Private room omakase dinner with parents near Seoul National Univ.

Fancy and delicious omakase alert — Sushi Ryeo! I went to Sushi Ryeo, famous as a restaurant near Seoul National University of Education Station. It has a whopping 9 Blue Ribbons. Took my mom and dad along, off we went 💨

Sushi Ryeo

Book through Catch Table for a ₩0 deposit

So many Blue Ribbons greeting me from the entrance 🎀🎀 I trust it and walk right in. We booked in advance through Catch Table.

On Naver you have to pay a ₩50,000 per-person deposit, but with a Catch Table exclusive perk, the deposit is ₩0.

Bar, table, or room — what are the seating options?

Sushi Ryeo has bar seats, table seats, and a private room. There are 3 tables including the room, and just 1 room! When you book, you can specify table or bar :D

We were assigned the one and only room. Booking early got us this lucky break 🤤🤤

₩50,000 lunch, ₩100,000 dinner course lineup

The lunch and dinner omakase differ in both composition and price. Lunch is just ₩50,000, dinner is ₩100,000! By the way, the first 10 guests can also get the lunch course at dinner — but you need to mention it in advance. We, of course, went for the dinner omakase for three.

• Chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard)
• Tsumami (small starter bites)
• Suimono (clear soup)
• Grilled fish
• Sushi
• Kaisendon (seafood rice bowl)
• Tempura
• Soba noodles
• Dessert

Chawanmushi

First up, the chawanmushi. Japanese-style steamed egg custard, full of truffle aroma!

Shrimp and mushrooms inside give it an amazing bite. You know you have to eat it warm, right?!

Whelk and minari with vinegar dressing

Next is whelk with minari (water dropwort) in a vinegar dressing. Cherry tomatoes were in there too, and the yuzu base made it tangy and delicious! 🍅

Steamed abalone and sashimi platter

Next, steamed abalone and an assortment of sashimi. Served on a platter, it looked so appetizing. Of everything, I loved the tuna otoro the most. Adding a touch of the wasabi that came with it was the icing on the cake ✨ Eat the abalone before it cools — chewy yet tender... I want more already!! My mom, who normally doesn't eat raw food, enjoyed it too.

Clear clam soup

Midway through the course, a clear clam soup came out to cut through the richness. They don't give you a spoon — you just drink it straight from the bowl!

Grilled silver cod — worth going back for

📌📌 Honestly, I'd go back just for this. Grilled silver cod. Apparently it's aged for two days in the Kyoto region. And the miso isn't Korean miso, it's Japanese miso mixed with garlic! Truly tender, it melts in your mouth 😳🫪

Please check out the video. It didn't come across well in photos, so I filmed it. Can you see how tender it is and the clear oil running out — I'm losing it @.@

First round of sushi (6pc) and miso soup refill

The first round of sushi (6pc), served with miso soup. Red sea bream, tuna, horse mackerel, akami (soy-marinated tuna), sweet shrimp with uni, and hairtail — 6 varieties in total. Seems like it shifts a bit by season. I really, really enjoyed the tuna. Tuna is my absolute favorite <3 <3 By the way, once you finish the miso soup, the staff refills it on their own... 🤞🏻

Fried king prawn and shishito peppers

Next, fried king prawn and shishito peppers! This seems to change depending on the day you visit :) The shishito peppers might have a bit of heat! But all of us found them mild — the prawn was tender and delicious too 🍤🍤

Kaisendon, wrapped in seaweed

The kaisendon arrived. It's not the

Wow, so vibrant. You might worry about uni's distinctive fishiness, but this one really doesn't have it. Try wrapping it in seaweed and eating it in one bite 🙆🏻‍♀️🙆🏻‍♀️

Second round of sushi (4pc), eel and tamagoyaki

Starting to feel the end approaching, which is a little sad..! Second round of sushi (4pc)! That's 10pc total across both rounds. Eel, tamago (Japanese-style egg omelet), and two more pieces of sushi ^^

This was my first time trying tamago, so it was interesting. It's a Japanese-style egg omelet made with egg and shrimp meat, I'm told. It comes out eel first, then tamago, and the sushi course is done~ Apparently that order is meant to guide your palate :)

Fish rice bowl, Inaniwa udon, and dessert

Next up, a fish rice bowl. Mixed together it was gone in two bites, but it was so filling haha. Genuinely delicious.

Then we finished the whole meal with clear-broth Inaniwa udon. Eating the noodles and broth on top of everything else, I felt like I was about to burst. But it was warm and so tasty that I finished every drop of broth anyway.

For dessert, you choose between green tea or mango ice cream. Everyone except me ordered mango. They seemed to give a bit more mango scoop too (hmph). The green tea genuinely tasted like Häagen-Dazs green tea. Perfect.

Good for family gatherings and anniversaries?

Sushi Ryeo in Gwanak is a great-value, upscale omakase. I'd recommend it for couple dates or anniversaries, and with its private room, it's also a solid spot for family gatherings. Watching my parents enjoy it so much made me think I need to earn more money and treat them often haha. Sushi Ryeo was delicious and refined — you have to try it! If you're looking for a great-value omakase in Seoul or a quiet omakase in Seoul, I highly recommend it 🩶

It's a 3-minute walk from Exit 5 of Seoul National University of Education Station :)