Sinsajeon • 신사전
Sinsajeon (신사전) is a restaurant in Garosugil (가로수길) area that specializes in Korean pancakes (jeon) and Korean rice wine (makgeolli). The place first gained its popularity on social media for their now infamous honey makgeolli—which is essentially makgeolli served with raw honeycomb—that went viral the first time it was introduced to the online sphere. Since then, the place has gained popularity among the locals as well as international travelers who wanted to try the viral drink as well as the assortment of Korean pancakes they offer on their menu.
Do you know that there’s a Korean tradition where Koreans usually eat savory pancakes (jeon) and drink rice wine (makgeolli) on rainy days? It is said that the reason for it was because the sound of frying pancakes in oil is very similar to the sound of the pitter-patter of rain. And during rainy days, you usually want to eat something comforting. That something is savory pancakes for most Koreans. The makgeolli part is just something sweet and refreshing that pairs well with the savory and oil-rich pancakes, making it a good combination to eat on a rainy day.
Funny enough, my first visit to Sinsajeon was during a rainy day, making it the perfect setting to experience this Korean tradition. It was raining since morning that day and by the time me and my two friends made our way to the restaurant for dinner, it didn’t seem that the rain was going to letup anytime soon. When we reached the restaurant around 6 pm, it was still pouring and the restaurant was full with people lining up in front of it. And so we joined the line and waited in the rain for our turn.
35 minutes later, cold from standing in the rain with our jackets half soaked from the raindrops that were falling from people’s umbrellas around us, it’s finally our turn. We entered the restaurant and was greeted by the voices of people talking over each other, some even half shouting. The main dining area was loud but fortunately we were led to the back area of the restaurant where we got seated in one of the more private booths with curtain partitions. This area seemed to be for larger groups as we were seated on a long table that could accommodate 8 people. And the area was definitely quieter, something that the three of us were thankful for. We placed our order using the tablet order system on the table (and if you’re wondering, they do have the English option so ordering for non-Koreans shouldn’t be a problem) and our food started to come out about 10 minutes later.
Before everything else, first came the banchan and the dipping sauces. Everything is nicely seasoned and pretty good.
Honeycomb (벌집꿀) ₩4,000/piece* | 8/10
*Must be ordered with the Makgeolli
Since Sinsajeon is well-known for their honeycomb makgeolli, of course we had to try it. We ordered one piece of honeycomb to split between the three of us since none of us is a fan of super sweet stuff. Plus the size of each piece looked quite big so unless you really, really like honeycomb, ordering one piece per person might be a bit much. The staff actually came to our table with a tray of honeycombs and cut one piece into three smaller pieces before placing them into our glasses.
Sinsa Makgeolli (신사 막걸리) ₩10,000/bottle | 9/10
For their Sinsa Makgeolli, I actually quite enjoyed it. Smooth, not too strong. And the honeycomb did add a little extra sweetness to the drink which made it a perfect dessert drink for me.
Grandma’s Kimchi Jjigae with Pork (외할머니김치찌개) ₩33,000 | 8/10
Kimchi Stew, Pork, Tofu, Mushroom
The kimchi jjigae was comforting and delicious, hitting that right combination of savory, sour and a little bit of spiciness for me. The pork meat was a little bit too tough for me though. It was served in one big slice and we cut it into smaller pieces after it was cooked, but the texture was still hard to chew. So 8/10 for the stew, but maybe 6/10 for the pork meat. But it’s still a good dish to order if you want something soupy and comforting.
Combination Jeon (Regular) 모듬전 (소) ₩28,000 | 9/10
Two Varieties of Mushrooms, Pumpkin, Shrimp, Tofu, Korean Style Meatballs, Sesame Leaves with Minced Pork, Chili Peppers with Minced Pork, Frozen Pollack, and Kimchi. Fried with custom batter and egg wash.
Overall, a very solid assortment of Korean pancakes and every single one of them is executed nicely. I also like the variety that they have in the portion from vegetables, fish to meat. Definitely enjoyed the pancakes.
Also, fun fact, some of my Korean friends told me that they usually eat savory Korean pancakes at home with their family or during family gatherings on major traditional holidays like Chuseok or Seollal. It’s something they usually cook at home and not necessarily something that they would eat out at a restaurant for. And maybe that’s why I don’t see a lot of restaurant specializing in Korean pancakes (at least from my research). For the restaurants that I did find, they are usually located in a more tourist heavy area like Garosugil or Hongdae, which makes sense because tourists are more likely to look for Korean pancakes restaurant to try.
If you are looking for a specialized Korean pancake restaurant or maybe a place to drink makgeolli with good anju (안주) (food to be eaten with alcohol), Sinsajeon (신사전) is definitely the place to go. Plus they open late so you can even go here for the second round of your dinner.
Sinsajeon • 신사전
Address: 서울 강남구 도산대로11길 18 신사전
Telephone: 0507-1337-9993
Hours: Everyday 10:30 am—01:00 am
Instagram: @sinsajeon_official
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