Seongsu izakaya after pop-ups: aged sashimi and highballs at Tenba

Tenba is where I ended up after pop-up shopping in Seongsu, when I went looking for an izakaya (Japanese-style pub) with a good atmosphere! I like aged sashimi, so I went in with high hopes, and the fresh aged sashimi and clean-tasting highballs didn't disappoint 🤍 It's a nice spot for a Seongsu date or a casual after-work drink, so I'm introducing it here.

Tenba hours and parking

Tenba is open Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 17:30–24:00, and Saturday 17:00–24:00, with last order at 23:00. It is closed every Monday. There is no parking of its own, and the paid Hyundai Terrace Tower car park is the one they recommend.

How to get to Tenba from Seongsu Station

Tenba is on Yeonmujang-gil, close to Seongsu Station, so it was easy to reach by public transport. I took the subway, and it's a 5-minute walk from Seongsu Station!!! 🚶‍♀️

If you're driving, people in Seongsu usually rely on nearby public or paid car parks, so it helps to check ahead. The paid Hyundai Terrace Tower car park is close by and is the one they recommend.

Tenba's exterior: like a local izakaya in Japan

The moment I arrived in the Yeonmujang-gil alley in Seongsu, Tenba felt just like a local izakaya in Japan. The soft lighting, the moody signboard and the big windows made it stand out from afar, and it blends right in with Seongsu's usual vibe.

Is the inside of Tenba quiet?

It isn't noisy inside, and the seats are spaced just right, so it was easy to focus on conversation. The stylish lighting was the first thing I noticed when I opened the door. The whole place feels clean and tidy, so it looks great for a date, and also for a quiet drink and chat with friends. The spacing between seats meant it never felt cramped, and I liked that it's not a rowdy place, so you can really talk 🤭

Tenba menu and corkage fees

Tenba serves a wide range of dishes built around aged sashimi, and picking is genuinely hard… ⭐️ Besides the raw fish, there are grilled dishes, fried dishes and meal items, all delicious-looking, and plenty of sake and highball options too.

One more plus: Tenba allows corkage, which might help anyone hunting for a Seongsu izakaya that lets you bring your own bottle 🤭

• Wine: ₩30,000 per bottle
• 720ml sake: ₩30,000 per bottle
• Large-format sake: ₩50,000 per bottle
• Whisky: ₩50,000 per bottle

Tenba's complimentary side: seaweed salad

Once you sit down, Tenba brings out seaweed salad (haecho muchim) as a side, and it's honestly a treat,, 🤭 The nutty sauce goes so well with it.

What's in Tenba's aged sashimi platter for two?

Tenba's aged sashimi platter for two came on one plate with sea bream back meat, sea bream belly, bluefin tuna, Spanish mackerel, sweet shrimp, salmon and abalone. This was practically the reason for the whole visit, I was so excited for it!!

Look how neatly it's plated! A variety of aged sashimi sat on one plate. Sea bream back, sea bream belly, bluefin tuna, Spanish mackerel, sweet shrimp, salmon and abalone all looked fresh at a glance, and the lineup had that deep savory flavor aging brings 🙈

Rhin highball vs. Suntory highball: which suits aged sashimi?

With the sashimi platter, I ordered a Rhin highball and a Suntory highball 🍹 Both went well with the fish, and the Rhin highball tasted richer than the Suntory.

Rhin highball

The Rhin highball went down smoothly and wasn't too strong, so it paired nicely with the fish. Its subtle aroma never got in the way of the aged sashimi's flavor and just naturally supported it,,, 🤍

Suntory highball

Of course I had to order the Suntory highball too, the classic. Its cool fizz and clean taste cleansed my palate between bites of aged sashimi. The Rhin one tasted richer than the Suntory 🩵

Cheers, we worked hard today 🙈 I was worn out from the Seongsu pop-up shopping and browsing, and all the fatigue melted away.

Is Tenba's aged sashimi fishy?

Tenba's aged sashimi had no fishy taste and was clean, with a chewy texture that turned nutty the more I chewed. The seared (aburi) bluefin tuna and Spanish mackerel, which I love so much 🤍 and the abalone topped with its liver..!

Eating piece by piece, it had a different charm from ordinary fresh sashimi: aging makes the texture chewier and the flavor deeper, so it gets nuttier as you chew. Some places serve badly handled aged sashimi that's fishy and bland, but here I could enjoy it cleanly with no fishiness. I could see why Tenba is known as a Seongsu aged sashimi favorite :)

Each sashimi piece had its own knife cuts, so every bite had personality. The texture and savoriness spreading in the mouth differed from piece to piece, and it was fun to compare which fish was which all the way through ✨

Would I go back to Tenba?

I was happy with both the food quality and the atmosphere at Tenba :) Enjoying a variety of sashimi and highballs in a quiet, cozy space made it even better 🤭 Personally I liked it so much I'd go every day, and this time I tried the aged sashimi but I'm curious about the other dishes too, so I want to return. If you're looking for a Seongsu izakaya with a good atmosphere or a Seongsu aged sashimi favorite, I recommend it.