Samseong-dong izakaya sashimi for two, 54,000 won: Yoran

Yoran, where you can enjoy a wide variety of seasonal sashimi along with easygoing side dishes all in one place

Where is Yoran izakaya in Samseong-dong?

I went to Yoran with a friend one evening when I was craving sashimi. It's a quick walk from Samseong-jung-ang Station, so it was easy to find, and stepping inside revealed a space with a warm wood tone and a Japanese-style atmosphere. There's also a wide variety of drinks to pair with the sashimi, making it a good spot when you're looking for an izakaya near Samseong-jung-ang Station.

Yoran hours, parking and address

• Address: 467 Bongeunsa-ro, 1st floor, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Hours: Mon–Fri 17:00–02:00 / Sat 18:00–02:00
• Regular closing day: Every Sunday
• Parking: Free parking behind the building, space is tight, around 12 spots available
• Seating: Regular tables, counter seats, rooms, group seating
• About 161m from Exit 1 of Samseong-jung-ang Station

Check the sign from the main street and head inside to find Yoran's entrance. Being close to Samseong-jung-ang Station, it's also a good spot for meeting up.

Inside Yoran: atmosphere and seating

The interior at Yoran was warm overall with its wood tones, plus cherry blossom decorations on the ceiling and Japanese-style props added in. The tables weren't cramped, and besides regular seating there are also rooms and group seating, which looked useful for gatherings with several people.

On one side, a wide variety of liquor was lined up on display. It felt like a good atmosphere for a drink alongside sashimi, so it's a space that would suit anyone looking for an izakaya in Samseong-dong.

What comes with Yoran's seasonal sashimi for two (54,000 won)?

Yoran's basic side dishes came out first — green peas and pickled items — along with a dipping sauce for the sashimi. While snacking on those and waiting, the main seasonal sashimi arrived.

It came piled high on ice in a large wooden bowl, and the spread looked impressive from the moment it arrived. Abalone, tuna, salmon, white fish, shrimp and more were all laid out together, so it was more fun to pick and choose than just eating one type of fish.

In particular, the sashimi was sliced thick rather than thin overall, so each piece had a real bite to it.

White fish, salmon and abalone on the platter

The white fish had a clean yet chewy texture that I liked. With several types served together, switching between them along the way kept things from getting monotonous.

The salmon was soft with a fatty richness, which worked well between bites of the cleaner white fish. It was thick enough that even one piece filled the mouth.

The abalone came in generous chunks too. With multiple types of raw fish already on the plate plus abalone on top, if you're looking for sashimi near Samseong-jung-ang Station, this seasonal sashimi is worth checking out.

Tuna and sweet shrimp at Yoran

The tuna was thick enough to be obvious even in photos. It was soft to bite into with a rich flavor coming through, so among the various types, I kept reaching for it.

Tasting the sweet shrimp one at a time as well, the lineup ended up being more varied than expected. It was nice that you get to try several kinds of seafood at once depending on what's in season that day.

Original Spam with fried egg, 20,000 won

The other dish we ordered along with the sashimi at Yoran was the original Spam and fried egg. Long, thickly grilled Spam came with a generous fried egg on the side, plus some vegetables that were easy to eat lightly.

The Spam is salty enough on its own, but eating it with the fried egg added a nutty richness, and the combination worked really well. It was a completely different flavor from the sashimi, which made it good to alternate between the two.

Dipping it in ketchup gives a familiar taste that keeps you reaching for more. It's not a complicated dish or one that's likely to divide opinions, so it worked well as a shared drinking snack for a group.

Eating it with the egg yolk mixed in made it even softer and richer. It was a good pairing to order once we'd worked through some of the sashimi and wanted something a bit more filling.

What we ordered at Yoran, and is it worth it?

What we ordered at Yoran that day was the seasonal sashimi for two (₩54,000) and the original Spam + fried egg (₩20,000). The seasonal sashimi let us taste several types at once, and since the fish was cut thick, there was fun in picking through each one. Adding the salty Spam and nutty fried egg on top meant we got to alternate between two very different styles of side dish.

If you're looking for a place near Samseong-jung-ang Station to enjoy sashimi along with a variety of drinks, Yoran is worth a visit.