Hyehwa izakaya with mochi ridofu and an in-store snack shop: Hanamato

My husband and I had dinner in Hyehwa and were looking for somewhere for a light drink afterward when the big red sign of Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa caught our eye from down the street.

Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa: address and opening hours

• Address: 10 Changgyeonggung-ro 34-gil, 1st floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Daily 4:00 PM – 3:00 AM

How to walk there from Hyehwa Station Exit 4

Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa is about 2 minutes from Hyehwa Station Exit 4. Once you turn into the alley, a huge red sign comes into view, so it's easy to find once you're nearby.

What the outdoor street tables at Hanamato feel like

The first thing that caught my eye at Hanamato was the outdoor patio (yajang) seating. The front of the shop is wide open with tables extending outside, which looked perfect for a drink outdoors on a nice day. With the Japanese-lettered signage and lighting added in, it felt for a moment like we'd landed in a Japanese izakaya, even right in the middle of Daehangno.

Inside the 1st and 2nd floors, including the counter seats

Inside, Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa spans 1st and 2nd floors. The seating goes back much further than it looks from outside, with a mix of table seats and counter (dachi) seats. Old Japanese liquor ads and posters are stuck up all over, so the interior had a pretty strong izakaya feel too. We were shown to a counter seat on the 1st floor. Staff were grilling yakitori right in front of us at the counter, so we got to watch the skewers cooking — fun to watch while waiting.

Hanamato's menu and what we ordered

The menu ranges from yakitori to oden (Japanese fish cake stew) to simple sides and meals. Rather than picking dishes one by one, we went with the Hanamato set menu, which lets you have oden and yakitori together.

The 5 oden in the Hanamato set, and why the personal induction burner matters

The oden came out first, several kinds together in broth. What I liked here was that every table has its own induction burner. Instead of everyone sharing one big pot of oden, you simmer it yourself right at the table, so it stays hot the whole time — and it felt cleaner too, since everyone could serve their own portion.

The oden pieces also differed slightly in shape and texture, so it was fun trying one at a time. With the broth staying hot, it was also great for scooping up a spoonful here and there between drinks.

How do the 5 yakitori skewers taste?

The yakitori came out as 5 different skewers on one plate. Having watched them being grilled right at the counter, I wanted to try each one the moment they arrived. Overall the seasoning wasn't too salty, which I liked, and each skewer used a different cut, so the textures varied a bit too. Cabbage and mayonnaise came alongside, and pairing a bite of cabbage or a dip in the mayo in between skewers worked really well.

The outsides were lightly charred and savory while the insides stayed juicy, so the skewers were delicious enough to eat on their own without feeling heavy. Alternating between skewers and oden broth made for a great pairing with drinks.

Mochi ridofu, the dish we added on

Partway through, we felt like we wanted a bit more, so we added the mochi ridofu. This dish came with round mochi ridofu (mochi-tofu) and tomatoes together. The mochi ridofu had a soft yet dense, rich texture. Paired with the refreshing tomato, the combination worked better than I expected. After the oden and skewers, we wanted something a little different, so we ordered this — and I was personally glad we did.

The little Japanese snack shop inside Hanamato

Another surprisingly fun part of Hanamato was the little Japanese snack shop set up in the middle of the store. It was stocked with everything from Japanese snacks to Hi-Chew to character goods. I ended up picking out a Hi-Chew while we were eating haha. Instead of paying separately on the spot, whatever you pick just gets added to your bill, so we could enjoy it comfortably right at our seats. It seems like it would be fun to pick out something sweet whenever a craving hits while drinking.

Our verdict after visiting Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa

The food at Hanamato Daehangno Hyehwa was good, but the atmosphere is what really stuck with me. From the red sign to the outdoor patio to the Japanese ads and props inside, it really nailed the izakaya feel. The oden stayed hot the whole time thanks to the personal induction burner, and the yakitori wasn't too heavily seasoned, so it was easy to enjoy without feeling weighed down. If you're looking to enjoy the outdoor patio in Hyehwa on a nice day, or want an izakaya for a casual drink after a date in Daehangno, this place is worth a visit :)