This is part of my ongoing series on
Culinary Class Wars chef restaurants in Seoul.
4th review) Yojeong Yeouido Restaurant Seoul
Yojeong by Culinary Class Wars
Chef Cho Seo-hyeong
Yojeong is a Korean dining pub in Yeouido, Seoul,
run by Chef Cho Seo-hyeong.
A Black Spoon chef who competed in Season 1
of Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars.
She was eliminated early in the competition,
but that hasn’t stopped her
from building a cult following among Koreans.
Both of her restaurants are
notoriously difficult to book,
and locals treat them as some of the
most coveted tables in the city.
After finally securing a reservation
at her first spot, Euljiro Boseok,
I set my sights on her second venture:
Yojeong in Yeouido.
Information:
Yojeong Yeouido Restaurant Seoul
Yeouido is often called the “Manhattan of Seoul.”
Traditionally, it was filled with old-school
Korean restaurants catering to finance professionals.
Since the opening of IFC Mall and The Hyundai Seoul,
however, the area has transformed into
one of the trendiest dining destinations
for both locals and visitors.
The hottest address right now
is the One Sentinel building,
where Yojeong is located.
This building alone is worth a visit
for food lovers —
it houses notable spots like Jungang Haejang
(a sanctuary for soup lovers), Muwol,
Obok Susan, and the brunch cafe LOWIDE.
Location: B1, ONE SENTINEL, 70 Yeoui-daero,
Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
Getting There: 5-minute walk from Exit 3
of Yeouido Station (Line 5 & 9)
Hours: 17:00 – 22:00 (Closed on Sundays)
Nearby Hotels: Conrad Seoul,
Marriott Executive Apartments Seoul,
Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery
1. The Menu at Yojeong
True to the Korean Omakase format,
the menu shifts slightly with the season to reflect
the freshest available ingredients.
I visited in December, and the course
below was what was on offer.
While the omakase course is mandatory
for all diners, additional à la carte
dishes are available — though
the 7-course meal left us
well past stuffed.
Yojeong operates as a jujeom
(Korean dining pub),
where food is meant to be paired
with alcohol, so ordering drinks
is required.
On arrival, staff stop by to walk you
through the day’s drink recommendations.
The lineup is solid
sake, wine, highballs, and more.
One thing to note:
standard Korean soju (the green bottle)
isn’t usually on the menu.
That said, during our December visit,
they happened to be running an
unlimited soju promotion for 20,000 KRW per person
— a welcome surprise for anyone
who believes soju is the natural pairing for Korean food.
The Course Experience
The meal opened with the Yojeong Chan-hap,
a multi-tiered box of small appetizers.
similar in spirit to the tsukemono set
you’d get at an izakaya,
but distinctly Korean.
This alone was enough to get through half a bottle of soju.
Next came
Seasonal Seafood with Secret Chojang:
fresh oysters, shrimp, octopus,
and baby flounder, served with
Korean wrap vegetables and
a set of house sauces.
The portions were generous,
and the sauces were the real highlight.
They looked like the standard chojang
(vinegar-gochujang) and sesame oil
you’d find at any fish market stall
until you actually tasted them.
Before we’d even finished the seafood,
the Yangnyeom Gejang
(Spicy Marinated Raw Crab) arrived.
One look at the crab bursting with roe
and I was already craving
a bowl of steamed white rice.
Just as the meal was starting to feel heavy,
a run of more grounding dishes arrived:
delicate Shrimp Meatballs,
Suyuk (Boiled Pork) served with dried radish greens (siraegi),
and tender Galbi-jjim (Braised Short Ribs).
A typical omakase builds and releases
tension across the courses.
Yojeong’s course had little breathing room
dish after dish arrived with no real pause,
feeling less like a formal tasting menu
and more like a full-blown traditional feast,
or janchitsang. Not a complaint,
just something to know going in
Seasonal Specials
Since the menu is seasonal,
there are often off-menu specials
based on what came in that day.
The staff mentioned they had
Gwamegi (half-dried Pacific herring)
fresh from Pohang.
How do you say no to seasonal
Gwamegi in the middle of Yeouido?
Yojeong’s take on Gwamegi is quite different
from what you’d find at the coast.
At most places, you take a large piece of
seaweed, pile on garlic and vegetables,
add the sauce and fish, and eat it all at once.
Here, they’d thinly sliced every accompanying
ingredient and layered them neatly
under the fish. What struck me
was how they’d taken something rustic
and coastal and made it look
genuinely refined.
I also burst out laughing
when a staff member walked the room
with a large pot of marinated crab,
explaining each ingredient
with obvious enthusiasm.
We wrapped up with dessert
and left with no room to spare.
2. How to Book Yojeong
Yeouido Restaurant Seoul
- Reservation: Via the CatchTable app
- When slots open: The 1st and 15th of every month
at 12:00 PM (for the following two weeks) - Seatings: Part 1: 17:00 – 19:00 |
Part 2: 19:30 – 22:00 - Price: 79,000 KRW per person
for the omakase course
(alcohol order required)
Local Tip:
Slots go within seconds of opening.
Single seats tend to linger
a little longer than group tables,
so setting a “Cancellation Notification”
alert in the app is essential.
I aimed for Part 1, which is slightly
less competitive, and got a
4-person table on my third attempt.
3. The Atmosphere
Yojeong is a cozy dining pub
built around a bar counter.
The space is intimate —
which can make conversation
tricky for groups larger than two at the bar —
but what sets Yojeong apart is that
it also offers seating
for 4, 6, and a private room
for 6–7 people.
I sat at the 4-person table.
The open kitchen takes up more than
half the floor space, which tells you
everything about where their priorities lie.
Despite the compact layout,
they’ve thought to include coat and bag hooks.
One practical note: the space is
too tight for large suitcases,
so factor that in if you’re visiting
straight from the airport or hotel.
4. Final Verdict
At 79,000 KRW per person
before drinks, Yojeong isn’t cheap.
But consider the context:
Chef Cho Seo-hyeong’s first restaurant,
Euljiro Boseok, has become so popular
that even Seoul’s well-connected
struggle to get a table.
For most visitors, booking
Euljiro Boseok isn’t realistic.
Yojeong is the most direct way
to experience the same chef’s cooking
seasonal ingredients,
thoughtful plating, and a distinctly
Korean approach to the dining pub format.
If you’re looking for a Yeouido restaurant
that goes beyond the standard
finance-district fare,
this is where to spend it.
Other Culinary Class Wars
Chef Restaurants in Seoul
For the full guide including
Negi Sukiyaki by Chef Jang Ho-jun,
Izakaya Kaden by Chef Jeong Ho-yeong,
and Myeon Seoul Apgujeong
head here:
https://koreaandbeyond.com/culinary-class-wars-restaurants-in-seoul/