Amberjack and grouper sashimi platter in Sangbong, Seoul: Hoepanjang

Hi, this is Myeonji :)

There's a place I end up thinking about pretty often whenever I want sashimi — it's Hoepanjang🐟 near Sangbong Station. I'd visited once before and tried the aged sashimi, and since they had a good variety of fish and the side dishes were solid too, I went back again!

Where is Hoepanjang Sangbong and when is it open?

A well-known aged sashimi spot near Sangbong Station — Hoepanjang

• 📍86 Bongujae-ro 33-gil, Jungnang-gu, Seoul
• 🚇7-minute walk from Sangbong Station Exit 2
• Hours: daily 16:00–03:00, no regular days off
• ✔️No free parking available

Hoepanjang is about a 7-minute walk from Sangbong Station Exit 2. It's tucked inside the Sangbong dining alley, so it's easy to find even in the evening, and with plenty of bars and restaurants nearby, it's a good spot for dinner or drinks with friends. On nice-weather days like these, you can enjoy the atmosphere at the outdoor tables in front — visiting in the evening feels great and breezy🍻

What the restaurant looks like inside

Inside, each table has some degree of separated space. The place doesn't seem to have been open too long, so the interior is pretty clean and feels well put together overall.

What we ordered and what it cost

Premium sashimi platter (small) ₩64,000, soju ₩5,000, and free corkage!

Which free side dishes come with the sashimi?

Hoepanjang doesn't just serve sashimi — you also get sseukidasi (complimentary side dishes) that come standard, and that day we got beondegi (silkworm pupae) soup, corn, a pancake, and sweet potato fritters. At first I thought these would just be light bites before the sashimi, but the pancake was surprisingly delicious. It was a kimchi pancake, fried until crispy, and eating it warm was amazing!!

The sweet potato fritters were also great. The batter was really crispy, so the first thing you notice on a bite is the crunch, followed by soft sweet potato inside.

What's on the premium sashimi platter for two

This time we ordered the premium assorted sashimi for two~ Hoepanjang offers a wide range of aged sashimi, so it was great to try several different fish at once. The sashimi came neatly arranged by type on one plate, so it was fun to check each one and figure out what fish it was as we went along. The staff explained each type of fish that day, which made it even more interesting than just eating without knowing🌟

What does gray amberjack taste like?

The staff explained that jaetbangeo (gray amberjack) is generally pricier and rarer than the more common daebangeo (yellowtail amberjack), and that the season was almost over, making it harder to get. So I figured I should really savor it while I could! Taking a bite, I was surprised by how much fattier it felt than expected. I already like daebangeo, but the jaetbangeo that day had an even richer, fattier flavor, plus the chewy texture unique to aged sashimi — it was really delicious.

If you usually like daebangeo, I think it's worth trying jaetbangeo too.

Mussel soup and free corkage

What would be a shame to skip when eating sashimi is a good broth, and that day mussel soup came along with the meal. It had a good amount of mussels in it and the broth was refreshing, pairing really well with soju. Plus, since corkage is free, I also had it with a highball🍻

Longtooth grouper sashimi and mulhoe

There was also jabari (longtooth grouper) sashimi, which I was trying for the first time. It's often called the 'fake dageumbari,' jabari~!!! The slices were cut quite thick, so you could see the meatiness the moment you picked up a piece, and it was really chewy in the mouth. It felt totally different from the usual thinly sliced sashimi, and there was definitely fun in the chewing.

Mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) also comes with the sashimi platter, and after eating fatty jaetbangeo like that day, a spoonful of mulhoe completely changed the flavor in a good way. The cold, tangy mulhoe in between kept things from getting repetitive even after eating a lot of sashimi.

Who should come here, and when

Hoepanjang is a place that comes to mind less for sashimi alone and more for when you want a drink in the evening along with a variety of side dishes. I once again had a pretty satisfying time with a piece of sashimi and a glass of soju. If you like jaetbangeo, it might be worth trying it before the season ends🫶