Jonggak bar for two: gamtae yukhoe and oxtail stew, Umi Hoegwan

Where is Umi Hoegwan Jonggak Main Branch, and what are the hours?

Umi Hoegwan Jonggak Main Branch is at 8 Ujeongguk-ro 2-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the first floor. It's open 11:00 to 01:00 the next day on weekdays and 12:00 to 01:00 the next day on weekends, with a break from 15:00 to 16:30. If you drive, use the public parking lot behind Jonggak Station.

Today I'm recommending Umi Hoegwan (우미회관) as a Jonggak Station bar for team dinners and a great dinner spot in the area. It's a leading Jonggak restaurant that makes its food with freshness and care.

By public transport, come out of Jonggak Station Exit 4 and walk a little way into the alley right there, and you'll find Umi Hoegwan. So easy to find!

What's on the menu at Umi Hoegwan?

Umi Hoegwan Jonggak Main Branch sells a fresh, varied menu: mungtigi (Daegu-style raw beef), brisket yuksashimi (raw beef slices), yukhoe (beef tartare), oxtail stew and more, with the beef slaughtered that morning in Daegu.

Is Umi Hoegwan good for team dinners or hosting guests?

The interior is warm wood tones that reminded me of a hanok (traditional Korean house), and I loved how traditional yet clean it felt. It would suit a team dinner just fine, and I think it would be great for a wedding invitation get-together or when you need to treat someone, since it shows you put thought into it~

Naver reservation for two, with space for bags and coats

We reserved on Naver beforehand, and they had set a reserved seat aside for us. It's a seat for two but wasn't cramped, and a shelf separates it from the other tables, so it felt open and private at the same time. Since it's a two-person table there was no chair for our bags, but I saw they'd made a spot for bags on the floor, and I thought that was really smart of them!

And if you go further inside, there's a place to hang your coat too. It's summer now so it doesn't matter, but in winter you'd have to hang coats on the chair or stuff them in somewhere all crumpled, right? Little things like this showed real thoughtfulness.

Umi Hoegwan also sells a variety of traditional Korean liquor, which goes with snacks like mungtigi, yukhoe, brisket yukhoe and oxtail stew. I highly recommend it for a group get-together or team dinner near Euljiro too.

How do you order at Umi Hoegwan, and what comes on the table?

You order on the kiosk at each table, and you can even request the review event right on the kiosk, which was really convenient. The basic setting comes with sesame oil sauce and mungtigi sauce, and the mungtigi sauce was a real treat. The pickled side dish that comes with it is tangy with a bitter-fresh bite from celery, and it was so good. One bite and your palate resets right away, so you keep reaching for more. Magic..

How is the oxtail stew (48,000 won), limited to 10 bowls a day?

Umi Hoegwan's oxtail stew costs ₩48,000 and is limited to 10 bowls a day. Afraid it would sell out, we ordered it first.

It's oxtail and garlic chives simmered carefully in a soy-based sauce. Loaded with chives, it was crisp and mild, not salty at all. It also has somyeon (thin wheat noodles) in it, so it makes a nicely filling snack to go with drinks. The meat is so tender it falls apart the moment you pick it up, really soft and delicious.

How was the yukhoe (28,000 won) served with gamtae seaweed?

The yukhoe is ₩28,000, made with fresh meat slaughtered that day. Doesn't one bowl look really classy? Not many places even give you gamtae (a fine seaweed), so I was touched again and again…

Break the egg yolk over the fresh yukhoe and mix, and the nutty flavor goes up a level and keeps calling for more drinks. I've eaten a lot of yukhoe, but the freshness and richness here were on another level.

Put mungtigi sauce and yukhoe on the gamtae and eat it in one bite for yet another new flavor. I really recommend it to anyone looking for mungtigi or yukhoe in Jongno!!

Finishing with hanwoo hangover ramen

We finished at Umi Hoegwan with hanwoo hangover ramen. Ramen is great no matter what, but the hanwoo (Korean beef) made the broth deeper and the chewy noodles were excellent~

Umi Hoegwan's restroom and the downsides

The counter and restroom show the same thoughtfulness: they had mouthwash and dental floss!! And even hair ties for people with long hair..

The restroom is clean and nice, but when you open the door lock the inside is immediately visible, so it felt a little unsafe. It would be good if it could be locked once more from the inside.

If you're looking for a Jonggak bar for a team dinner or gathering, or want to taste Daegu mungtigi in Seoul, I super highly recommend Umi Hoegwan, the Jongno mungtigi spot. Boom up 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻