Solo sashimi set for 30,000 won in Bangi-dong, Seoul: Susi Seon Bangi

What kind of restaurant is Susi Seon Bangi Branch?

Susi Seon Bangi Branch is a sushi and hand-breaded pork cutlet restaurant located at 37 Olympic-ro 32-gil, 1st floor, Songpa-gu, Seoul, in the Bangi food alley. It's open Mon–Sun 10:40–22:30, closed every other Monday, and has both parking and restrooms available.

I was craving sashimi and sushi and was looking for a good solo-dining Japanese restaurant near Bangi-dong, so I visited Susi Seon Bangi Branch. Apparently this Bangi-dong sushi spot has been running in the same location in the Bangi food alley for over 10 years — a real institution for sushi and pork cutlets.

Bar seats for solo diners and the mood inside Susi Seon Bangi Branch

Susi Seon Bangi Branch has 4 bar seats set up for comfortable solo dining. Besides that, there's one 2-top table, one 4-top table, and about four adjoining 2-top tables.

The interior has brick walls painted with a cherry blossom tree, which gave it a real Japanese restaurant feel.

The place isn't huge, but it looked good both for solo dining and for coming with company. You just walk up to the counter to order. I visited on a weekend morning, so it was quiet and I could eat comfortably.

Susi Seon Bangi Branch menu and prices

Looking at the menu board at the counter, the lineup was really varied. The signature meal options were today's sushi (10pcs) at 13,000 won, special sushi (10pcs) at 17,000 won, and the chef's choice sushi (10pcs) at around 21,000 won.

If you order an assorted sushi set, they also give you a choice of mini udon or mini soba on the side.

Beyond sushi, the hand-breaded pork cutlets caught my eye — there was sirloin cutlet, ball cutlet, cheese cutlet, and assorted cutlet, and they said each one is made fresh to order, which got me excited. Individual sushi pieces like sea urchin, salmon, eel, and flounder are also easy to add on at 1,000 to 3,000 won each.

After some deliberation, I ordered the sashimi set (30,000 won per person), which lets you enjoy both sashimi and sushi. It came as a hearty spread of 12 pieces of sashimi and 5 pieces of sushi, plus a grilled dish, tempura, maki, and fish cake soup. Check the attached photo of the Susi Seon Bangi Branch menu board for the full lineup and prices!

What comes in the 30,000 won sashimi set?

First courses: vegetable porridge, spicy mixed noodles and salmon salad

After ordering, I waited a bit and the warm vegetable porridge, mini spicy mixed noodles, and vegetable-salmon mixed salad came out first.

The vegetable mixed salad had about 4 thick pieces of salmon, and the sauce was spicy and refreshing — mixing it all together really woke up my appetite.

The mixed noodles seemed to use the same sauce, and it was perfect as an appetite-opener before the meal.

The vegetable porridge was savory, with bits of carrot and vegetables giving it good texture. It was great for warming up my stomach before the main dishes.

The main plate: 12 pieces of sashimi and 5 pieces of sushi

By the time I finished the porridge, the main sashimi set arrived. There were 4 pieces each of salmon, flounder, and tuna sashimi, along with soy sauce shrimp sushi, sweet shrimp sushi, flounder sushi, salmon sushi, and tuna sushi. The soy sauce shrimp sushi was just salty enough and the flesh was really soft.

Both the tuna sushi and tuna sashimi came from the fatty, delicious part of the fish, so I ate them very happily.

I love salmon and tuna, so being able to enjoy both as sashimi and sushi at once made me so happy.

The flounder was also chewy and clean-tasting, delicious. All the fish on both the sashimi and sushi were thick and generous, giving a satisfying bite with every piece.

They also gave us seaweed to wrap the sashimi in, which made it even tastier. I could really see why this Bangi-dong sushi spot has held its ground for over 10 years.

Mini cheese pork cutlet with cheese pull

While I was enjoying the sashimi and sushi, the mini cheese pork cutlet arrived.

Probably because it's hand-made in-house, there was so much cheese in it that it started oozing out the moment I picked it up with my chopsticks. The outside was completely crispy, and it was so packed with cheese it felt almost like eating a cheese fritter.

Tempura, maki, fish cake soup and grilled salmon

Next came tempura, grilled salmon, maki, and fish cake soup together.

The fish cake soup was full of mussels and fish cakes, and the broth was piping hot — I kept spooning it up between bites as a palate cleanser.

The tempura had whole shrimp, sweet potato, and bell pepper — it was my first time seeing shrimp tempura made with a whole shrimp, which was fun. All three pieces were crispy and not greasy at all.

The maki was packed with vegetables and flying fish roe, and I liked the popping texture.

The grilled salmon was nicely browned and moist inside, delicious. I love salmon enough that people joke I must have been a bear in a past life, so being able to enjoy grilled salmon, salmon sushi, and salmon sashimi all in one meal made me so happy.

Who will enjoy Susi Seon Bangi Branch?

• Anyone who wants to enjoy high-quality sashimi or sushi
• Anyone who wants to try a hand-made pork cutlet packed with cheese
• Anyone in Bangi-dong looking for a comfortable Japanese restaurant for solo dining
• Anyone who wants to enjoy many kinds of Japanese food all at once