Jun 29, 2020 6 min read Burger

Into the Cave: High Quality Pub Food in Itaewon

Originally reviewed on July 7 2019, and May 4, 2020

Name

한글 🇰🇷	ENGLISH 🇺🇸
인투더케이브	Into the Cave

Price

Korean Won 🇰🇷	United States Dollar 🇺🇸
₩25,000	~$20

Price is a rough average per head, excluding drinks.

Operating Hours

Day	Open	Close
Monday-Thursday	17:00	02:00
Friday	17:00	04:00
Saturday	17:00	04:00
Sunday	17:00	01:00

Location

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Come out of Exit 3 of Itaewon station, and it is literally a 30 second walk if you turn around.

Seoul Seek Recommendations

👑 Signature
✅ Counting Calories
🌶️ Spicy

한글 🇰🇷	English 🇺🇸	Price 💵
치즈버거	Cheeseburger	₩9,500
명란크림떡볶이 (L)	Fish Roe Cream Ricecake (large) 🌶️	₩17,000
멜론칵테일	Melonade (non-alcoholic)	₩5,000
통베이컨 스테이크	Bacon Slab Steak 👑	₩14,500
유자리움	Yuzarium (yuzu-based) Cocktail	₩10,500

We're going to throw a chili emoji onto the ricecake as it is slightly spicy in a peppery way; not spicy so much to me, but foreigners may find it has a sting.

.I don't drink, so hard to recommend any alcoholic drinks. However, this place has the best drink in Seoul, which you can read about below:

Overview

This is a pub situated just a stone's throw from Exit 4 of Itaewon station. It is advertised as a Casual Pub by Juni, Juni being the owner, a former bartender who curates and creates all cocktails ordered.

The food here was surprisingly good; this was our second review, and the flavors stayed very consistent, while delivering high quality food. This is hard to find, as most pubs often sacrifice food quality for drink variety. Not this place.

The virus has hit Itaewon hard due to a massive outbreak several months ago located nearby, and business has suffered because of this. Nonetheless, Juni and crew continue forward.

The flavors here are very American for the Western dishes, and satisfyingly familiar for Korean dishes.

Arrival & Interior

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You're going to want to see something like this

Logomark while walking to the second floor

Separate menus for drinks and food; a set menu is offered for a new promotion

We sat right here both times; this is a great spot for lighting

You're free to serve yourself water if you wish not to drink anything else offered

If you have bags, take a look under the tables; there are hooks

The Drinks

I'm going to just leave a single pic here of the melonade; you can find the full in-depth review of this at the top of this review.

The yuzu cocktail has alcohol; my wife says it tasted very summery and clean

Dried oranges accent a mint leaf on top of a slushie-like mixture

The Burger

This is what we got; a cheeseburger and our mutual favorite, the cream ricecake with fish roe

This burger was divine, on-par with a smash burger, and that's high praise for a pub

The onions were perfectly charred, just about to be caramelized, but not quite

The fries were very sturdy, and were not oily whatsoever; they were freshly-fried and topped with salt

This tasted like an all-beef patty, although no distinction was clear; the onion was thick and juicy

Always keep a glove on you; you never know when you'll have to grab a burger

Really good size, nice body to it, bun was very soft and toasted

Looks like a cough of butter or oil to toast it

The middle was medium to medium-well; almost perfect

The bun was filled with the meat juice and some buttery goodness

These fries were firm and crunchy as hell; shot of the pickle contained on the burger, for size comparison

The Ricecake

This is the large portion, which can easily serve 2, maybe 3 people

These ricecakes are shaped like barbell, hence their nickname of *barbell ricecake*

That orange stuff is flying fish roe, with some pollack roe spread throughout the sauce itself

This is what you'll get in a spoonful; the sauce itself has mushrooms and some shrimp as well

You can see mushroom, shrimp, some pollack eggs (small bumps), onions, and chive garnish

The shrimp was very good to add a tad of sweetness

Summary

I've been here twice, and both times this restaurant has been incredibly good. The owner is very nice and caring, and makes all of the drinks herself. The ingredients are high quality, and the atmosphere is very open and welcoming.

Into the Cave strikes a good balance between a night-out go-to and a casual restaurant where you can slide in, get some familiar flavors, and slide out. There is no tension in the air here, as there is in many other places situated within Itaewon, Korea's most foreigner-heavy district.

The seats are high and comfortable, made well for long conversations or get-togethers. The tables are not massive, and there aren't a ton of non-couple tables, so make sure you come early if you want to secure one of those.

For the price, this is a very satisfying bite, and you can't ask for a better location when it comes to being near a subway exit.

Juni has something special here, something which should be known by more people visiting Itaewon.