Seolleung izakaya aji fry with tartare and potato salad: Sakai

I wanted sushi with a drink in Yeoksam-dong, so I stopped by Sakai, a Seolleung izakaya. It's been getting buzz lately as a sushi spot near Seolleung, and it's the kind of izakaya-style sushi place where you can pair your fish with premium sake or draft beer :) The reviews were great, the shop is tidy, and the vibe is really good!

Where is Sakai? 6 minutes from Seolleung Station Exit 2, down an alley with no sign

Sakai is tucked in an alley in Yeoksam-dong, close to Seolleung Station. It's a 6-minute walk from Exit 2! You do have to pay attention to find your way. There's no signboard — but if you spot a place that just looks like an izakaya at a glance, that's it, go in right next to it :)

We went at night, and warm light was leaking out through the vertical wood louvers, so it was actually easier to find than I expected!

Inside Sakai: hanok lattice windows and a counter sushi bar

Once you step inside, the mood feels really cozy and warm. (Probably thanks to the lighting?)

Hanok lattice windows, yellow walls, soft lighting — Sakai mixes in a certain Korean flair somehow. Up front there's a counter sushi bar where the chef shapes the sushi right in front of you, plus window table seats, so you can sit wherever suits you. It works for solo drinking, dates, or small gatherings alike!

This is a place that's serious about drinks, and even serious about its glassware and tableware..! Rows of colorful crystal glasses are lined up, and even those feel decorative. Perfect for sipping sake with sushi as your side dish — it really has that sushi sakaba feel.

Sakai menu and prices: order the nigiri one piece at a time

What we ordered at Sakai: egg 2.9, horse mackerel 4.5, engawa 4.1, anago 4.5, chutoro 6.1, sweet shrimp with kimi sauce 4.5, fried horse mackerel 15.0, clam miso soup 3.9, Suntory draft beer 10.0 (all in ₩1,000s). Sushi can be ordered piece by piece, so it's easy to pick only the fish you're craving. (Some items change price daily depending on the market rate.)

👇 Click the menu photos to see them bigger :)

On the counter, the day's catch is written out one by one on wooden tags. Red sea bream, flounder, engawa, yellowtail, bonito, otoro, sweet shrimp, sea urchin, anago — the variety is wide, so it's fun waiting to see what shows up.

Suntory draft beer and clam miso soup at Sakai

First, a cold draft beer. It's Suntory The Premium Malt's on tap, so the foam is soft and clean. The clam miso soup that came with it had plump clams and a broth so refreshing it really hit the spot.

A plate of nigiri: horse mackerel, anago, sweet shrimp and chutoro

Finally, the main event — the assorted sushi plate. Horse mackerel, yellowtail, flounder, tuna, anago, egg sushi, and sweet shrimp all came piled generously on one plate. Add the fried horse mackerel, miso soup and a cold beer on top, and it's truly a perfect spread.

You can feel the care in every single piece of sushi. The rice is packed just enough to stay chewy, and the fish is sliced thick for a satisfying bite 👍 Even without much soy sauce, the ingredients' natural umami really comes through.

The egg sushi is thick and fluffy, sweet enough to eat almost like a dessert, and the horse mackerel comes with a silvery skin topped with yuzu and scallion seasoning — nutty and bright with no fishiness at all. The anago (conger eel) with a hint of charcoal aroma just melts, and the sweet-salty sauce on top is excellent!

The sweet shrimp lives up to its name — deeply sweet and chewy, with a topping sauce that adds even more umami. (There were even three sweet shrimp pieces on it, ㅠ) The tuna belly is so marbled it melts the moment it hits your mouth. Every piece was such good quality that the beer just kept going down easy.

Aji fry (fried horse mackerel), 15,000 won, piled with tartare

Definitely order the aji-fry (fried horse mackerel) at Sakai too. A whole horse mackerel fried until crisp outside and moist and tender inside. Loaded with their house-made tartar sauce, it's an absolutely amazing beer snack. And by this point, my stomach was properly full!

The bacon-topped potato salad came as a review event item :) The potato is soft, and the bacon topping adds a salty, chewy bite — great as a drinking snack or a palate cleanser.

Sakai opening hours and closing day

• Open 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM
• Closed every Tuesday
• Address: 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, 1F 101, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea