?) downside was that I wish they'd had some fruit dishes for a palate cleanser... the tomato cream cheese was the only fruit-adjacent option, which was a tiny bit disappointing!

What does it cost? A recommended round-two bar near Seoul National University

Honestly, the prices aren't exactly cheap. But considering what you're paying for — a comfortable, private room where you can eat and drink freely with your own group — it's a reasonable price range. Every dish we ordered was delicious, and the private atmosphere makes it charming and perfect for a cozy round-two chat over drinks.

If you're looking for a quiet bar near Seoul National University Station to actually talk, or a Sharosu-gil spot with great food, give Tomo a try.