Jongno, Daegu tuna bar for round two: ₩60,000 plate at Jongno Darang

Jongno Darang, a bluefin tuna sashimi spot in Dongseongno, Daegu. True to a Jongno restaurant, the name itself starts with Jongno. My boyfriend and I went for a real last drink of the night, just the two of us sharing a bottle.

Jongno Darang's location — 2 minutes from Jungangno Station

Jongno Darang sits right in the Jongno bar alley, so it's perfect for a second round, and I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for a Dongseongno spot for a company dinner. It's near Jungangno Station and the interior is spacious enough for a group. Literally a 2-minute walk from the station.

From outside, the entrance looked small, like it might only have a few tables inside.

Inside Jongno Darang — not a private room, but sectioned seating

Once inside, there's a spacious area in the back with lots of tables. There's a second floor too, but they said it's not in operation right now. It's a great sashimi restaurant near Banwoldang for a company dinner or a date. The seating is sectioned off, so while it's not a private room, it feels private enough that you can focus on your conversation — highly, highly recommend Jongno Darang if you're on a blind date near Jungangno Station or Dongseongno ✨

I liked that the tables were nice and big — spacious enough to be perfect for drinking. Narrow tables come with all sorts of hassle and often nowhere good to put your bag, but the space here let the two of us enjoy our drinks comfortably. They also had a good variety of drinks — soju, beer, several kinds of sake — so it was easy to drink to your taste.

Single orders only from 9pm — course or single, which to pick

Uniquely, Jongno Darang's default system is course-only, and single tuna orders only open up from 9pm. The course includes everything listed as a side single dish on the menu, and it clearly looked like better value than ordering single dishes — plus the portions looked really generous.

If you order single dishes separately, the price relative to the food is fairly high, so it seems like a better deal to just go with the course. They're also running a Naver receipt review event, so don't miss it, wink — leave a Naver receipt review and get a free mochi dofu!

Since the two of us were headed to a second round afterward, we ordered the single tuna plate for two at ₩60,000.

The standard set and what came with the ₩60,000 tuna plate for two

Here's what comes standard at Jongno Darang~~~~!~! Green salad and chawanmushi, two things!

The chawanmushi, seasoned with tsuyu, was as soft and jiggly as pudding — a great appetizer before the meal.

And then today's star arrived: the bluefin tuna single plate for two! I wondered if two-person portions would be a bit small, but the more I ate, the fuller I got — it was actually quite a lot. Tuna is naturally fatty though, so I couldn't eat too much of it. (Probably more so because I'm cutting back on drinking and was rationing my soju lol ㅠㅠ Tuna really should be paired with alcohol...)

The cuts were belly, fatty belly, and throat — three parts — and I was so happy the fatty belly was the star. Personally I'm not a fan of the slightly fishy taste of the belly cut...

Glistening, glossy tuna,, hello?🐟

The slices were cut in just the right size, perfect for a drinking snack haha. Thick enough and just the right bite size.

I loved that even the two-person single order included the special cuts, and overall it was fresh with great condition — really tasty, nom nom.

4 pieces of vinegared sushi rice and the accompaniments

When you order tuna, you also get 4 pieces of vinegared sushi rice — two each was just enough to feel full. (Honestly I ate three and he ate one lol.) Pickled ginger and rakkyo pickle came standard, plus generous fresh wasabi and radish sprouts, lots of seaweed, and there was also pickled peperoncino and baek-kimchi (white kimchi) to enjoy the bluefin sashimi even more.

Wrapped it in seaweed like this too~~~ ~~~~!~~!

Made it into sushi too~~! I enjoyed it this way and that, and it was delicious no matter how I ate it. Tuna's just gonna be tuna 🐟🐠🐡

Before paying, I glanced at the tray at the next table — tuna ordered by another group! Judging by the 3 pieces, it looked like a three-person order, and the portion was massive,,,,,,@!,,,,,! Look at that color, right,,

Bottom line — single order after 9pm for round two, course if it's a meal

If you're looking for a good bar in Jongno, I recommend Jongno Darang@!@! Before 9pm only the course is available, so if you're going for a second round, I'd recommend after 9pm, and if you're treating it as a full meal, the course sides are generous, so go earlier and order the course!@!! 🫶🏻