Bluefin tuna restaurant in Seomyeon for first-timers: Sappuro Tuna

Why I took my boyfriend to Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon Main Branch for his first tuna

Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon Main Branch (삿뽀로참치 서면본점) is a tuna belly restaurant at 42 Bujeon-ro 20beon-gil, Busanjin-gu, Busan, open daily from 16:30 to 24:00. I recently found out my boyfriend had never eaten tuna even once, so I took him straight out for some! Since it was his first time, I wanted to bring him somewhere really good, and this place impressed me from the food to the service, so I'm sharing it 🤍

Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon: if Naver booking is full, call

Even when same-day Naver booking was closed, I could still reserve by phone. An hour before our visit I tried to book on Naver, but my time slot wasn't available (sob). So I tried calling just in case, and it worked! Because we had reserved, the table was neatly set for us too. If Naver booking doesn't work, I recommend calling before you go :)

Big photos of the four owners are plastered at the entrance 🫢 I'd never seen a restaurant put its owners' faces up front like that! Putting their own faces on the place made me trust it more, haha. I could feel their pride and confidence in the food and the restaurant, so I was looking forward to it before we even walked in 🙂

What's the atmosphere like at Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon?

The inside is spacious and clean, with the feel of a Japanese restaurant in warm wood tones. With the warm wood interior plus cherry blossom tree decorations, the whole place felt tidy and a bit upscale 🌸

The tables aren't cramped and the restaurant itself is large, so it was comfortable to eat in. The mood is calm and neat, so I think it would suit a date, but also a family meal, a company dinner or a get-together 👍🏻

The menu and the bluefin tuna belly assortment for two

The menu ranges from a basic assortment to a belly assortment, a bluefin assortment and special menus. After some debate, we ordered the best-selling bluefin tuna belly assortment for two!

Side dishes and plenty of seasoned seaweed

The side dishes were generous: braised quail eggs with konjac, white kimchi, wasabi, sesame oil dip, broth, dried radish and kidney beans. Maybe thanks to the reservation, the table was already set, so we could start eating the moment we sat down~

There's also a generous stack of seasoned seaweed at every seat. Running out of seaweed while eating tuna would be sad, haha. I liked that it was already piled up, so there was no need to ask for refills.

Each table even has kind instructions on how to enjoy the tuna~! Dipping it in the sesame oil dip or wasabi soy sauce is good on its own, but there are also white kimchi, dried radish and other side dishes, so you can try different combinations to taste :)

The free ankimo and sweet shrimp: how do you eat them?

Before the tuna arrived, ankimo (monkfish liver) and sweet shrimp came out first as a free service. The combination the staff recommended was gimtae (seaweed) + seasoned seaweed + sweet shrimp + ankimo.

While we were waiting for the tuna, the service dishes came out first! Ankimo is a Japanese dish made from monkfish liver, and honestly, I tried it for the first time that day too, lol.

The moment we saw the ankimo, we both made a fuss: "We've only seen this on Culinary Class Wars!" 😆 We were curious what it would taste like since it was our first time, and it was softer and richer than expected, and honestly quite good!

The staff told us to eat gimtae + seasoned seaweed + sweet shrimp + ankimo together, so we did exactly that! The sweet shrimp is sweet with a lovely springy bite, and the ankimo is soft and rich, so the combination worked well together, haha.

To compare, we also tried the sweet shrimp and the ankimo on their own~ Each is tasty alone, but the combination the staff recommended was definitely much better, haha.

One extra piece of sushi when you order the signature menu

Maybe because we ordered the best-selling bluefin belly assortment, they gave us one extra piece of sushi as a free service! With that added to the sushi that came originally, we got an even more generous meal 🙂

One bite of the glossy sushi and it melted softly in my mouth, haha. Eating sushi before the sashimi really got my appetite going, hehe.

How were the taste and portion of the bluefin belly assortment?

The bluefin belly assortment at Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon comes out generous and focused on belly, and it was rich yet not greasy, nutty and clean. The tuna we'd been waiting for finally arrived ✨️ Eating the ankimo, sweet shrimp and sushi one by one, the wait passed faster than I expected!

The staff's top recommendation, the bluefin belly assortment ✨️ You could see the rich marbling of the tuna belly at a glance! Being a tuna belly specialist, Seomyeon's Sappuro Tuna lets you enjoy a generous amount of belly, which I loved.

Anyone who likes tuna will surely love Sappuro Tuna's aged tuna! You can see the oil glistening on the tuna, but when you actually eat it, it isn't as greasy as you'd think, just nutty and clean 👍🏻

I've had tuna at company dinners a few times and I eat it fairly often otherwise, so I've been to quite a few places, and I could definitely tell that Sappuro Tuna, a Busan tuna favorite, serves generous portions with a good lineup 👍🏻

If you've been to a few tuna restaurants, I think you'll feel, "Wow, this place really serves proper tuna!" haha.

The staff explains each cut

When the bluefin belly assortment comes out, the staff explains each cut one by one~ The tuna is delicious as it is, but hearing about each cut as I ate made it feel like I was enjoying it properly, haha. And I liked being able to compare the taste and texture of each cut!

Bluefin navel cut (baekkopsal)

The navel cut was chewy and rich, and the flavor kept coming the more I chewed!

Maybe because it's the priciest cut of tuna, with marbling spread like snow, it was the best one, haha.

Bluefin fatty belly (daebaetsal) and medium belly (jungbaetsal)

The bluefin fatty belly was full of fat, melting in my mouth, deep and rich.

The bluefin medium belly was light, with a gentle oiliness and nuttiness in harmony, easy to eat without feeling heavy! Most cuts were soft in texture, but this one had a different, crunchy bite, which I loved!

Staff recommendation: soy sauce + wasabi

Since these cuts are all rich in fat, the staff recommended eating them simply with soy sauce and wasabi for a clean taste!

I followed their advice and tried soy sauce + wasabi first, then wrapped it in seaweed, and added gimtae and white kimchi, enjoying lots of different combinations :)

Sushi rice refills and a potato croquette to finish

At Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon, they bring sushi rice as a free service without being asked, and a potato croquette came out at the end. We came straight from work and were both hungry, and the staff brought us sushi rice for free! We hadn't asked, so their thoughtful service put me in a good mood :)

When we finished the rice, the staff brought more, lol. When they look after you like this, how can you not eat it, sob. Putting one piece of tuna on each bit of rice, we ended up eating a whole 12 pieces of sushi rice, a little secret..🙂

Near the end of the tuna, a potato croquette came out as the last dish 🥔 Eating just tuna cut after cut can get a little greasy, but the warm potato croquette at the end was a treat, haha. One bite of the crispy croquette felt like a closing dessert, and it was the perfect last dish!

Did a first-time tuna eater enjoy it?

A plate cleared without leaving a single piece ✨️ I usually like tuna, so of course I enjoyed it, but it made me even happier that someone trying tuna for the first time was satisfied too, haha. With the ankimo, sweet shrimp, sushi and sushi rice all given as free service, we left really full! 💚

At Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon Main Branch, each dish comes out neat and made with care, and the staff were so kind that I felt good throughout the meal. Being a tuna belly specialist, I liked most that you can enjoy plenty of belly, and they even kindly explained how to eat the tuna, so it tasted even better :) I think it's great for dates, but also for meals with parents, important hosting occasions, get-togethers and company dinners. If you want to properly enjoy tuna belly, I recommend Sappuro Tuna Seomyeon Main Branch~👍🏻

• Every dish is neat and made with care
• As a tuna belly specialist, you can enjoy plenty of belly
• Friendly staff who explain in detail how to eat it
• Free ankimo, sweet shrimp, sushi and more were satisfying
• Recommended for dates, meals with parents, important hosting, get-togethers and company dinners
• A place I'd revisit if you're looking for great tuna in Busan!