Sadang izakaya basement table for five: spicy raw shrimp maki at Susan

Sadang is the easiest meeting spot when you're coming in from Gyeonggi! I was hunting for a good Sadang Station bar and remembered an aged-sashimi place I loved before — turns out they also do raw shrimp sashimi now, haha, so I was the one who suggested going 😆 Here's my revisit review of Susan Sadang Main Branch, a Sadang Station izakaya I keep coming back to!

Where is Susan Sadang Main Branch? 4 minutes from Sadang Station Exit 7

Susan Sadang Main Branch is right in the Sadang-dong restaurant alley, so it's super accessible. Just a 4-minute walk from Sadang Station Exit 7.

A party of five on a Thursday at 7pm: the basement group table

I went around 7pm on a Thursday and luckily there was space! Since we were 5, we got seated in the basement — I don't remember a basement level last time, so I guess they've expanded. Sadang Station food spot..👍🏻

They've got seasonal seafood on the menu — including the trendy raw shrimp sashimi and whole braised squid, haha.

During peak hours there can be a wait, so I'd recommend booking on Naver ahead of time. Most people around us had reservations.

We got shown down to the basement — clean, cool, and nice down there too. Seems to be mostly for group parties.

Susan Sadang Main Branch menu: gwangban-yuksa for 48,000 won

Ordering is easy with the table QR code!

Last time I had gwangban-yuksa — half flounder sashimi, half beef tartare — and it was so, so good. So this time we ordered that again, and I was torn between raw shrimp sashimi and raw shrimp maki, but since one friend doesn't eat raw shrimp, we went with the maki, haha.

• Gwangban-yuksa ₩48,000
• Raw shrimp maki ₩28,000
• Chicken nanban ₩18,000
• Mukbap ₩9,000

Aged flounder sashimi and raw beef: why the group would come back

They give everyone a welcome sake, one cup each!

Here comes the gwangban-yuksa — half flounder, half beef tartare! I fell for Susan's aged flounder sashimi last time, and that's exactly why I came back..❤️

They serve it with seaweed, aged kimchi, sesame oil dip, and vinegar-chili sauce, plus soy sauce that's already on every table.

Before eating, we tossed out a little 'everything will be fine' fortune paper.

Susan's flounder sashimi is seriously.. chewy, tender, and the best..❤️

I usually prefer yukhoe (raw beef tartare) over beef sashimi, but this time I ordered beef sashimi! It was chewy, nutty, and so good ㅜㅠㅠ But I'd still vote for yukhoe, haha — that's just my personal taste, both are delicious.

Is the raw shrimp maki spicy? Cheongyang chili and fire-noodle mayo

I went back and forth between raw shrimp sashimi and raw shrimp maki forever, and finally landed on the maki!!

This maki has cheongyang chili peppers inside and fire-noodle mayo sauce on top, so it was spicier than I expected. My spice-sensitive boyfriend had one piece and gave up, too hot lol. Spice-sensitive folks, take note!!!

Good food means the drinks just keep flowing~

Chicken nanban and mukbap: the extra dishes we added

We also ordered chicken nanban on top, haha. That generous sauce drizzled on top is egg mayo sauce!!

Honestly the menu photo for chicken nanban looked pretty unappealing so we hesitated, but it ended up being really good lol. The sauce is creamy and mild and goes perfectly with the chicken! Highly recommend if you're hungry and craving fried food, haha.

Lastly we also ordered mukbap, haha. This one is sometimes eligible for a review event too. Definitely join in and get a mukbap!! It tasted less like standard mukbap and more like mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) — which I liked even more, haha.

Why Susan Sadang Main Branch works as a Sadang Station bar

Since it had been a while since we all met as a group, I went looking for a Sadang Station bar and remembered how good it was last time, so we came back to this Sadang Station izakaya, Susan Sadang Main Branch! The owner is super friendly, the place is really clean, and above all the food is excellent, so I highly recommend it as a Sadang Station bar, haha. It was a great meal 🩵