닌니쿠요코초

About

Garlic-themed Japanese izakaya near Yongsan Station.

Weekday lunch at this Yongsan izakaya means no wait and a streamlined menu — just grilled squid, steak, or yakisoba. Come Friday evening and you're looking at a two-hour queue or a ₩10,000 CatchTable deposit just to claim a seat at the tachi counter. The dining room wraps around an open grill where chefs work behind transparent screens, flame and smoke contained but heat radiating into a room already packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Weekend crowds fill every table; weekdays at noon, the place empties out. The cuttlefish butter-yaki arrives sizzling on a griddle — one whole squid, butter-basted and glossy, scissors and tongs alongside. Cut it yourself into bite-size rings, wrap the pieces in tortillas with shredded cabbage and a ketchup-mayo sauce that tastes faintly of spice without any burn. The texture splits: tentacles stay chewy, mantle goes soft and sweet under all that butter. The sirloin steak (₩27,000 for 200g) gets a pat of melting butter on top and a small pitcher of garlic-soy sauce on the side — pour it over while the plate's still hissing or dip as you go. Regulars add rice (₩1,000) to soak up the drippings. One blogger admitted scraping leftover mentaiko cream udon sauce into a bowl of white rice after polishing off the noodles; no regrets. Reserve through CatchTable or Naver if you're coming Friday night or any weekend slot. Weekday lunch runs 12:00–15:00 with no break, minimal wait, and a tighter menu. Card only. QR-code ordering at each seat. Sapporo draft costs ₩8,000 and comes with a foam head so thick it drew spontaneous applause in one review.