Gyeongsan sushi restaurant for aged nigiri: Sonsi Sushi

Location and parking at Sonsi Sushi Yeungnam University Main Branch

Sonsi Sushi’s Yeungnam University main branch in Gyeongsan is a longtime favorite that I used to visit often even when I was in school!

You may be able to park briefly along the road at times when parking enforcement is not in effect, but there is no dedicated parking lot! So you’ll need to use the nearby streets or a private parking lot.

It is an easy three- to four-minute walk from Yeungnam University Station, which is why it is such a popular Gyeongsan restaurant, haha.

If you are currently attending Yeungnam University, you have probably tried Sonsi Sushi at least once. I myself came here often as a regular, haha.

The lunch rush can mean a long wait, so you can put your name down through Catchtable, though walk-in waiting is available too. It opens at 11:30 a.m. and stays open until 9 p.m., so it works comfortably for both lunch and dinner!

Sonsi Sushi’s newly expanded interior

Sonsi Sushi’s Gyeongsan Yeungnam University branch has been here for about 10 years. I liked the cozy interior even then, but it was a little cramped, which was a shame.

But they have now properly renovated and expanded the interior, so the restaurant feels wonderfully open, with counter seats, tables for four, and more.

The layout has been planned so well that it never feels cramped. I would call the interior a huge success at this Gyeongsan favorite.

There were lots of guests again that day, so I barely managed to take interior photos. I visited around 7 p.m.; there were about two parties waiting, but after a short wait I was shown straight to a seat!

True to its reputation as a Gyeongsan favorite, every seat was filled, though it became more relaxed after 8 p.m.

They say Sonsi Sushi excels at delicate handwork, and as a regular, I keep thinking very clearly, “Yes, this really is a great sushi place.”

If you are wondering where to eat in Gyeongsan for a date or family dinner, this is a place I can recommend without hesitation or doubt.

It is true what they say: great restaurants serve barley tea instead of ordinary bottled water, haha.

The weather has suddenly turned much colder lately, so I asked for warm water and they brought me warm barley tea! And it is no secret that the water cups are cute too.

Aged premium 12-piece nigiri and shrimp tempura

The “Aged Premium 12-Piece Nigiri” includes flounder prepared with a soaking-ageing method: it is submerged in an ageing liquid for a set time, then aged at low temperature. One serving costs ₩18,000.

Even the soy sauce is not ordinary soy sauce, but a low-sodium jujube sushi soy sauce made with Gyeongsan’s local specialty, jujubes! Personally, I am quite a fan of Gyeongsan jujubes.

This premium menu comes with 12 pieces of nigiri, and you can have a full meal for under ₩20,000.

The ageing is so perfect that I would say once you eat sushi here, you cannot go elsewhere. The lineup of salmon, flounder, eel, turban shell, gunkan sushi, and ankimo is just the best.

Today I ordered shrimp tempura too, and I am hooked on the secret sauce backed by 10 years of know-how.

When I think of a Gyeongsan date course, I really want to tell you that this is an absolute stop.

The shrimp tempura is wonderfully crisp outside and tender inside, so one order is perfect for two people. If you are dining with women, the regular 10-piece set plus shrimp tempura is enough rather than the premium 12-piece set.

I thought eel rice bowls were my favorite thing in the world, but one bite of ankimo sushi made me fall for it completely. I first tried what ankimo sushi was at Sonsi Sushi’s Gyeongsan branch.

For a sushi restaurant that can be called the one to have survived the longest around Yeungnam University, it is somewhere you can eat with confidence.

Ordering a sushi set is good value, but you can also order individual items if there is something extra you want.

The set comes with udon, with chewy noodles and a rich broth.

Ah… this fluffy egg sushi is seriously delicious. It is a heavenly combination with the udon. Tuna does not normally come with it, but today they generously added tuna as a free service.

The shrimp tempura is truly crisp, and even one bite tastes heavenly. The salmon sushi bursts with savory flavor; the salmon is just the right thickness, and the gentle kelp aroma wrapping around the palate makes the kombujime ageing method really stand out.

Sonsi Sushi’s Yeungnam University branch in Gyeongsan does its best every day, using carefully selected fresh ingredients and traditional Japanese sushi techniques. It is a sushi restaurant representing both Gyeongsan and Yeungnam University.

There are set menus at lunchtime too, making for a good-value meal, and the atmospheric surrounding alleys suit special occasions and casual meals alike. That is why this is a restaurant I have revisited regularly for 10 years!