Ansan sashimi restaurant for hoe-deopbap: Eochongye 1beonji

A sashimi restaurant on Bandal Island with a child

Bandal Island is a small artificial island on the way toward Geobuk Island! Eochongye 1beonji is already well known as a great sashimi spot here, and you can even enjoy fresh fall shrimp. The menu is so varied that even people who do not eat sashimi can enjoy a good meal, but we came this time for sashimi and hoe-deopbap (rice topped with raw fish).

Address and visitor information

• Address: 23 MTV 17-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan
• Hours: Daily 11:00 AM–1:30 AM
• Last order: 12:40 AM
• Parking, high chairs, and children's tableware available

Fish tanks and a spacious interior

There are tanks by the entrance filled with live seafood, so it was nice to see how fresh the fish were with our own eyes. Before the food arrived, it was also lovely to step outside with our child and look at all the different fish.

And the dining room was so big! We arrived right when the restaurant opened, but, as you would expect from a popular sashimi restaurant in Ansan, lots of customers soon came in for lunch.

Ordering seasonal assorted sashimi and hoe-deopbap

We ordered the small seasonal assorted sashimi platter (₩45,000), hoe-deopbap, and a bowl of steamed rice. There were so many menu choices that it was almost hard to decide.

As soon as you order, they set out the banchan (Korean side dishes). Every single one was tasty, and they also brought sauces that went beautifully with the sashimi. Especially this mushroom wasabi! It was seriously... so good, yet other places give you only a tiny bit or charge extra for it. At Eochongye 1beonji, they gave us a generous serving from the start, so it was perfect with the sashimi. Even the water was not plain water, but hovenia tea!

Why it was great for dining with a child

Why would I recommend this as a restaurant near Geobuk Island that is good to visit with a child? Because miyeok-guk (seaweed soup) comes as one of the side dishes! It was mild and delicious, just right to share with a child, and the high chair and children's tableware made for a comfortable meal.

On top of that, the staff never looked uncomfortable even when our child cried. They actually gave our child a toy and looked after them, which was honestly... touching. Thanks to them, our child did not cry, played happily with the toy, and had a great meal. The sashimi was fresh too, so we gave our child a little, and they ate it so well that I was proud!

Hoe-deopbap piled high with raw fish

After playing with our child for a little while, the hoe-deopbap was ready in no time. What truly surprised me was... the portion was enormous! Even split between the two of us, it felt more than enough. And rather than adding just a little frozen sashimi or fish cubes, they piled in plenty of real raw fish.

That made for such a delicious hoe-deopbap! It was even tastier than ones I have had at specialty restaurants, with generous vegetables, lots of rice, and loads of sashimi. It might honestly be my hoe-deopbap of a lifetime.

Seasonal assorted sashimi that stayed springy to the end

While we were eating the hoe-deopbap, the seasonal assorted sashimi soon arrived, so we started on that too. The portion was so big that I wondered whether it was really the small size, and the fish was incredibly fresh and delicious.

It was set over ice and covered with plastic wrap, so the sashimi stayed springy right until the last bite. The sauces and each of the side dishes went so well with it that we just kept eating.

Seriously... there is a reason this place is known as a great sashimi restaurant on Bandal Island in Ansan. Everything from the side dishes to the mains was delicious, and the friendly staff provided such good service that we were happy from the moment we walked in until we left.

The hoe-deopbap was so delicious that I even got some to go and ate it again for dinner at home. I was that satisfied!