Gyeongsan sushi bar with monkfish liver gunkan and cold soba: Sonsi

Who knew there was a sushi place this good hiding in Gyeongsan? I visited Sonsi Sushi Yeungnam University branch, located near Yeungnam University 🍣 This is a place that pays close attention to ingredients, from sushi rice made with Sindongjin rice to handmade low-sodium jujube soy sauce. From the anago liver gunkan to the futomaki, salmon nigiri, and cold soba, everything was delicious and I left really satisfied. Let me introduce you to Sonsi Sushi Yeungnam branch, a hidden sushi gem near Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan~

What kind of sushi restaurant is Sonsi Sushi near Yeungnam University?

Overall, Sonsi Sushi doesn't feel like a place with a simply wide sushi menu — it feels like every single ingredient, from the Sindongjin rice sushi rice to the handmade low-sodium jujube soy sauce to the South Sea anchovy cold soba, was carefully considered.

There's a good variety of sushi to choose from based on your taste, and there are also menu items like rolls and salmon dishes that pair well with sushi orders, so it seems like a good spot for a group to share a bunch of different things.

It seems like a great place to eat, whether you're a student or an office worker, whenever you're craving sushi or Japanese food near Yeungnam University.

Salmon nigiri: raw salmon and torch-seared salmon

Salmon nigiri

Salmon is delicious on its own, but this time I also tried the salmon nigiri lightly seared with a torch alongside the raw salmon. The faint smoky aroma gave it a distinctly different flavor from the raw version — the surface was slightly cooked while the inside stayed soft, and it was delicious.

If you're a salmon lover, I'd recommend trying this lightly smoky version alongside the raw salmon instead of just sticking to raw.

There was also a salmon piece topped with onion and sauce, which paired nicely as a change of pace between the plainer sushi. The salmon was soft without feeling too rich, which I appreciated.

South Sea anchovy cold soba: worth the trip on its own

"Direct-brewed, #1 soba in Gyeongsan" South Sea Anchovy Cold Soba

🍜 Cold soba. This cold soba was genuinely good enough that you could come just for it. I thought of it as more of a side to go with the sushi, but the broth flavor was so good it actually ended up being the dish I remembered most.

Made with South Sea anchovy broth, it had deep umami without being too salty or sharp — clean enough that I kept eating more. The buckwheat noodles were piled with seaweed flakes, green onion, and sesame seeds, and eating them with the broth gave a nutty, refreshing combination that hit the spot.

I'd genuinely recommend this to anyone craving a cold noodle dish on a hot day, or anyone who likes clean, refreshing cold soba.

Sonsi futomaki: a packed cross-section with barely any rice

Sonsi futomaki, "almost no rice"

Futomaki packed with ingredients. I also tried the futomaki alongside the sushi — even in photos, each piece looks pretty big, and the cross-section shows the filling is really packed in.

Egg, fish, vegetables, and more all went in together, so each bite had a variety of textures. Futomaki with this much filling can get heavy if there's too much rice, but the ratio of filling to rice here was well balanced, so it wasn't as heavy as I expected.

Even one piece was pretty filling, so if you're visiting with a group, ordering futomaki alongside sushi to share seems like a good idea.

A little wasabi added a nice spicy kick to the clean flavor of the futomaki, making it even more enjoyable.

Assorted sushi platter: Sindongjin rice texture, served with udon

Assorted sushi platter

Shrimp, flounder, tuna, salmon, and egg sushi — all the commonly ordered varieties were evenly represented, making it easy to enjoy a range of flavors at once.

I'm not a fan of sushi rice that's too mushy or falls apart, and thanks to the Sindongjin rice, the texture of the rice grains was quite good, and the fish-to-rice ratio wasn't overwhelming.

Dip each piece lightly in soy sauce and before you know it, the whole plate is gone.

The platter also came with udon, so I got to enjoy a warm broth alongside it.

Monkfish liver gunkan (ankimo): the most memorable dish of the day

Anago liver gunkan

🍣 Anago liver gunkan. This was the one I genuinely enjoyed the most. It was piled high with anago liver, and just looking at it you could tell it would be rich — and it was, but less salty than I expected, with a clean yet savory flavor that was really great.

You could really taste the soft, rich signature flavor of anago liver, but the seasoning wasn't overdone, so it balanced perfectly with the sushi rice.

I'd recommend this not just to anago liver fans, but to anyone who hasn't tried it much before — worth a taste at least once.

Personally, out of everything I ate that day, this was the dish that stuck with me the most — I really want to recommend the anago liver gunkan 🤍

What free extras sit by the counter at Sonsi Sushi?

🎁 Thoughtful service by the register too. Next to the register they were running a Naver review event, and beyond that, they had a whole range of things guests might need — hair ties, hand cream, fans, mouthwash, candy. Being able to grab one of these on the way out after a meal was a small touch that felt genuinely nice.