Tonbori Hwangnidan-gil Izakaya Weekend Review

Hello, this is Ijjingne. Today I want to recommend a bar in Gyeongju Hwangnidan-gil. During a Gyeongju trip, I visited Tonbori, a Japanese-style yakitori and izakaya spot in Hwangnidan-gil.

It was a Saturday evening. Hwangnidan-gil usually gets busier during the day, so it looked a little quiet. There were a few bars, but not as many as I expected. The area felt mostly like prop shops, dessert places, cafes, and self photo studios.

The bars are mostly gathered inside Hwangnam Market. Almost every place had a wait. I put my name down at two places I wanted to try, then walked around outside and found an izakaya using an entire building. That place was Tonbori.

There was a photo spot like this. It had a strong Japanese feel. The vending machine made the mood even better. I wanted to take a photo on the chair, but there were many people waiting and it was cold, so I skipped it.

We waited around 10 minutes at Tonbori before going in. Because it was cold, I thought hard about what to order, and of course I wanted a hot soup dish.

Sukiyaki Saero

I ordered sukiyaki so I could have soju with warm broth.

I like pretty dishes, so I loved these uncommon soju glasses. Drinking from a glass like this makes it feel better, right? The dishes were all so pretty.

The sukiyaki finally arrived. Once the vegetables soften, you dip them in the sauce they provide. The nutty sauce with egg yolk was tasty.

There were plenty of vegetables, and the meat was underneath. The yubu pouch was frozen, so I tucked it under so it would cook faster. After keeping the heat on and chatting for a bit, the vegetables softened quickly.

As the vegetables softened, the broth color looked dark, so I thought it might be very salty. But it was not salty; it tasted just right. It actually had a deep flavor, which I liked even more. Vegetables, meat, mushrooms, and the hot broth all went so well with soju.

The exterior of the building was impressive. The lighting did a lot of the work. It felt like it captured both Gyeongju and Japanese moods.

On the way home, Hwangnidan-gil had become even quieter. During weekend daytime, it gets crowded enough to feel packed, but at night it was this calm. Maybe that is why there are not many bars. If you plan to visit Hwangnidan-gil and want a bar, I recommend going a little early, putting your name down at a place you like, and looking around nearby. Most places have waits, so keep that in mind. For places with remote waiting, look them up and register ahead of time. Do not wait outside too long in the cold.