Samgakji bar for spicy squid stir-fry and cockle rice: Joseonmakhae

I had a get-together near Samgakji Station, so I checked out Joseonmakhae, a newly opened bar in Yongridan-gil. The name itself pretty directly tells you to come eat makhoe (raw fish sashimi).

Where is Joseonmakhae, and how far is it from Samgakji Station?

Joseonmakhae is at B1, 45-17 Hangang-daero 62-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, an easy walk from Samgakji Station.

The sign is quite visible from outside, but the shop itself is on the basement floor.

It feels a little tucked away, but there aren't many stairs, so it's basically like being on the first floor.

Since several of us came this time, we ordered quite a variety. With a reservation for four, they gave us a compact spot right next to the entrance. I personally like being tucked into a small space like that — it was cozy and nice.

Joseonmakhae menu and prices: what four of us ordered

The first signature item we ordered, fresh raw fish sashimi, was ₩23,900, and the special seafood mala xiang guo was ₩26,000. On top of that we ordered giant spicy squid stir-fry for ₩32,900, seasoned cockle & butter rice for ₩16,900, and clean cucumber banchan for ₩5,000.

We just kept ordering as we ate... Most items are reasonably priced, so it's easy to keep adding a little at a time. There's a huge range, from mala tang, spring rolls and mianbaoxia to boiled octopus and spicy whelk salad. So when several of us go, it works well for each person to pick something they want. There are also lighter add-ons like dried pollock, fried shrimp, or squid balls.

Inside Joseonmakhae: seating and atmosphere on the B1 floor

The interior uses a lot of wood, so it felt closer to a pojangmacha (street-tent-style pub) than a typical raw fish restaurant.

In the middle there are bar-style seats as well as tables for groups.

Overall it wasn't too bright or too loud — a good place to chat over drinks.

Joseon makhoe, 23,900 won: how the sliced raw fish is served

The raw fish came out first. Sashimi, cabbage salad, seaweed sheets, garlic, chili and sauce all arrive together on one tray. Joseonmakhae's raw fish is prepared from fish that comes in fresh that day, so the type can change daily.

You can eat the sashimi on its own, or wrap it with the cabbage salad in a seaweed sheet. You can mix and match however you like, which made it good for sharing among several people. Someone just ate the fish plain, someone piled absolutely everything onto their seaweed sheet — everyone's got their own way of living.

Special seafood mala xiang guo, 26,000 won: worth it for mala fans?

Joseonmakhae's special seafood mala xiang guo had a generous amount of seafood and vegetables, so it felt more like a main dish than a side snack. It's packed with bean sprouts, napa cabbage and various other ingredients, all evenly coated in the mala seasoning. I'm pretty serious about mala, and this wasn't some half-hearted attempt — I really liked it, and it was nice that they gave peanut sauce alongside.

Having raw fish and mala xiang guo side by side felt a little odd at first, but it worked better than expected. Alternating between the cool raw fish and the stir-fried dish actually meant the flavors never overlapped.

Partway through, we also got to try some fried food from a review event.

Somaek by the glass and one-gulp beer glasses at Joseonmakhae

The beer glasses were an oddly cute size — small enough to knock back in just about one gulp. Maybe that's why they also sell somaek (soju-beer mix) by the single glass. We each had one together.

Smashed cucumber, 5,000 won

The clean cucumber banchan was, true to its name, great for clearing the palate in between dishes. Between the raw fish, mala xiang guo and spicy squid stir-fry, the cucumber quietly handled some pretty important work on its own. Low rank on paper, but doing all the real work.

Giant spicy squid stir-fry, 32,900 won: how spicy is it really?

The giant spicy squid stir-fry comes with large chunks of squid piled high with bean sprouts. With both '대왕' (giant) and '불' (fire) in the name, it comes in with a pretty aggressive attitude even before you order.

The squid comes in whole pieces, so it looks impressive and was easy to cut up and share among several people. Eating the spicy sauce together with the bean sprouts, it did its job as a proper drinking snack. It was genuinely quite spicy. For reference, I eat original-spice yeoptteok (spicy rice cakes) — this was somewhere between buldak (fire chicken) and yeoptteok level. We also ordered rice balls to go with it.

Finishing with seasoned cockles & butter rice, 16,900 won

We rounded things off with some carbs via the seasoned cockle & butter rice. It's ₩16,900, and it's a dish where you mix the seasoned cockles into the butter rice. We asked for a bit more of the seaweed sheets that came with the raw fish earlier. Once it's well mixed, you just scoop it onto a seaweed sheet. We wrapped the raw fish in seaweed, then wrapped the cockle butter rice in seaweed too. The seaweed had a very busy day.

Why Joseonmakhae works for a group dinner near Samgakji Station

Having ordered a wide range of dishes, what I liked about Joseonmakhae is that it's not just a raw fish restaurant — you can also get side dishes like mala xiang guo, squid stir-fry and cockle butter rice. It suits days when a group wants to share a little of everything rather than sticking to just one thing.

If you're looking for a bar in Samgakji or a meeting spot in Yongridan-gil where everyone's tastes differ, this is a good option. You can peacefully satisfy both the raw fish lovers and the spicy stir-fry lovers at one table. Strongly recommended as a meeting spot near Samgakji Station.