Seolleung izakaya for sardine roll sushi and sashimi platter: Sakai

Sakai, Yeoksam branch

I was looking for a place in Seolleung where I could enjoy sashimi and Japanese-style bar food together, and ended up at Sakai's Yeoksam branch~~ True to its name, it's built around sushi and sashimi with a wide range of izakaya menu items too, so if you and your friends love raw fish and are hunting for a good-vibe restaurant in Seolleung, I really recommend this place!!

If you're looking for a place in Seolleung to eat and drink together, I'd love for this to make it onto your list! Beyond sashimi, there's a pretty wide range of fried dishes, grilled items and soups, so it also works well for anyone searching for an izakaya in Seolleung~

What Sakai looks like inside and out

Sakai's storefront has a dark exterior with a wood-accented entrance that really stood out! Once you step in, you get that calm yet warm feeling that's特有 of a Japanese-style pub~

Sakai's hours and closed days

Sakai is open daily from 17:00 to 01:00, with last order at 00:00~ The first Tuesday of every month is a regular closed day, so definitely check the calendar first! On this particular day, the menu had a separate section marking which raw fish were available that day, so you could check and order based on what fish was on offer — it made the visit feel extra special~ They're also closed September 21–27, 2026 for the Chuseok holiday, haha.

Sakai's menu: which sashimi is available that day

What caught my eye most at Sakai was the sashimi menu~ Instead of just selling a fixed set of fish, they mark which fish that came in that day are available to order, so there's a fun element of picking fresh ingredients day by day~

Beyond sashimi, there are sushi items like nigiri and hosomaki, and a good variety of fried dishes too! With fried shrimp and fish along with several other bar food options, it's a good spot to bring someone who doesn't eat raw fish — plenty of choices for them too~

The drink menu was also varied, with beer, Korean soju, house sake, and Japanese sake~ You can pair sashimi with sake or order draft beer with bar snacks — it's easy to enjoy however suits your taste!

An after-work Suntory draft beer to start

The first thing we ordered at Sakai was Suntory draft beer, haha. As you can see in the photo, the glass had a generous head of foam, and once that cold draft beer was set down, the wait for the food that followed felt really enjoyable!!

It especially works well alongside sashimi or sushi like sardine or mackerel — it kind of cleans the palate, so if you like the sashimi-and-beer combo, this pairs nicely~

What the day-only sardine roll sushi (6 pieces) is like

Of everything we ordered that day, the one that personally stuck with me the most was the day-only sardine bonjochobap (rolled sushi) 6p~

At a glance, the shape was totally different from your typical bite-size sushi!

The sardine was rolled into a plump, rounded shape, with the fish's skin and flesh visible as-is, and a little wasabi placed on top~

The owner also made us a salad on the house, with bacon, potato and cucumber inside — it was so good at cleansing the palate~

What comes on the sashimi moriawase platter

Our main order was the sashimi moriawase!! Several kinds of sashimi arrived together on one plate, and it looked seriously appetizing just from the colors alone. Red fish, white fish, blue-backed fish, and shrimp were all plated together, each with different colors and textures, haha.

The texture was clearly different depending on the type of fish~ The white fish had a clean, soft bite, while the red fish carried a richer, more intense flavor, haha.

The blue-backed fish had a rich, savory fattiness, and the shrimp had a springy, bouncy texture. A piece was great with a dab of wasabi or a light dip in soy sauce. Each type had its own flavor direction, so it was fun to keep picking different tastes even within a single plate~ Especially when you lift a piece with chopsticks like in the photo, you can really see the grain and sheen of the flesh, so if you love fresh sashimi, there's fun in just looking at it too, haha.

Is Sakai worth a visit near Seolleung Station?

This visit made me think that if you're hunting for sushi in Seolleung and want to enjoy sashimi along with a variety of Japanese-style bar food, this is a solid choice! In particular, that day's limited sardine bonjochobap stuck in my memory for its unusual shape and rich blue-backed-fish flavor, and the sashimi moriawase was great because you could compare several types of raw fish on one plate, T_T

Adding Suntory draft beer on top made it a great fit for a light drink after work! The owner was full of energy and really kind too, so I'd highly recommend this izakaya near Seolleung Station!!