Gangnam Station sushi restaurant with negitoro seaweed wraps: Ilpum

I was looking for a good sushi spot near Gangnam Station and ended up trying the sake-don at Ilpum Gangnam Branch!

Where is Ilpum Gangnam Branch, and is there parking?

Ilpum Gangnam Branch is located at 23 Seocho-daero 74-gil, B1 106, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 195 meters from Exit 6 of Gangnam Station. It's inside the Seocho Town Trapalace building.

Featured in Naver PICK's roundup of popular restaurants in southern Seoul, alongside the Sinsa and Gangnam branches.

Ilpum Gangnam Branch offers 1 hour of free parking. It may close early when ingredients run out.

I had made a reservation ahead of time, and the interior is clean — similar vibe to the other Ilpum branches.

I'd already visited the Ilpum Magok flagship and the Yeouido branch and loved them, so I came to the Gangnam one too. There's also a Naver receipt review event available.

Ilpum Gangnam Branch menu and prices

There's a paper menu too. The menu is broadly divided into sashimi and tempura, sushi, à la carte sushi, and extra toppings.

Ilpum Gangnam Branch recommended signature menu Kaisendon, the basic Ilpum signature ₩26,000 Premium Kaisendon, endorsed by celebrity food critic Lee Young-ja ₩37,000 Unagi-don, the eel dish actor Hwang Jung-min loved ₩40,000

Ilpum Sushi Omakase ₩50,000 Seasonal yellowtail sushi set ₩35,000 Today's sushi set ₩28,000 White fish sushi set ₩33,000 Salmon sushi set ₩28,000

I ordered easily via QR code.

Opening hours and what to know before you go

• Open 11:00–21:30
• Break time 15:00–17:30
• Last order at 14:00 and 20:00
• Closed every Sunday / closed September 25–26
• Birthday and anniversary perks
• Group seating available (up to 30 people)
• Reservation, takeout, delivery available
• Wi-Fi
• Separate men's and women's restrooms
• Waiting area, disabled parking spot
• No pets allowed
• Corkage available (free or paid)

Chawanmushi, the table water dispenser and hongsaeu sushi

Every main dish at Ilpum Gangnam Branch comes with chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), a noodle or tempura dish, and dessert. The chawanmushi appetizer even had a big shrimp in it, haha.

The clear broth was ready too! And water? Wow, this was genuinely delightful. There was a personal water dispenser right at the table — the black machine. It gives hot, filtered, and cold water. I usually drink cold water only, but sometimes I want hot water too, so having that option was great. This is honestly part of why I fell for Ilpum Gangnam Branch.

I also ordered two pieces of hongsaeu (sweet shrimp) sushi — just look at that glossy sheen! It practically melts in your mouth.

Every main comes with chawanmushi, a noodle or tempura dish, and dessert included.

Salmon sake-don: aged salmon and salmon roe

Let me show you the salmon sake-don first! It's a rice bowl made with aged salmon. As a certified salmon lover, a bowl piled high with salmon roe is basically love, haha.

Layers of aged salmon sit on top of the rice, with salmon roe piled in the center. The portion of salmon was pretty generous too. Pickled ginger, wasabi, and radish sprouts were neatly arranged on the side. I picked up a glossy piece of salmon, added a touch of wasabi, and popped it in my mouth. The aged salmon was so soft. It also had a nice thickness, so it really felt like eating salmon.

The salmon and roe were already seasoned enough that I didn't need to add much extra seasoning. Honestly I ate mostly the salmon with just a little rice and some seaweed wraps, which meant I couldn't finish the rice. There was way more salmon than I expected, haha. Salmon or rice? I chose salmon and ate every bit of it. After eating so much salmon I was completely full. A happy walk afterward was a must, haha.

Ilpum Dong-teuk set, 30,000 won: negitoro with uni and salmon roe

Next up is the Ilpum Deuk-teuk set for ₩30,000. It comes with tuna negitoro (minced tuna), salmon roe, sea urchin (uni), toppings, and free seaweed and gamtae (sea lettuce) laver.

Minced tuna and scallions were piled generously on top, along with sea urchin and salmon roe. Even at first glance, you could tell there was a lot packed into it. I mixed the finely minced tuna negitoro with the scallions, wrapped it in seaweed and gamtae, and took a bite. The finely chopped tuna had a soft, tender bite.

Eating the uni and salmon roe together with the tuna gave it a completely different flavor than tuna alone. It also went well wrapped in seaweed and gamtae with a bit of wasabi on top.

The cold udon and dessert that come with the meal

Cold udon came out too! It had a slight icy slush and the noodles were nice and cool. The portion was just right for me.

The dessert portion was just the right size and not too sweet. It was smooth and soft — the kind of flavor I'd want to eat every day at home, haha.

Is Ilpum worth it for sake-don and sushi near Gangnam Station?

I visited Ilpum Gangnam Branch while searching for good sushi near Gangnam Station and tried the salmon sake-don and the Ilpum Deuk-teuk set. The salmon sake-don is piled high with aged salmon, so I'd recommend it to anyone who loves salmon! For the Ilpum Deuk-teuk set, I'd recommend wrapping the minced tuna, salmon roe, and uni together in seaweed or gamtae.

What stayed with me was that chawanmushi, cold udon, and dessert all came included, plus the personal water dispenser at the table for hot, filtered, and cold water. With 1-hour free parking, it was also convenient to visit by car. If you're looking for sushi or sake-don near Gangnam Station, Ilpum Gangnam Branch is worth a visit. Next time I'd like to try the unagi-don or the special sashimi-don.