Hongdae sashimi restaurant for a wedding invite meetup: Yeonnam Eobu

Yellowtail is one of those things you just have to eat in winter, right? Haha. For a wedding invitation meetup (cheongmojip, the get-together where you hand out invitations) with a coworker, I wondered what to eat and ended up trying yellowtail sashimi, the taste that says winter has arrived. The sea-themed interior reminded me of SpongeBob and the sashimi set was great too, so we had a very satisfying meal. This is the Hongdae sashimi restaurant Yeonnam Eobu (연남어부).

• Address: 220 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul (1st floor)
• Hours: Mon–Sun 15:00–24:00 (last order 23:00)
• Parking: no free parking
• Tip: order on the 1st floor, eat on the 2nd or 3rd floor

Where is Yeonnam Eobu?

Yeonnam Eobu is a 3-minute walk from Hongik Univ. Station Exit 3. It's a big building with four floors.

On the 1st floor you pick your fish and pay, then head up to the floor you're told and eat there.

Ordering at the 1st-floor fish tanks

When we walked into the 1st floor, there was a huge row of fish tanks! The 1st floor has no dining space at all, just tanks, so I thought, wow, these people are serious about sashimi. The tanks were also kept clean, which made everything feel fresh.

A SpongeBob-style ship interior on the 2nd floor

Just turn the corner to the left from the 1st-floor entrance and the stairs are right there! There are the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, and we ate on the 2nd.

The space was much bigger than I expected, and above all the ship-style interior was gorgeous. From the netting on the ceiling to the rope-wrapped railings, the ship's wheel and anchor, there are so many sea props that it really feels like you're on board, and SpongeBob came to mind all by himself. The interior is a solid 100 points 👍🏻

There are restrooms on every floor too!

3rd-floor terrace and 4th-floor rooftop

The 3rd floor has a ship feel too, but compared with the 2nd floor the decor is toned down, and instead the lighting and terrace are lovely. The 2nd floor feels like a day at the sea, the 3rd floor pairs lighting with the terrace, and honestly any floor is good :)

It was winter and there weren't many customers when I visited, so the 4th-floor rooftop was closed and I couldn't see it 😢

Yeonnam Eobu menu and what we ordered

Sashimi depends on what's in season, right? Yeonnam Eobu has a range of menus, from seasonal fish to live fish and seafood. We ordered the giant yellowtail + flounder set (small)!

• Giant yellowtail + flounder set (small): ₩80,000
• Lemon highball: ₩7,000
• Suntory highball: ₩8,000

Lemon highball or Suntory highball: which is better?

First up was the lemon highball! The fresh citrus flavor was nice, but the Suntory highball had a stronger Suntory taste and was tastier. If you like a strong highball, I'd recommend the Suntory one.

Is the giant yellowtail + flounder set (small) enough for two?

We got the set after waiting about 5–10 minutes. And I was totally shocked by how huge the spread was! It came on a retro old-style tray with lots of side dishes, so it looked great and there was plenty to enjoy.

The flounder and yellowtail came half and half, and the slices were much thicker than I expected! It's enough sashimi for two people to eat until full. Since each piece is cut thick, you can feel how chewy and firm it is with every bite.

Thick sashimi with seaweed + sesame oil + white kimchi + vinegared rice is sooo good, haha. When you get a little tired of yellowtail, you eat some firm flounder, then back to yellowtail, or make it like sushi and so on. It was a really full, rewarding spread! The yellowtail melting in my mouth was so good. Look at that gloss..👍🏻

Side dishes in the set and refills

The Yeonnam Eobu set comes with braised radish, seaweed sheets, garlic, chili peppers, ssamjang (dipping sauce), lettuce wraps, corn salad, seaweed soup, vinegared rice, sweet potato fritters, tot (a seaweed side), white kimchi, green peas and sesame oil. The vinegared rice and sweet potato fritters cost extra to add, and you can get refills of everything else if you run short!

And wow, every single side dish was really good :) The braised radish wasn't quite sweet enough for me, but apart from that the other sides were so good that I refilled all of them, hahaha. The sweet potato fritters especially, why are they so crispy… I think a sashimi restaurant makes better fried food than a snack bar.

And of course the highballs, cheers ❤️

If you're looking for yellowtail sashimi in Hongdae

So that was my visit to the Hongdae sashimi restaurant Yeonnam Eobu for the yellowtail + flounder set. Eating tasty yellowtail in a ship interior that feels like playing under the sea, I really felt winter. I recommend it to anyone wondering where to get yellowtail in Hongdae~