Non-alcoholic yuzu highball and 15 raw shrimp: Dangsan izakaya Atashi

On a night out around Dangsan Station, this was our first stop — Snack Bar Atashi Dangsan Station Main Branch! I wasn't super hungry, but there was one menu item I'd been dying to try, so in we went haha.

What Snack Bar Atashi Dangsan Station looks like, and its counter seats

Snack Bar Atashi Dangsan Station Main Branch is easy to get to, right near Dangsan Station, and honestly the exterior alone is gorgeous. It really nails that Japanese izakaya vibe!

Inside, it's mostly counter (dachi) seating with just one 4-person table, so if you're coming with a group, I'd recommend booking ahead. Personally though, I loved the counter-seat atmosphere — it really felt like sitting in an actual Japanese bar...

We basically did an opening run so it was quiet when we ate, but more customers started pouring in soon after. I imagine it gets much livelier and more packed in the evenings.

Order policy and menu at Snack Bar Atashi

At Snack Bar Atashi, one drink per person is required, and if you're only ordering snack dishes, one menu item per person is required.

Looking at the menu, there was way more variety than I expected. The recommended item of the day was raw shrimp sashimi! I'd had sweet shrimp before, but this was basically my first time eating it as full-on raw shrimp sashimi, so I ordered it right away. Beyond that there's aged flounder with yuzu-yukhoe, flounder salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll), flounder pollock roe salad with salt gimbap, seared yuzu-yukhoe, yukhoe hosomaki, and quite a few nabe hot pot and other cooked dishes too.

There are simple snack dishes too, plus a wide range of liquor and highballs, so it seemed like a great spot for people who like to drink.

I was curious about the tomato sawa, but since I'm pretty much a lightweight... non-alcoholic for me!

What the writer ordered at Atashi and what it cost

• Raw shrimp sashimi ₩35,000
• Shrimp head fry ₩5,000
• Atashi signature highball ₩8,000
• Non-alcoholic yuzu highball ₩7,000
• Total ₩55,000

Atashi signature highball, 8,000 won

On the left of the photo is the signature highball my friend ordered! It's got a pretty strong booze flavor with a subtle lemon-ish? scent — really appealing.

Non-alcoholic yuzu highball, 7,000 won

Since I can't drink, I went with the non-alcoholic yuzu highball! It's Choya Yowanai yuzushu soda, and the yuzu aroma is genuinely so fragrant, tangy and sweet, it was delicious. Sometimes yuzu drinks have that distinct bitter edge that comes on a bit strong, but this had none of that at all. Clean and refreshing, and it paired really well with the shrimp.

Raw shrimp sashimi, 35,000 won for 15 pieces: portion and taste

The recommended dish of the day — raw shrimp sashimi! It comes with aged kimchi, ginger, pickled radish, wasabi and more on the side.

You get 15 pieces, and honestly I figured the portion wouldn't be that big... it's sashimi, so it shouldn't be too filling, right? But each piece was actually pretty sizable, so I ended up way fuller than expected.

The shrimp itself was so rich, with that slightly chewy texture unique to shrimp, but the more you chew, the more it just melts away. Chew it a little and the texture almost transforms into something like minced shrimp — genuinely captivating. The shrimp flavor itself was intense, but there was zero ocean fishy smell. Both my friend and I are pretty sensitive to fishy smells in seafood and meat, and maybe because it was so fresh, we didn't pick up on any at all, which was great.

Dipping it alternately in soy sauce and then in chogochujang (vinegared chili paste) made it even more delicious. Also, the wasabi here is pretty strong, so even wasabi lovers should try a little at first. If you like shrimp, you really need to try the raw shrimp sashimi here.

Shrimp head fry, 5,000 won add-on

Since ordering the raw shrimp sashimi lets you add shrimp head fry for ₩5,000, I got that too.

Completely crispy and seasoned with a nice salty edge — tasty even on its own, and it would honestly be a perfect beer snack. That savory shrimp-head flavor combined with the crunchy texture kept my hand reaching for more.

The portion was pretty generous too, so this felt like a totally solid-value snack. It's plenty seasoned on its own, but sprinkling on that powder they had on the table made it even better. Despite being fried, it wasn't greasy at all, and the bite-sized pieces disappeared in no time.

We cleaned the plate.

Is Snack Bar Atashi worth a visit near Dangsan Station?

Dangsan izakaya Snack Bar Atashi Dangsan Station Main Branch! The super fresh, rich raw shrimp sashimi, the crispy salty shrimp head fry, and both the Atashi signature and the non-alcoholic yuzu highball were all cool, refreshing and genuinely delicious. It's right by Dangsan Station so it's easy to get to, and the Japanese izakaya feel — inside and out — made for a great atmosphere. If you're looking for a Dangsan izakaya, I highly recommend this place!