Samgakji sashimi bar: 54,000-won daily aged sashimi, Hatpiendo

There's a neighborhood in Seoul I end up choosing for meetups more often than you'd expect: Yongsan. The area around Yongsan Station is nice, but lately the stretch of Yongridan-gil running from Samgakji Station to Sinyongsan has so many restaurants and bars with great atmosphere that it's become a solid choice for evening plans.

What kind of bar is Hatpiendo on Yongridan-gil near Samgakji Station?

Last September, on an evening when the sky was unusually clear and pretty, I visited Hatpiendo for a drink with a friend. Unique name, right? Hatpiendo is a casual izakaya near Samgakji Station on Yongridan-gil, with a menu ranging from sashimi to pasta, dongpo-yuk, and steamed dishes with liquor — plenty of good options to pair with a drink.

When you arrive in front of the building, the big HAPPYENDO CASUAL IZAKAYA sign catches your eye first.

It wasn't hard to get to from Samgakji Station, making it easy to meet up after work, and once inside, the atmosphere was livelier than I expected. Rather than a too-quiet, heavy izakaya feel, it had a comfortable vibe for chatting over drinks.

Hatpiendo, with its great atmosphere near Samgakji Station, is at 12 Hangang-daero 54-gil, 2nd floor, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. There's a public parking lot right across the street, which is a real location advantage.

Even the chairs for waiting customers had a nice touch to them!

Ordering at Hatpiendo: everything from the table

Once seated, there's a table ordering system in place. It's a familiar setup at restaurants and bars these days, but it does make it easier to browse the menu slowly and add extra orders.

Hatpiendo's daily-limited today's aged sashimi, 54,000 won

The first thing we ordered was one of Hatpiendo's signature items, the daily-limited today's aged sashimi for ₩54,000. Made with seasonal fish and sold in limited quantities each day, it was the dish I was most looking forward to on this visit.

The moment it arrived at the table, the visual was already satisfying. Each type of fish was arranged nicely, and with sweet shrimp added on top, this one plate of sashimi alone made for a pretty impressive spread.

As the name suggests, today's aged sashimi can vary day to day. Past visits have featured combinations like flounder, sea bream, salmon, and sweet shrimp. On my visit too, I especially liked being able to taste a variety of fish on one plate. The view of Yongsan outside the window was lovely too.

True to being aged sashimi, it wasn't just about that bouncy, springy texture — there was softness and chewiness together, and it was fun comparing the different textures and richness of each fish. This kind of sashimi is best enjoyed slowly, one piece at a time, alongside a drink, rather than eaten all at once.

What to drink with aged sashimi: Seoul-eui-bam and tonic water

The drink we ordered alongside was Seoul-eui-bam (Seoul Night). Just going by the name — a night in Yongsan — it somehow matched the mood of the evening perfectly. The public parking lot right across the street is also a real plus for the location.

An evening in Samgakji, Yongsan, with a plate of sashimi in front of us and a bottle of 'Seoul-eui-bam' — what more could you ask for. Since it's a fairly strong liquor, I also ordered tonic water to go with it.

Mixing Seoul-eui-bam with tonic water over ice makes it fairly easy to drink. It has a fragrant note without overpowering the taste of the sashimi, so it paired quite well with the meal that night.

Personally, I'm not the type who insists on soju only when eating raw fish, and pairing it with something like a distilled spirit or a highball-style drink turned out to be pretty great too.

Hatpiendo's menu: what to order on the next visit

Looking at Hatpiendo's menu, this isn't your typical sashimi-only raw fish restaurant. Alongside today's aged sashimi, there's Ijibang Hanwoo yukhoe (Korean beef tartare), mackerel bongchobap, unagi bongchobap, Japanese-style dongpo-yuk, abalone offal pasta, Napoli pasta, steamed clams with liquor, and more — quite a varied lineup.

The side menu also had a lot of intriguing options for pairing with drinks, like chicken thigh karaage, butter pollock roe with cucumber, and seafood-loaded jjamppong ramen. This time I focused on the aged sashimi, but next visit I'd like to try the bongchobap or pasta dishes too. I also came across other reviews of Hatpiendo praising its variety of menu items beyond just sashimi.

Is Hatpiendo good for a light drink near Samgakji Station after work?

There are so many bars to choose from on Yongridan-gil these days. Still, Hatpiendo stuck with me because it's not a place that leans only on atmosphere — there's actually food worth eating properly alongside the drinks.

In particular, today's aged sashimi let me enjoy several kinds of fish at once and paired really well as a drinking snack, which made for a satisfying visit. Adding Seoul-eui-bam with tonic water on top made for a light, not-too-heavy evening drink. If you have plans near Samgakji Station or are looking for a Yongridan-gil bar for a relaxed drink with sashimi, it's worth a visit. Next time, I'm planning to order more widely from the other dishes I didn't get to try this time.