Yeouido sushi: sea urchin maki and salmon belly kaisendon at Ilpum

Recommending Ilpum Yeouido Branch, a Yeouido favorite!! The kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) that Lee Young-ja raved about, a sushi restaurant.

Hi, I'm travel blogger Quokka Road. Did you know there's a kaisendon spot in Yeouido that Lee Young-ja praised so highly? It's Ilpum Yeouido Branch, near National Assembly Station in Seoul. From the kaisendon and unagidon (eel rice bowl) to the sushi, both the seafood quality and the chef's skill left me really satisfied. So today let's dive into my story about Ilpum Yeouido Branch, a Yeouido favorite~!

Where is Ilpum Yeouido Branch, and what is the restaurant like?

Ilpum Yeouido Branch is located near National Assembly Station. There's a building parking lot too, so it's convenient if you're driving.

The interior was overall clean and tidy. There's a bar counter and table seating, so it works well whether you're eating alone, on a date, or at a company dinner.

At the bar counter you can watch the chef making sushi, which makes the waiting time fun too. If you're looking for a lunch spot, a dinner date, or a group dinner venue in Yeouido, Seoul, this place had a great atmosphere and menu.

What we ordered at Ilpum Yeouido Branch and what it cost

Course-meal-level quality

• Premium kaisendon (₩37,000)
• Sea urchin sweet shrimp maki (₩10,000)
• Salmon belly sushi (₩6,000)
• Crab cream croquette (₩5,000)

When you sit down, the first thing that arrives is an appetizer of chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) and miso soup. The chawanmushi is smooth and jiggly like pudding, melting in your mouth! It has gamtae (seasoned laver) and shrimp in it, which adds a nice accent to the mild egg custard.

I wanted the premium kaisendon that Lee Young-ja raved about as my main, and ordered the sushi and sides I wanted alongside it. Besides that, there's also unagidon, an assorted sushi set, and even a budget-friendly omakase at 50,000 won per person — the menu had a lot of variety. The kaisendon and sushi were so good that next time I'll have to come back for the omakase for an anniversary date!

What comes in the 37,000-won premium kaisendon?

There's a basic kaisendon too, but I wanted to go all out today, so I ordered the premium version.

Salmon, tuna, abalone, scallop, shrimp, sea urchin, salmon roe and more were piled on generously and beautifully. Just looking at how gorgeous it was already made it taste good.

Overall the seafood was fresh and each piece was seriously high quality! In particular, the sashimi was aged with kelp, and the chewy texture and umami were insane. For kaisendon, the seafood matters, but the seasoning and umami of the rice matter just as much — and since this is a sushi restaurant, it was spot on.

Seaweed came out with it too, so wrapping rice and seafood in the seaweed brought together the crunch of the seaweed, the umami-packed rice, and the chewy seafood — every bite was so happy.

There's also ankimo (monkfish liver) and crab meat — try mixing them into the rice at the end and wrapping it in gamtae or seaweed! Especially mixing crab meat into the rice and wrapping it in seaweed was perfect, with the sweetness of the crab, the umami rice, and the nutty seaweed all together.

Sea urchin sweet shrimp maki (10,000 won)

The à la carte sea urchin sweet shrimp maki! It's a bite-sized maki sushi topped with sweet shrimp and sea urchin.

The moment it hits your mouth, the rich, nutty flavor of the sea urchin spreads first, followed by the springy texture and subtle sweetness of the sweet shrimp. The combination of sweet shrimp and sea urchin... need I say more? So perfect!

Salmon belly sushi (6,000 won)

As a salmon lover, I couldn't pass up salmon sushi, so I ordered the salmon belly sushi separately. It was thick-cut salmon, soft yet chewy, with the umami still alive — the best salmon sushi I've had recently!!

True to a sushi restaurant, the shari (sushi rice) was seasoned and portioned just right, so the balance between the thick salmon and rice was perfect. There was also a light dusting of katsuobushi (bonito flakes) on top of the salmon sushi, adding a subtle aroma.

Crab cream croquette (5,000 won)

Crab cream croquette is a dish I first fell in love with in Japan, so when I saw it on the side menu here, I ordered it right away.

Freshly fried after ordering, the croquette was crispy outside and packed with soft cream inside. The mild, nutty, soft cream combined with the sweet crab flavor made it feel, to me personally, even better than what I had in Japan.

The cold udon with karaage and mango panna cotta that come with the meal

If you order the kaisendon, a cold udon topped with karaage (fried chicken) also comes along. Even as a side dish, the crispy-outside-tender-inside karaage and the chewy, springy udon noodles were so good.

For dessert, a mango panna cotta comes out. It was a smooth panna cotta with a mango purée full of fresh mango flavor and the nutty sweetness of milk. I was pretty full already, but the dessert was so good I ended up savoring every single spoonful.

Is Ilpum Yeouido Branch worth it? The verdict

• A Yeouido favorite recommended by Lee Young-ja
• High-quality seafood kaisendon
• Crispy-outside, soft-inside crab cream croquette
• A sushi restaurant that feels like a full course
• Great for solo dining, group dinners, or dates in Yeouido

Ilpum Yeouido Branch address, hours and parking

• 📍 Location: Near National Assembly Station, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: Mon–Sat (closed Sundays) 11:00–21:30
• 📝 Reservations: Available via Naver Reservation
• 🚗 Parking: Free for 2 hours