Jongno sushi sets 8,000 won apart by one ankimo piece: Choe Uyeong

I had some errands to run in downtown Seoul last weekend, and while I was out I stopped by Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, right in the middle of the city, for some fresh and affordable sushi. Sharing my review here~

Who is Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch a good fit for?

• 👍 Anyone looking for a good restaurant near Jongak Station
• 👍 Anyone looking for a good sushi restaurant near Jongak Station
• 👍 Anyone looking for a good place to eat solo near Jongak Station
• 👍 Anyone looking for an affordable sushi restaurant near Jongak Station
• 👍 Anyone looking for a sushi restaurant near Jongak Station with fresh ingredients

What kind of brand is Choe Uyeong Seafood?

Choe Uyeong Seafood runs five brands: Choe Uyeong Suzsan (Seafood Market), Choe Uyeong Sushi, Choe Uyeong Sushiya, Choe Uyeong Gogiya (Meat House), and Choe Uyeong Seafood.

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch: location and opening hours

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is located inside the Tower 8 building in Jongno.

• 📍 지하1층 104호, 서울 종로구 종로5길 7 (Basement 1, 104-ho, 7 Jongno 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea)
• ⏰️ Open daily 11:00-21:30 (break time 15:00-17:00 / last order 21:00)
• 📦 Takeout available
• 🛵 Delivery available
• 👥️ Group dining available
• 🍾 Corkage available (₩3,000 per bottle)
• 🅿️ Parking available

How to walk there from Jongak Station

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is 🚇 235m from Exit 1 of Jongak Station on Line 1, on the basement floor of the Tower 8 building. 🚗 If driving, you can park at the Tower 8 underground lot for 2 hours.

You can enter through the Tower 8 building entrance and take the dedicated basement elevator down to B1.

Besides the building's main entrance, there are two more entrances that lead directly down to B1.

Break time even on weekends, and the feel of the restaurant

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch has a break time even on weekends, so I made sure to visit before it started.

Besides dining in, takeout is also available, and I saw customers placing takeout orders at the kiosk near the entrance.

Even during a quiet weekend afternoon slot, there were quite a few customers eating, including several dining solo at the single seats in the center of the restaurant.

What's on the menu at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch

Sashimi

The sashimi menu is quite varied, and the ankimo (monkfish liver) and premium sea urchin roe items caught my eye.

Kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) and sushi sets

The kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) and sushi menus are divided into assorted, premium, top-grade, and supreme tiers.

Sushi by the piece

You can also order individual sushi pieces à la carte, priced from ₩1,000 to ₩3,000.

Tempura and udon

In the tempura and udon section, the braised sea bream head stood out as a great drinking snack.

What I ordered

After sitting down and ordering, they brought out a clear soup and wasabi.

Special sushi set (19,000 won / 15 pieces)

The 15 pieces in the premium set were: crab sushi, egg sushi, sea urchin roe sushi, beef brisket sushi, seasonal sushi, freshwater eel sushi, bluefin tuna sushi, red sea bream sushi, cuttlefish sushi, red shrimp sushi, salmon sushi, beef sushi, sea cucumber innard sushi, bigeye tuna sushi, and scallop sushi.

True to Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch's philosophy of offering top-grade seafood at wholesale prices, I could really taste the freshness.

Top-grade sushi set (27,000 won / 16 pieces)

The top-grade set had one more piece than the premium set and cost ₩8,000 more —

and that one extra piece turned out to be ankimo (monkfish liver) sushi, something not easy to find just anywhere. The extra tuna belly sushi and sea urchin roe sushi I ordered on top were unbelievably good for ₩3,000 each.

Assorted tempura (13,000 won)

The assorted tempura came generously loaded with about 6 pieces of shrimp tempura, plus scallop tempura, mochi tempura, and sweet potato tempura. I thought this place was only famous for sushi, but after eating the tempura I started to wonder, 'Wait, is this a tempura spot too?' The mochi tempura was chewy, and the sweet potato tempura, fried whole, was soft all the way through.

Fried tofu udon (5,000 won)

The moment I saw the fried tofu udon, it reminded me of the cold soba at Choe Uyeong Gogiya. This washbasin-sized bowl of fried tofu udon, unlike anything I'd seen before, tastes great with a generous sprinkle of the shichimi they provide.

Special or top-grade: which sushi set to order

I'd had a great meal at Choe Uyeong Gogiya not long ago, and this time I made my way to Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch.

As the Choe Uyeong chain likes to say, "No cooking technique can surpass the ingredients themselves" — next time I'd love to try the kaisendon made with their top-grade seafood.