Ninona

About

Cozy neighborhood gastropub near Eungam Station serving fresh beef tartare, seasonal sashimi, and creative pub fare with icy soju.

A short walk from Eungam Station toward Sinsa-dong brings you to Ninona, an intimate culinary pub that locals treat as both a hearty dinner spot and an essential late-night retreat. Though tables fill quickly on Friday nights, prompting lines for its table-only seating, the atmosphere remains focused and unhurried. The solo chef in the kitchen prepares every plate to order, rewarding patient diners with an ambitious, ever-evolving menu built around raw cuts, comforting skillet dishes, and fiery noodles. The kitchen treats raw beef and seafood with equal reverence. Thinly sliced hanwoo raw brisket (*saeng-chadol sashimi*) arrives tender and melt-in-the-mouth rich, while fragrant minari beef tartare (*minari yukhoe*) balances rich meat with crisp, herbaceous greens. Seafood options shift with market availability; seasonal bigfin reef squid and cuttlefish (*gabo-ojingeo*) sashimi appear semi-translucent, firm, and naturally sweet, accompanied by seasoned sushi rice (*chodaeri-bap*) so you can craft your own bites. Guests ordering soju are greeted with a dedicated basket of shot glasses to pick their favorite vessel, often pouring out icy slush pours that pair seamlessly with the raw proteins. Heavier, cooked dishes carry an assertive swagger. The mala cream pasta comes loaded with bok choy, tender meat, thick toast triangles, and crushed Sichuan peppercorns that deliver an unmistakable, tongue-numbing buzz through velvety sauce. Crispy whole shrimp and water dropwort pancakes (*tong-saewoo minari-jeon*) pack whole crustaceans into every bite, while soul-warming bowls of soybean paste rice stew (*doenjang sulbap*) or spicy seafood ramen close out the night. Concluding a spread with chilled honey-cheese tomatoes—a sweet childhood nod—cements why neighborhoods keep places like this to themselves. Given the deliberate cooking pace and tight dining room, ordering your spreads early, or calling ahead to reserve for small groups, remains the wisest strategy.