A few minutes’ walk from Yokohama Station brought us to Kimuchacha, a Korean restaurant on the west side of the station. We had actually tried once before, arriving right at opening on a weekend, only to be turned away — fully booked. This time we reserved properly and returned for an early 4:30 p.m. dinner, the three of us, on a small mission of revenge.
The elevator doors open — and it is Seoul
The restaurant sits on the 8th floor of an ordinary station-front building filled with izakaya. Riding up, I was half sceptical. Then the doors opened onto a neon-lit scene that felt like wandering into a Korean eating alley. That instant switch — office building to another country — is a genuinely fun piece of stagecraft.
The room was full of all ages, though groups of young women clearly dominated. The menu runs the full canon of Korean favorites — samgyeopsal, bibimbap, jeon pancakes, fried chicken draped in cheese sauce. Whatever you came craving, it is probably here.
Octopus-and-beef yukhoe, fresh samgyeopsal, and ganjang gejang
Our order: the octopus-and-beef yukhoe we had been looking forward to since seeing it in a vlog, plus fresh samgyeopsal, a cheese bowl (listed on the menu as the “UFO Cheese Ball”), and ganjang gejang, raw crab cured in soy sauce.
The samgyeopsal came off the griddle fragrant and crisp-edged; dragging pieces through molten cheese from the UFO bowl turned into a friendly family competition. The ganjang gejang was rich enough to demand another bowl of rice. Delicious across the board — on that, all three of us agreed.
An honest verdict from the one who knows the real thing
One amusing note. Our daughter, who has eaten her way through Bib Gourmand-listed places in Seoul, delivered a firm ruling on the octopus yukhoe: not quite the real thing yet — “you have to try it over there.” As a parent, all I could do was smile at how discerning her palate has become.
But that strict scorecard doubles as something to look forward to. We are planning a trip to Busan soon — a port city, where the seafood should be fresher still. Someday I would like to set today’s version and the original side by side in the same memory.
Notes from the day
- Kimuchacha Yokohama Nishiguchi, 8F of the INB Building, about 3 minutes on foot from Yokohama Station
- Weekends book up fast — an early 4:30 p.m. start worked well for us
- Fresh samgyeopsal ¥1,804, UFO Cheese Ball ¥3,278; budget roughly ¥3,000–4,000 per person (as of our visit — check official listings for the latest)
- Open 11:00–23:00, irregular holidays
More of our Korean food records: a late-night dak hanmari in Myeongdong and the queue at London Bagel Museum. Restaurant details are on the official Kimuchacha website.
Related reading：New Year at InterContinental Yokohama Pier 8, watching the sunrise from the chair
Kimuchacha Yokohama: Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly is Kimuchacha?
Kimuchacha Yokohama Nishiguchi is on the 8th floor of the INB Building, about three minutes on foot from the west side of Yokohama Station. From the outside it looks like any station-front building full of izakaya — the surprise comes when the elevator doors open onto a neon-lit Korean alley.
Do I need a reservation?
I would recommend it. We turned up right at opening on a weekend once and were turned away because the place was fully booked. On the second attempt we reserved and took an early 4:30 p.m. slot, which worked well for the three of us.
What does a meal cost?
On our visit the fresh samgyeopsal was ¥1,804 and the UFO Cheese Ball ¥3,278, and we spent roughly ¥3,000–4,000 per person overall. Prices change, so check the current listings before you go.
What are the opening hours?
The restaurant was open 11:00–23:00 with irregular holidays as of my visit. Because the closing days are not fixed, it is worth confirming on the official listing on the day you plan to go.
What should I order?
The dishes that stayed with us were the octopus-and-beef yukhoe, the fresh samgyeopsal, the molten UFO Cheese Ball and the ganjang gejang. The cheese ball is the showpiece, but the samgyeopsal is what I would order again first.
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