을지오뎅

About

Fish cake bar in Euljiro. Hot broth, cold soju.

A 40-meter walk from Euljiro 3-ga Station Exit 11, down a narrow alley past printing-shop facades, this oden bar opens at 3 PM and runs a queue until midnight. Regulars arrive before 6 on weekdays to dodge the half-hour wait—no bookings, just concrete floors and a bent L-shaped counter where strangers sit knee-to-knee, grilling skewered fish over charcoal. The signature is grilled dorumu, a small silvery fish served whole at 19,000 won. Tear off the head, dip the body in coarse salt, bite down: the flesh is mild, but the roe pops like hundreds of tiny beads between your molars, crunchy and faintly briny. It's not dramatic, but hands keep reaching for another piece. Oden skewers bob in broth at the bar's edge, 1,500 won each—konnyaku, fish cake, the usual suspects—but most people are here for the dorumu and beer. The room is cramped: eight counter seats facing eight more, overhead Edison bulbs, potted plants wedged into corners. Friday evenings pack the place with office workers on second-round pub crawls, voices ricocheting off tile. Cash and card both work. The dorumu comes fast once you order. If the roe texture sounds odd, trust it—that's the draw. Go early or prepare to wait outside watching the alley's neon signs flicker on.