Songpa Seoul bar for draft beer and tangsuyuk: Kkang Udong

The weather has gotten pleasantly cool lately—perfect for going out and about 🍃 I wanted a drink somewhere with a real open-air tent-bar feel, so I headed to Kkang Udong (깡우동), a great-value spot in Bangi-dong where you can enjoy that outdoor-drinking vibe.

A tent bar at the entrance to Bangi-dong Food Alley

Kkang Udong is right at the entrance to Bangi-dong Food Alley, so it is easy to find. And just looking at it, it has that pocha (Korean tent bar) + open-air drinking spot feeling that makes you stop in your tracks ,, 🖤

An even better open-air atmosphere when the tent sides are raised

What I loved most was the atmosphere 🖤 In the evening, they raise the tent sides depending on the weather, so even when you are seated indoors, it feels almost as open as eating outside—and the weather is lovely too. In a season like this, with cool night air, drinking draft beer while taking it all in is happiness. That is all.

The menu and a great setup for a second round

📍 Please refer to the photo above for the menu 📍 Their main dishes include udon, tangsuyuk (Korean sweet-and-sour fried pork), and dakgangjeong (sweet crispy fried chicken). They also have sides such as dumplings and sherbet, and the prices are quite affordable, so it was perfect for a second stop.

Self-service bar and chargers

At the self-service bar, small plates, sauces, danmuji (pickled yellow radish), and everything else you might need are neatly arranged.

What was especially nice was that they have chargers 🪄 My battery happened to be dead that day, and it came in so handy.

Draft beer and watermelon sherbet at an open-air table

In an atmosphere like this, ordering draft beer first is basically the rule. A cold glass of draft beer at an open-air-style table was just perfect for an autumn night 🍃

Sweet and refreshing watermelon sherbet

Is it just me, or does taking a bite of something cold and sweet halfway through drinking make the drinks go down even more easily? It had a sweet watermelon ice-pop kind of flavor, so I kept reaching for it 🍉

A sip of draft beer followed by a bite of watermelon sherbet doubles down on the refreshment, so I think this pairing would be especially good from summer through early fall 💖

A life-changing tangsuyuk at an udon place

Meeting my new favorite tangsuyuk

Tangsuyuk at an udon place? That might be what you are thinking, but my friend raved about Kkang Udong’s tangsuyuk, so we ordered it. One bite in, I was genuinely shocked—it was crispy outside and juicy inside, like tangsuyuk from a Chinese restaurant that really knows what it is doing.. 🫢

Truly the ultimate crispy-outside, juicy-inside bite, and the sauce was nicely sweet too. It felt like I had found my favorite tangsuyuk ever,, such amazing value 🤩

Fish cake udon for when you crave hot broth

Kkang Udong’s signature hot fish cake udon

When I am drinking, I somehow crave hot broth now and then, and when that happens, you absolutely have to try this fish cake udon .. A sip of warm broth with the fish cake and noodles was filling, and it paired so well with beer. There used to be an old-school street tent bar near my home, and it tasted like the udon I had there—instant nostalgia.. 🥺

The noodles were chewy and the portion was generous, so even just one bowl of udon on a second round would let you drink beer endlessly. If you like spicy food like I do, definitely order the spicy eolkeun udon (spicy, hearty udon) 🍝

If you are looking in Bangi-dong Food Alley for somewhere to sit comfortably and have a glass of draft beer rather than a big, elaborate bar, I seriously, strongly recommend Kkang Udong 🖤 It is even better when the night air is cool like it is these days, because you get that open-air drinking atmosphere too. The prices are not burdensome either, so if you are looking for a good-value bar in Bangi-dong, make sure to stop by! (Ordering the tangsuyuk is a must.)