Seoul Korean BBQ bar near Isu Station: Utan wagyu set

Yakkiniku at the bar near Isu Station

I’d been starting to miss the yakkiniku (Japanese grilled meat) I loved on my last trip to Japan... So I looked around for a nearby yakkiniku place with atmosphere and ended up at Utan (우탄), a popular spot near Isu Station 🥰🥰 Sitting around a moody bar and hearing meat sizzle on a mini brazier...✨ I’d missed that feeling so much, and I got to experience it again at Utan. Haha.

Location and parking

Utan, a popular restaurant near Isu Station, is 153 m from Exit 2 of Chongshin University Station (Isu Station) ✔️ It’s so close to the station that getting there by subway was super easy too 👍 Walk just a little way and you’ll spot Utan’s atmospheric exterior, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and yellow lighting ✨ It’s tucked inside an alley, so parking is unavailable. If you’re driving, please note that you’ll need to use the nearby Dio Superium 1st parking lot or Seongsan Building parking lot 💖

Spacious table spacing and bar seating

Here’s what Utan looks like inside ✨ The clean, modern interior has around five tables for four, plus a loooong bar table 💖 They can accommodate groups too; when a group comes in, they join three or four tables together ❗️ There was even a group having a company dinner when we visited 👍 Overall, I loved how generously spaced the tables were, and since I prefer bar seating, that’s where I sat 💝

This is the view from the bar seats... 💖

There’s a paper menu too, and you can order using the tablet set at each seat ✨

Wagyu set for two and our order

Here’s Utan’s menu ✔️ Since this place serves premium wagyu, including BMS MB9 and full-blood FB9 grades, it had a range of wagyu cuts as well as set menus 🤎 There’s a wide selection of alcohol too, and corkage is available for a fee, so it would be such a nice spot for an anniversary... 💝 We saw the set with a range of wagyu cuts and immediately ordered the following ✨

• Set for two — ₩90,000
• Zero Coke — ₩3,000
• Upa ramen — ₩9,000
• Steamed rice — ₩2,000

A neat basic spread 🖤 Along with a slightly sweet soy sauce, there was salt, wasabi, and whole-grain mustard ✨

The side dishes were white kimchi, seasoned lettuce salad, and pickled gungchae (stem lettuce) with peppers 🥰 Everything paired well with the meat 👍

They also set down a mini brazier ✔️

Then came the set for two: 400g of wagyu—100g each of nunkkot (Snowflake), nakyeop (fallen leaf), neukkan (intercostal), and anchang (skirt steak)—plus a plate of accompaniments with vegetables, pineapple, and sausage 💖

Starting from the arrow and going clockwise, the meat is Snowflake → Nakyeop → Neukkan → Anchang ✔️ They recommended grilling them in this order, and said each cut has these qualities ❗️

• Snowflake: snowflake-like marbling; the most tender cut
• Nakyeop: leaf-shaped and full of flavor; the leanest cut
• Neukkan: the chewiest cut, found between the ribs
• Anchang: a cut with rich juices and an intense beefy aroma

The meat’s marbling was sooo fine... and the vegetables were served so cutely too. It genuinely felt like being at a Japanese yakiniku restaurant.. 🤎

Grilling from Snowflake to Anchang

Following their advice, we grilled the Snowflake cut first 💖 They said it was the most tender cut, and I think they were right... ✨ It just melted awayㅠㅠ

Next up was Nakyeop 🤎

I want this brazier.. haha

Nakyeop was not greasy at all—just clean and lean 💛🧡 From this point on, we were grilling and eating like crazy, so I think the Neukkan and Anchang got mixed up(?)

What matters? Delicious is what matters.. ✨

It was chewy, the beefy aroma was insane, and it was soooo deliciousㅠㅠㅠㅠ That whole feeling of grilling over a brazier at the bar—if you don’t know it, get out..

Spicy Upa ramen after the meat

After meat, you crave something spicy, right? They had Upa ramen, so we gave it a try.. ❤️🧡

Nicely spicy~ and the perfect choice to finish after the meat.. 👏👏

The atmosphere was great and the set was put together so well—such a lovely place for couples to come on a date 👍