Daegu sashimi bar in Dongseongno: small bluefin plate, Jongno Darang

A review of Jongno Darang, the perfect spot near Dongseong-ro/Jongno in Daegu when you want a really solid piece of tuna sashimi!!

Where is Jongno Darang, and what are its hours?

⭐️ Jongno Darang ⭐️ Address 46-1 Jongno, Jung-gu, Daegu 239m from Jungangno Station Exit 1 ⭐️ Hours Daily 15:00 – 01:00 the next day Last order 00:00

It's a bluefin tuna specialty spot offering courses in 10 tiers for great value.

Partitioned seats: what the Jongno Darang dining room is like

The seating inside isn't a private room, but the partitions let you enjoy your meal quietly, and the chairs are comfy enough to sit in for a while haha.

The inside was bigger than I expected, with plenty of seats, which was great.

Ordering the small bluefin tuna à la carte plate at 10pm

You order via kiosk!!

There are bluefin tuna courses and bluefin tuna + flounder courses in different sizes, and after 9pm you can also order sashimi or dishes à la carte. We visited around 10pm, so we went light(?) with the small bluefin tuna à la carte!!

You can charge your phone properly too.

What comes with the à la carte order: side dishes, chawanmushi and chicken soup

Even ordering à la carte, the basic spread comes out pretty generous. They first bring out four kinds of side dishes — pickled radish, pickled mountain peppers, pickled ginger, white kimchi — that cut through the richness of the tuna. They're served in generous portions, so your palate stays clean and refreshed the whole meal haha.

They also gave us a refreshing palate-cleanser salad.

Japanese-style steamed egg (chawanmushi) also showed up — it melts softly in your mouth, with a fluffy, pudding-like texture that's really appealing!!

They also gave us chicken soup, and eating this,, all the alcohol from round one just resets lol. It's clear yet savory with a good salty kick, and a hint of pepper keeps it from getting boring — you just keep spooning it in!!

One plate of navel meat, belly cuts and special parts

And now today's main character arrives — a plate filled with thick, top-grade bluefin tuna.

Wow, the color was insane — a visual that draws a gasp the moment it lands on the table. Bluefin belly cuts, tuna belly, special parts, and more are beautifully arranged, filling the plate. As for what each part is called,, I never remember no matter how many times I hear it ㅠ lol. They told us to eat the red special part first and then the rest. But one thing's clear: Jongno Darang is a legendary tuna restaurant,,

The thawing was just right, so it wasn't too cold, and as soon as it hits your mouth, the savory fat spreads all over — truly excellent.

The belly part with its flashy marbling wraps your whole mouth in a rich flavor the more you chew ㅜㅜ Seriously so good.

Since it's such a fatty part, even piling on lots of wasabi doesn't sting your nose. The drinks just keep going down.

Free refills of vinegared sushi rice

They also gave us radish sprouts + vinegared rice

You could go the light, classic route with seaweed + radish sprouts + aged kimchi + tuna combo

Or pile it onto the vinegared rice and enjoy it as sushi — also amazing!! Honestly everything's delicious,,

We were a bit short on vinegared rice, so we asked about ordering more, and they just gave it to us for free,, whoever gives out free rice is a good person, I love Jongno Darang.

Is Jongno Darang worth a second visit?

Piece by piece, it melted away so smoothly I didn't even notice the whole plate disappearing ㅠㅠ

Jongno Darang has changed my standards for a good tuna restaurant,, once it gets colder, I'll go back for more. I love tuna, I love Jongno's great tuna restaurant Jongno Darang in Daegu. If you're looking for a genuinely great, good-value bluefin tuna restaurant in Jung-gu, Daegu, definitely visit!!!