99 Golbaengi

About

Cozy, friendly pub in the Bangi-dong food alley serving whelk soup and spicy whelk scallion salads.

Tucked deep inside Songpa’s bustling Bangi-dong Food Alley, 99 Golbaengi offers a grounded retreat from the weekend queues that clog the district's main drag. Operating with the unpretentious warmth of a neighborhood hof, this intimate drinking joint is the kind of place where nostalgic tunes play over the hum of low-lit conversation and cold beer or soju bottles are grabbed straight from the fridge on busy nights. The room is anchored by the aroma of simmering seafood broth, making it a natural gathering spot for second-round drinks with small groups. Service kicks off with classic bar snacks—crispy popped rice crackers and remarkably fragrant roasted peanuts that disappear quickly while waiting for the stove to fire up. The house hallmark is the *golbaengi-tang*, a sea snail soup served over a portable tabletop burner alongside skewered fish cakes (*kkochi-odeng*). Once the broth reaches a bubbling boil, the owner steps in to swiftly pluck the plump, tender sea snails directly from their coiled shells with practiced ease, slicing the fish cakes into bite-sized folds ready for dipping into wasabi soy sauce or tangy *chojang*. For those who lean toward piquancy or need to feed a larger gathering, the kitchen turns out classic Euljiro-style *golbaengi pamuchim*. Piled high with shredded scallions dressed in a sharp, peppery glaze, the spicy sea snail salad frequently lands on tables as part of an unfussy set alongside a rolled omelet (*gyeran-mari*) and a mild dried-pollack egg soup (*hwangtae gyeran-guk*). The cooking does not chase modern trends; instead, 99 Golbaengi relies on sturdy drinking food, unfussy hospitality, and reliable hot broth to anchor late nights in Bangi-dong.