Sejong Univ. date pub till 6 a.m.: tataki, jokbal — Yukhoe Gongjakso

Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch (육회공작소 세종대본점) is a pub near Sejong University's back gate that's great for a meal and a drink together!

It kept popping up more than I expected when I searched for restaurants near Children's Grand Park or bar recommendations around Konkuk Univ., so I was curious 😊

When I visited, the great-value set menu with beef sashimi (yukhoe-sashimi), salmon, yakiniku and skewers stood out, and there are cozy partitioned seats too, so anyone looking for a private-room-style bar near Konkuk Univ. or a good spot in Hwayang-dong should be happy here :) Okay, let's start the honest review 🏃🏻‍♀️💨

Where is Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch? Hours and parking

It's on the 1st floor of 50 Gunja-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, open daily from 17:00 to 06:00 the next day (last order 05:55). For parking, use the Dongdo Centreville lot or a nearby public lot. Street parking in the nearby alleys is possible on Saturdays and Sundays, but they ask you to avoid it if you can.

• Location: 1st floor, 50 Gunja-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
• Hours: Daily 17:00 – 06:00 next day (last order 05:55)
• Parking: Dongdo Centreville lot or nearby public lot (street parking in nearby alleys possible on Sat/Sun but discouraged)
• Payment: local currency / Zero Pay / easy-pay / Naver Pay / high oil price relief support fund accepted

It's a 3-minute walk from Exit 4 of Children's Grand Park Station, or about 7 minutes from Exit 1 of Konkuk Univ. Station, going past Hwayang Market! Heads up if you're hunting for bars near Sejong University or Konkuk Univ. 👀

It's especially close to Sejong University's back gate, so it's a handy spot if you're looking for somewhere to eat around there 😊 Grabbing a meal at the school cafeteria is fine, but if you want a place to eat and drink with friends, it's worth a stop!

If you're driving, you can use the park parking lot near Hwayang Police Station or street spots in the nearby alleys, and for paid parking there's the Dongdo Centreville lot 🚗

Is Yukhoe Gongjakso good for dates and group nights out?

The place is clean overall, with partitioned booth-style seats! Perfect for a date 💘 You feel separated from the neighboring tables, so it suits anyone looking for a private-room-style or quiet bar near Konkuk Univ. :)

There are also roomy group tables, so it looks like a great spot for a company dinner or group gathering near Sejong University or Konkuk Univ. 👥

And there are tables that are half outdoor, half indoor (?), so you get that outdoor-pub vibe too! Wouldn't it be so romantic to sit there in a small group with a highball when the weather's cool? .. 🤍

Yukhoe Gongjakso menu and the free beef egg soup

Beyond yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), they sell a huge range: beef sashimi, tataki, salmon sashimi, yakiniku (Japanese-style grilled beef), jokbal (braised pig's feet), stews and more 🫣 It works for a first-round meal or a second round with a nice atmosphere for drinks!

This is the beef egg soup that comes as the basic side dish. It's made with a beef bone broth base, so it's great for warming and coating your stomach before the real eating starts, haha. See the big chunks of beef inside?! And the amazing part is that it's unlimited refills..🤫 When you want some broth while drinking, nothing beats this, right..

What comes in the ₩55,900 beef sashimi and salmon yakiniku set?

The beef sashimi and salmon yakiniku set (육사시미연어 야끼니꾸밥상) is ₩55,900 and includes salmon, beef sashimi, yakiniku and skewers, plus rice balls and 2 highballs.

• 200g gravlax salmon
• 180g mungtigi (beef sashimi)
• 200g top blade beef yakiniku
• 5 assorted skewers
• DIY rice balls
• 2 refreshing highballs

The set I ordered lets you enjoy beef sashimi, salmon, yakiniku and skewers all at once, so it's perfect if you want to try a little of everything ✨ Four dishes plus rice balls and highballs, all for the mid-₩50,000s. That value is ridiculous.. Honestly, it's definitely a better deal than ordering several single dishes, so I really recommend this set!!!!! Anyone looking for a good-value bar near Konkuk Univ. has to order it ⭐️

How does the mungtigi beef sashimi taste?

They say the beef for the yukhoe and beef sashimi here is round and eye of round from pasture-raised Australian cattle slaughtered at dawn, and when I ordered, they really did prepare it on the spot! Maybe that's why the meat felt so fresh and clean ✨

It's super tender and nutty on its own, and when I dipped it lightly in the sesame oil dip or the gochujang vinegar sauce, oh my, how good was that.. 🥩

Salmon sashimi even a non-salmon fan finished

Next star is the springy salmon sashimi! Each cut is thick and generous, and one bite fills your whole mouth with a crazy texture.. 🧡 My boyfriend, who doesn't really like salmon, said this one isn't fishy at all and is super tasty, and he wolfed it down in a blink, hahaha. Soy sauce, tartar sauce, gochujang vinegar sauce, it's great dipped in anything!

Top blade yakiniku grilled on a brazier, plus 5 skewers

We've had our taste of raw meat, so now we need cooked meat too, right? Straight onto the brazier goes the yakiniku, haha

I thought the brazier fire would be weak, but it was stronger than expected and the meat cooked quickly! 🔥 Great for us who hate waiting to eat ^^ It's marinated in a sweet soy sauce, so it was salty and delicious even without dipping anything! Even better with the rice balls, total heaven. This stuff is a real rice thief.. 🍚

Next we grill the skewers too 🍢 You get 5 in total: a chicken and scallion skewer, a chicken skin skewer, a heart skewer, and 2 ginkgo nut skewers ✋🏻 You can lightly enjoy a variety of flavors and textures, so it's perfect for a skewer sampler! My favorite was the nutty chicken skin skewer <3

What do the 2 highballs in the set taste like?

The 2 refreshing highballs that came with it were orange and pineapple flavored! The alcohol taste isn't strong and they're sweet and tangy, so good 🍹 Perfect for someone like me who loves tasty sweet drinks ~

With snacks this great, the drinks just slid down.. It was one round of salty-and-sip after another, hahaha 🥴

Add-ons: seared top blade tataki (₩19,900) and fire-grilled jokbal (₩23,900)

Halfway through I thought, this is no ordinary good restaurant ^^ and like I was possessed I ordered more! The extras were the seared top blade tataki (살치살타다끼, ₩19,900) and the fire-grilled jokbal with DIY rice balls (₩23,900).

The tataki was fresh top blade (chuck flap) with a smoky char, and with the sweet teriyaki sauce, tender meat and crunchy vegetables, it had a totally different charm from the beef sashimi! I kept picking at it like I was in a trance..🤤💦

The fire-grilled jokbal came on a huge plate and surprised me! It was bone-in jokbal with a spicy sauce and smoky flavor. Even a spice wimp like me could handle the heat. Eating it with the rice balls, before I knew it only bones were left.. If you're craving something spicy, give this one a pick ✅ Personally, I bet it would be amazing with soju, haha

Yukhoe Gongjakso events and the half-price sake deal

At the time of my visit they were running a Naver receipt review event, plus a half-price promotion on 900ml sake for ₩19,900 😊 If you like sake, it seemed like a good-value deal!

Verdict: Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch

This Sejong University-area favorite, Yukhoe Gongjakso Sejong University branch, was satisfying because you can enjoy not just yukhoe but also beef sashimi, salmon and yakiniku 😊 The great-value set menus are generous, and the partitioned seats let you eat comfortably, so it seemed like a solid choice for anyone looking for a bar in Gunja, a place near Children's Grand Park, or a bar near Konkuk Univ. ✨