Euljiro bar to book for an after-dinner second round: Hey Jinny

My friend and I had dinner in Euljiro and were trying to figure out where to go for round two — that's how we ended up at Hey Jinny.

Euljiro has so many good-vibe spots these days that picking one is honestly a bit of a struggle, but this place had both good food and good atmosphere, so it worked out well for a long chat over round two.

The dim lighting especially made for a nice mood, and there were window seats too — I'd like to sit by the window next time. It does get busy though, so we booked ahead.

Where is Hey Jinny in Euljiro, and what does it look like?

Hey Jinny is a cooking bar on the 2nd floor, tucked inside an alley off Euljiro12-gil. The exterior isn't big or flashy, but it fits right into Euljiro's alley character, and it had a good feel for an evening visit.

Finding somewhere quiet enough to actually talk for a second round in Euljiro isn't as easy as you'd think, but I liked the vibe here even before going in.

Inside Hey Jinny: lighting, window seats and mood

The inside of Hey Jinny has dim lighting throughout

which made the evening visit feel even better.

It was comfortable sitting across from my friend, and with window seats also available, the vibe seems to shift a bit depending on where you sit.

We ate, drank, and talked for a long time, and the time flew by.

Rather than the typical second-round vibe of a few side dishes and just drinking, this was a place better suited to eating good food together and talking.

You could tell the owner had paid attention to every little detail — it showed all around the place, and I really liked that.

What's on the menu at Hey Jinny?

Hey Jinny's menu is more varied than you'd expect. There's pasta, pizza, gnocchi, and also dishes you don't often eat, like the eggplant, so it was fun deciding what to order. There are several drinks too, so it worked well for pairing one dish with a drink after dinner.

My friend enjoyed a highball and a cola. For food, we ordered the Sichuan Pepper Kick! Crispy Eggplant and the Osaka Niboshi Shrimp Oil Pasta.

Sichuan Pepper Kick! Crispy Eggplant: how strong is the sichuan pepper?

First up, the Sichuan Pepper Kick! Crispy Eggplant. This was genuinely delicious.

I love sichuan-pepper eggplant (어향가지) and have tried it all over the place, and this was the best version I've had in Korea. The eggplant was fried crispy so the texture was great, and it matched really well with the sauce.

Since the name includes sichuan pepper, I expected a strong numbing flavor, but it barely came through at all. So even someone who's not a big fan of sichuan pepper could probably eat this without much worry.

I actually preferred that the sichuan pepper wasn't strong — the sauce paired so well with the crispy eggplant that I kept reaching for more. Of everything we had that night, this was my favorite. I'd probably order it again if I go back.

Osaka Niboshi Shrimp Oil Pasta: a dish you mix before eating

Then there was the Osaka Niboshi Shrimp Oil Pasta.

I ordered it partly because the name was a bit unusual. It's genuinely an anchovy oil pasta, but despite the anchovy, it barely had any fishy taste.

It also wasn't meant to be eaten as just plain pasta — we were told to mix in the various ingredients served alongside it. I tried each one separately at first, then mixed everything together, and it was definitely better that way.

You still got that distinctive anchovy umami, but blending in the other ingredients made the flavor feel fuller. I personally like dishes where you mix several ingredients together like this, so I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Is Hey Jinny worth booking for a second round?

Hey Jinny was our second stop after dinner in Euljiro with a friend. The dim lighting made for a nice atmosphere, and with window seats available, it seemed like a good spot for a date or a friend hangout too. Most of all, the food was better than expected, which was satisfying.

The eggplant dish in particular is one I'd really recommend. It was the best sichuan-pepper eggplant I've had in Korea, and the sichuan pepper flavor was barely noticeable, so even people who don't handle it well should be fine. The Osaka Niboshi Shrimp Oil Pasta also had anchovy in it but wasn't fishy, and mixing in the various ingredients brought the flavors together nicely.

If you're looking for a second-round spot with a friend in Euljiro, Hey Jinny was solid — good atmosphere, good food. Just make sure to book ahead.