Late-night beer hall in Dongtan Namgwangjang: Sin Gagye Maekju

The sky's been so totally autumn lately! I hate going to work but honestly just glancing up at the sky puts me in a good mood, haha. Good weather really does put you in a good mood.

Last week I ate a ton because of all the get-togethers, so this week I'm resetting and getting back to exercising, haha. Chuseok is coming up fast, so I've got to gain fast, lose fast if I want to enjoy the food then too, lol.

This day was a beer day after a while! I went to Sin Gagye Maekju, a draft beer spot near Dongtan's Namgwangjang, and yep, cold beer was so good. Lots of side dish options too, and the place is spacious, so let me introduce it.

Sin Gagye Maekju Namgwangjang: location, parking, and hours

Sin Gagye Maekju's location is one alley in from the main street of Namgwangjang, right at the entrance to the food street. If you've been around here, you've probably walked past it! There's a claw machine shop right in front, so the area is really bright, haha.

Arriving outside, the sign reads Sin Gagye Maekju in big letters. Most people probably won't drive since they're heading out to drink, but if you do, there's a public parking lot right next door! Both Namgwangjang and Bukgwangjang have well-set-up public parking, which is convenient, haha.

Peeking at the side dish menu posted outside made me even hungrier, lol.

Sin Gagye Maekju in Dongtan's Namgwangjang is open from 5pm to 3am. Last order is at 2am. Since it's open so late, it's also a great spot for a second or third round.

Interior vibe, and yes, local currency works

Wow, o_O, walking into Sin Gagye Maekju there were really a lot of customers. I guess everyone's out drinking beer a lot in summer!! Still, the interior is spacious enough to fit a lot of guests, and it's great for group visits.

There's also a screen on one side, so it looked like a great spot to watch a baseball game or other sports match with a beer!

The inside was cool and comfortable, just right for drinking, haha. The music wasn't too loud either, so it's good for chatting. Sin Gagye Maekju accepts local currency — since it's in Hwaseong, Hwaseong Pay works!

Sin Gagye Maekju Namgwangjang menu

Here's the menu and prices at Sin Gagye Maekju. Personally, whenever I go drinking I always check out the side dishes, and Sin Gagye Maekju has so many good ones, haha.

The signature menu is the premium mukdae (dried pollack)!!! Mukdae really is the best beer snack, haha. It's popular because you can keep eating it even when you're full. There's also hanchi (baby squid), jwipo (dried filefish), and agwipo (dried monkfish) — lots of dried seafood options.

There's also a wide variety of cooked side dishes.

• Chadol beef with minari and mung bean sprout stir-fry
• Charcoal-grilled chicken feet
• Sindo spicy fish stew
• Nagasaki jjamppong
• Broth-based tteokbokki
• Pork cutlet kimchi nabe
• Budae jjigae hot pot

Plenty to eat even if you show up starving, haha. And of course there are lots of fried dishes! Everything from chicken to fried shrimp and various fries. There's even sherbet to cool off with.

And of course, the drinks can't be missing. Cream draft beer, Kozel Dark draft, highballs, and other tasty drinks. Every order goes through the tablet at the table.

Kozel Dark draft and cream draft beer

Gotta start with draft beer before the main side dish arrives! ha. First round at Sin Gagye Maekju: cream draft beer and Kozel Dark draft to start! They gave us fried gunppang (hardtack biscuits) as a basic side, perfect for snacking while drinking.

Guys, do you see the cinnamon powder on the Kozel Dark?!! Wow, it's rare for a place to be this generous with it!! Loved it, haha.

Kozel Dark is definitely sweet and delicious, and the cream draft is smooth thanks to the cream on top. Chat away and one glass disappears in no time!!

Premium mukdae, ₩18,900

Soon after, the main dish came out! This is what I ordered at Sin Gagye Maekju in Dongtan's Namgwangjang! Premium mukdae for ₩18,900.

The premium mukdae isn't just plain dried pollack — it's Sin Gagye Maekju's specially seasoned and aged version. It comes with crispy skin too, which I picked apart and ate later, lol. It comes with two sauces: one is the classic gochu-mayo soy sauce that pairs perfectly with mukdae, and the other is a spicy sauce.

The mukdae came pre-torn into easy pieces, so it kept disappearing into my mouth nonstop, haha. So crispy, and it really goes well with beer!! Dipping it in the spicy sauce every so often cuts right through the richness too.

Cheese sticks + fries, ₩8,900

While eating the mukdae, I added one more menu item! Ordered cheese sticks + fries. Price was ₩8,900! Drinking beer really does make you crave fried food, haha.

The cheese sticks come 8 to an order, and eating them hot meant the cheese stretched out beautifully — great dipped lightly in ketchup.

Eating like this just makes you order more beer, lol. It's so good you get stuck in an endless loop. This day at Sin Gagye Maekju in Dongtan's Namgwangjang was such a fun time, I'd love to come back.