Early-evening Hongdae izakaya before the 6:30 rush: Kushino Kitchen

I hadn't been to Hongdae in about a million years, so I finally visited Kushino Kitchen, a Hongdae izakaya (Japanese-style pub) a friend told me I absolutely had to try.

Where is Kushino Kitchen?

Kushino Kitchen is a basement izakaya about a 3-minute walk from Exit 3 of Hongik Univ. Station. The entrance alone had so much izakaya charm that I walked in feeling a little giddy.

Atmosphere and interior of Kushino Kitchen

The lighting is soft, and Japanese-style props and lanterns are scattered around, so it felt like a real izakaya in Japan. The mood was great the moment we stepped in.

The interior is really atmospheric too. Best of all, the kitchen is open and see-through, so you can watch the cooking, and seeing how clean it was made me feel even more at ease.

Seating and table setup

These aren't private-room seats, but the spaces are well separated, so it felt pretty cozy. Each table had water and basic snacks, and since the main dish is nabe (hot pot), every table also had its own gas burner.

What two of us ordered at Kushino Kitchen, and the prices

We ordered the Kushino nabe, the lemon cream karaage (Japanese-style fried chicken), a watermelon highball and a peach highball.

• Kushino nabe - ₩33,000
• Lemon cream karaage - ₩15,000
• Watermelon highball - ₩9,000
• Peach highball - ₩9,000

Are the watermelon and peach highballs OK if you can't drink much?

Both highballs are on the sweet side, so I think even people who don't drink much could enjoy them without pressure. Of the two that came out first, the watermelon highball was packed with watermelon, and with watermelon so pricey these days, that was generous! It was cold and sweet, and one sip put me in a good mood.

The peach highball was charming too, with bits of fruit you could bite into. The sweet peach aroma spreads right away and it went down almost like a soft drink, yet the faint taste of the liquor was still there, so the balance was good.

Lemon cream karaage: portion and taste

The lemon cream karaage (₩15,000) came packed almost entirely with chicken, no french fries, so I was happy with the portion right away. It came out quickly after ordering, with a salad on the side and two lemon wedges on top. Places usually fill out this kind of dish with fries, you know?

I took a bite right away: the outside was really crispy and the inside juicy, so the texture contrast was obvious. Even with the lemon cream sauce on top it didn't go soggy, and I was surprised the crunch survived.

The cream sauce is the tangy-sweet kind, not heavy, and the faint lemon aroma goes really well with the chicken. Eating the salad greens in between kept things from getting greasy, so it was a great combination.

What goes into the signature Kushino nabe?

The Kushino nabe (₩33,000) is a tomato-based hot pot with chicken skewers, tomato, cheese rice cake, heart and sausage skewers all in one, and pasta noodles come with it as standard. As the signature dish you have to eat here, almost every table around us was having it. With so many toppings, picking out different bites was fun.

The broth is tomato-based, so it felt almost like eating tomato pasta. The noodles soak up the broth nicely, and the portion was big enough for two.

Kushino nabe broth and pairing with drinks and sides

The broth is a slightly spicy tomato nabe style, rich and deep, and really good for dipping skewers. It's red and a bit spicy, but it pairs surprisingly well with the sweet highballs. Eating it with the lemon cream chicken cut the greasiness too, so the combination was quite satisfying.

Kushino Kitchen wait times: when should you go?

We visited early, at 5 p.m., and there were already quite a few guests; by around 6:30 it was nearly full and a wait had formed. If you're looking for an atmospheric Hongdae izakaya, I think Kushino Kitchen is worth a visit.