Seongsu bar for lobster butter grill and highballs: Syudo Jaewon

After having a filling dinner for our first stop, my partner and I were deciding where to go for round two when we headed to Syudo Jaewon (슈도재원), one of the well-known izakayas near Ttukseom that I’d had my eye on for ages. It’s a place that always gets mentioned when people talk about Seongsu izakayas, so I’d known the name for a long time—I just hadn’t found the right time to go.

We were looking for a nice place to have a drink around Seongsu that day, and this spot naturally came to mind. It’s also known as a great sashimi place in Seongsu, so I’d been curious for ages. Finally made it!

Syudo Jaewon location and visitor information

Syudo Jaewon (슈도재원) 1.5F, 5-5 Sangwon 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea

It’s about a five-minute walk from Ttukseom Station, so it was easy to get to. Go up half a floor in the building and you’ll see it right away, so it wasn’t hard to find.

A quiet, black-toned izakaya atmosphere

The lighting was softly dimmed and the interior was black-toned. Rather than flashy, it felt calm and neat, like stepping into an izakaya down some alley in Japan.

It wasn’t loud, and it was a really comfortable place to talk. My partner and I were able to enjoy a cozy, relaxed evening together.

Because it has an open kitchen, you can watch the chef cook right in front of you. From prepping ingredients to plating, everything was kept so tidy that it inspired confidence just watching.

Especially if you sit at the dajji counter, you can watch the whole cooking process from beginning to end, so the wait never feels boring!

For a Seongsu izakaya with such a nice atmosphere, I thought it would be perfect for an anniversary date too.

A varied menu, from sashimi to highballs

Looking at the menu, the food selection was quite varied, from sashimi to hot dishes. There was also whiskey, sake, soju, beer, wine, and highballs, so I loved that you could choose a drink to suit your mood that day.

An appetizer and pre-meal sake

One thing I liked about Syudo Jaewon was that they brought out an appetizer before the dishes we ordered. It was tenderly cooked chicken breast with cabbage, pickled in a bright, tangy sauce, and it really woke up my appetite. The chicken breast, which I expected to be dry, was much more tender than I thought.

They also served a glass of sake before the meal. Its aroma wasn’t overwhelming and it was clean and easy to drink.

Having a light drink with a small snack really brought the second-round mood to life, which was so nice.

Lobster butter grill with a house highball

And then, the star of the day: lobster butter grill 🦞 A whole lobster came grilled in butter with scallops, mushrooms, assorted vegetables, and ginkgo nuts. The presentation alone was an absolute knockout!

The sight of the whole lobster laid out on the hot plate immediately caught my eye.

The lobster meat was springy, with the rich aroma of butter absorbed into it, but the natural flavor of the ingredients still came through. The more I chewed, the more a gentle sweetness came out, followed by that rich, nutty finish. It was seriously delicious.

A little squeeze of lemon made it even fresher. The scallops were fresh with a lovely texture, while the mushrooms and vegetables had soaked up that savory buttery flavor beautifully. It was a satisfying spread with ginkgo nuts and cherry tomatoes too, and there was plenty for the two of us to share until we were full.

We ordered a house highball too, and the ratio was perfection. The whiskey aroma was neither too strong nor watered down—it was exactly my taste—and with the lobster, it was completely up my alley. One bite of lobster, one sip of highball… say no more ♥️

I also loved that it came with large ice cubes, so it stayed cold and didn’t get diluted all the way to the end.

This place is actually so famous for sashimi in Seongsu, but I had a really bad bout of enteritis a few days before visiting, so I was incredibly sad that I couldn’t have any this timeㅠㅠ If I’d been feeling okay, I definitely would have gone for the sashimi too. This time, I soothed that disappointment with lobster and highballs instead.

Next time, sashimi too

Next time, I’m going to make sure I’m in good condition and come back for the sashimi too!

If you want both a great atmosphere and good food among Seongsu izakayas, I’d recommend Syudo Jaewon near Ttukseom as an anniversary-date course too. There were lots of repeat-visit reviews, and I could see why.

It’s fun to watch the chef cook, and the wide range of drinks means you can pick whatever suits your taste—another huge plus! I can confidently recommend it to anyone looking for an atmospheric izakaya in Seongsu. 🤍