Gwangjin izakaya for sashimi and black chicken karaage: Irow

I visited Irow, a new izakaya in Gunja, with a friend. Gunja is super hot these days, right? Irow is in a happening spot too, so there were sooo many people even on the day I went. And it has such a lovely vibe on top of that—let’s get into all the details, come on, come on~

A Gunja izakaya busy right after opening

Irow is an izakaya near Gunja Station that opens at 5 PM, and even when I arrived at around 5:10, it was already about a quarter full..? Even considering it was the weekend, I was genuinely surprised to see this spacious place bustling with people right at opening!

On lovely-weather days like these, it would be nice to sit on the terrace for that outdoor-drinking vibe, but it was hot on the day I went, so I hurried indoors.. The interior has neat regular table seating too, but in the center was a spacious, unusual large table, almost like something from a study room or bar. It was such a distinctive table that I hadn’t really seen elsewhere, so it totally caught my eye! So fascinated by this table I’d never seen before.

By around 6 PM, Irow in Gunja had suddenly become completely full! I’ll say it again: if you’re planning to visit on a weekend, I strongly recommend making a reservation or coming right at opening!!

Drinks from sake to wine, plus food to match

Rather than simply selling sake, soju, and beer, Irow has a wide selection of drinks. It is a place that is serious about alcohol, with wine, Korean traditional liquor, sake, and more. I also loved that there were plenty of dishes that work as both bar snacks and a meal, and pair well with any drink.

A fresh eight-variety sashimi plate

Since we hadn’t eaten much raw fish over the summer, we—total sashimi-loving snackers—ordered the sashimi plate right away, haha. It came out so neatly and beautifully arranged that it really caught my eye!

There were eight kinds of sashimi (Japanese-style raw fish): akami tuna, yellowtail?, poached octopus, a white fish that might have been flounder or sea bream, sweet shrimp and aburi-seared fish, horse mackerel and mackerel, and salmon. It was a sashimi plate that did not feel like a waste of money at all! I loved that it was made up entirely of delicious fish that everyone can enjoy.

Above all, every piece of fish was fresh, with absolutely no fishy taste! The salmon and tuna melted gently in my mouth, while the white fish had that satisfying chewy texture. With a little wasabi, a light dip in soy sauce, and some radish sprouts, it cut through the richness so nicely—so good~

Irow in Gunja has several Japanese draft beers. We started by quenching our thirst with Suntory draft beer, and it was so cold and refreshing it was almost thrilling! It went so well with the sashimi, haha.

Black chicken karaage made with glutinous rice

Since we were meeting over dinner, we also ordered the black chicken karaage, a meat dish that could fill us up a little. It is black because it is made with black sesame. It is different from the karaage at other izakayas and also one of Irow’s signature dishes, so I was really curious about the taste!

The interesting thing is that, unlike regular karaage, it contains glutinous rice, almost like glutinous-rice tangsuyuk (Korean sweet-and-sour fried meat). It was seriously chewy, nutty, and full of chicken flavor—so delicious. I could see why the black chicken karaage was chosen as Irow’s signature menu item! The one downside: because of the black sesame, be careful not to get it stuck in your teeth 🤣🤣

The karaage-and-sashimi combination was so nice because it took care of both filling up and having bar snacks in one go, haha. The plating was pretty, the food was delicious, and the interior and atmosphere were both so lovely—it was a place I really enjoyed!

Terrace seating with more atmosphere at night

Irow becomes even more atmospheric at night. The lighting colors are distinctive, and you can tell a lot of care went into them. The menu is substantial and every dish feels thoughtfully made, so I immediately understood why it is one of Gunja’s most talked-about spots these days. Personally, next time I want to reserve a terrace seat late at night! If you’re looking for an outdoor-drinking bar in Gunja, go go to Irow!