Mangwon-dong sashimi restaurant, tablet-order shrimp set: Mapo Bamdada

Missing out on raw shrimp last fall has been the writer's eternal regret...

So this fall, I promised myself I'd definitely eat it. The moment I got back to Korea I went looking for a raw shrimp spot, and it turned out there was one right in my neighborhood!! Let me introduce Mapo Bamdada near Mapogu-cheong.

Where Mapo Bamdada is and when it opens

Mapo Bamdada is a sashimi restaurant on the 1st floor of 146 World Cup-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, five minutes on foot from Mapogu-cheong Station. It's open daily from 12:00 to 1:00 the next day, and Naver Reservations are available.

I always used to just walk past it, but finally made it to Mapo Bamdada!! There's a lunch special, and I heard they have fall shrimp and conger eel in season, so my expectations were sky-high.

• 📍 146 World Cup-ro, 1st floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• 🏃 5-minute walk from Mapogu-cheong Station
• 🕖 Daily 12:00–1:00 (next day)
• ✨ Naver Reservations available

Inside Mapo Bamdada at 7pm on a weekday

The place felt cozy but had about 8-9 tables. We went around 7pm on a weekday, and it was so lively that every table but two was full!!!

Seeing the info on private bookings, I thought this would be a great place for Dingo's Soju Live show << if you're reading this, Dingo, book this place.

The 55,000-won raw shrimp and flounder set on the tablet menu

Mapo Bamdada has a tablet at every table, which lets you choose from a much wider menu than what's listed on Naver. We ordered the 'raw shrimp + one chosen sashimi' set for ₩55,000.

The Naver menu shows a simplified version, but the tablet at each table has way more options!! There was a smart set — raw shrimp + one chosen sashimi (₩55,000) — so we went with that! On the day I went, conger eel was sold out (very disappointing), so I chose flounder for the sashimi.

In-store events at Mapo Bamdada

• Guaranteed-win event (omakase set, sea squirt, abalone, live octopus, fried shrimp, etc.)
• Naver photo review event
• 'Catch the 10 seconds' event and more

There are all kinds of fun events you can join at the restaurant, so definitely try them... (nothing to lose, right?🤍)

How many free side dishes does Mapo Bamdada serve?

Mapo Bamdada's standard side spread comes out right after you order. Seasoned vegetables, salad, mulhoe, soy-marinated shrimp, corn mayo, braised pollack, aged kimchi, seasoned seaweed, and even clam soup (that comes later) — seriously generous...

The sashimi comes out fast, but we couldn't even wait that long for a somaek (soju + beer)!!! Side note: I overate at lunch and still hadn't digested by dinnertime, so I popped a Cabagin pill before leaving home.

This mulhoe (cold raw fish soup)!!! Sweet and tangy, perfect for waking up your appetite!! There were 4-5 pieces of sashimi in it too, so it was fun (?) fishing them out one by one.

What the raw shrimp and flounder table looks like

After a somaek or two, today's dish arrived right away — raw shrimp + flounder (₩55,000). First thing I loved was how pretty the plating was, and how vivid the colors looked. Alongside the raw shrimp and flounder came radish sprouts, seaweed, flying fish roe, and two sauces, plus the shrimp heads, fried whole in butter. And that clam soup!!!!!! Spicy and savory, it practically calls for soju.

Alright everyone, say ahh — actually, just look first 👀 The raw shrimp looks plump just from the sight of it, and the flounder — those fins — I just knew it was going to be delicious.

Showing you a cross-section of the shrimp... it looks firm and springy. It's shrimp season this fall, and us women in our 30s, all of us peers, we all get through fall by eating what's in season.

How the raw shrimp tastes

Time for the raw shrimp, cheers!!!! The shrimp meat was as firm and springy as it looked, sweet and clean-tasting — the flavor really came through. It goes down in one bite, and you know you have to pick clean (?) even the bit of meat near the tail.

Butter-fried shrimp heads

And this is a real delicacy!!! Butter-fried shrimp heads — honestly, all the deep flavor is concentrated right here!!!! I heard the umami-packed bisque sauce is made by mashing and blending the shrimp heads. Nutty, crispy... this is a beer-calling flavor. Who needs shrimp chips when you have shrimp heads.

Starting with the flounder fin

Next up, the flounder!!! My husband and I always like to eat the best part first, so we started with the fins.

That chewy texture with the deep, sharp bite of soy sauce and wasabi... this is it. I've decided to call this flavor fall (?).

I'm not usually one to wrap food in lettuce leaves, but that night I wanted to, so I wrapped perilla leaf + seaweed + flounder + buldak mayo sauce — then suddenly didn't feel like eating it, so I fed it to my husband instead, sweet-wife moment (?). Even on a weekday evening, with a few glasses of soju and lots of chatting, the fall night deepened. 🍂🍁

Who should eat at Mapo Bamdada

Raw shrimp, the taste of fall!!! At Mapo Bamdada near Mapogu-cheong Station, I got to enjoy the luxury of just picking up already-cleaned, shell-off, head-off raw shrimp and eating without any effort. Maybe because it's peak season, the meat was plump and sweet — I fell for it once, then fell again for the crispy, rich fried shrimp heads.

If you're looking for a raw shrimp spot in Mapo, I recommend Mapo Bamdada, a sashimi restaurant in Mangwon-dong 🤍