Dongtan seafood bar with flounder sashimi and salt gimbap: Susanjang

A must-visit seafood bar for raw shrimp sashimi near Dongtan's north plaza: Susanjang.

Hi, I'm Sio, and I take eating seriously. I'd wanted to try Susanjang for a while, and when I heard they'd opened a branch at Dongtan's north plaza, I went straight there.

Susanjang is a seafood bar where you can enjoy everything from aged sashimi to seasonal seafood and various single dishes.

They say they bring in fresh seafood daily, so as someone who loves seafood, I went in with high expectations.

Inside Susanjang Dongtan Branch: full tables even on a weekday evening

Susanjang Dongtan Branch was completely full at the tables even on a weekday evening. Luckily the counter seats still had room, so I sat down without waiting.

The interior is done in warm wood tones, and the counter seats are somewhat divided from each other, so it was more comfortable to eat than I expected.

Outside there's a big tank lit up in blue, and there's a separate tank inside near the kitchen too. Since they cut up live seafood right before serving it, the place really lives up to its name — Susanjang means 'seafood market' — from the entrance on.

The free side dish at Susanjang is a whole grilled flatfish

While waiting after ordering, the complimentary side dish — grilled flounder — arrived first. Is it even okay for a free side dish to look this good? A whole flounder comes out warm and freshly grilled, crispy on the outside and moist inside — way better than I expected. They also seem to let you order more, which I remember costing around ₩3,000–4,000.

The menu I ordered that day: seasonal raw shrimp sashimi ₩26,000, butter-grilled shrimp heads (add-on) ₩3,000, and flounder sashimi with salted gimbap ₩42,000.

Live raw shrimp sashimi, 26,000 won — still moving on the plate

Susanjang Dongtan Branch's seasonal raw shrimp sashimi is ₩26,000. This was the dish I was looking forward to most that day, and here it comes. A plate piled high with fat shrimp lined up neatly — the look alone was insane!

What I liked most was that the body shells are already peeled for easy eating. Even if you love raw shrimp sashimi, peeling shells yourself can leave your hands sticky and be a hassle, but here you can just pick it up and eat right away.

But... don't assume that being pre-cleaned means they'll behave. These guys are alive. Truly, genuinely live raw shrimp sashimi. When I tried to pick one up with chopsticks, it curled its body and flopped around — I was a little startled at first. I posted a video on Instagram and all my friends asked where the heck this place was, haha.

When you put it in your mouth, it's bouncy and springy, with a subtly sweet, moist flesh. Not the mushy texture you get from frozen shrimp — there's real elastic bounce still alive in it, and it made me get why people eat raw shrimp sashimi.

That red sauce beside the shrimp is not chojang

There was a red sauce next to the shrimp, and I naturally assumed it was chojang (vinegared gochujang). I dipped in a huge amount without thinking and nearly died from the heat. It was buldak (fire chicken) sauce, haha. This is my first time pairing raw shrimp sashimi with buldak sauce, and honestly, if you like spicy food, it works surprisingly well. Just don't dunk it thinking it's chojang like I did.

Why the 3,000-won butter-grilled shrimp heads are worth adding

After finishing the raw shrimp sashimi, you can add ₩3,000 to have the leftover heads made into a butter grill. I'd recommend adding this pretty much every time. It feels wasteful to just toss the heads after eating the shrimp, but here they come back out grilled crispy, basically turning into a whole new side dish.

The savory butter aroma combines with the shrimp head's deep umami, and the shell is grilled nice and crispy — so good! If you love the rich, creamy taste inside the head, this would be a perfect pairing with soju.

Flounder sashimi with salt gimbap, 42,000 won

Susanjang Dongtan Branch's flounder sashimi with salted gimbap is ₩42,000. It's not just flounder sashimi alone — it comes together with salted gimbap, making it a more filling dish than I expected.

The flounder overall comes sliced thick, and it even included the fins, which I personally love.

The sashimi is chewy and clean-tasting, so it's good dipped in soy sauce with a bit of wasabi, and equally good with a slice placed on top of the salted gimbap. Since the flounder itself is quite mild, the salty flavor of the gimbap balances it out perfectly.

Eating sashimi alone the whole time can get a bit repetitive, but mixing in bites of gimbap along the way made for a really nice combo. A piece of flounder with a little wasabi, then a bite of salted gimbap — highly recommend this combination.

Is Susanjang Dongtan Branch worth a visit?

I originally wanted to finish with the seafood ramyeon too, but had plans for a second round that evening, so I sadly skipped it. Between the raw shrimp sashimi, flounder sashimi, and the complimentary grilled flounder, the portions ended up being more filling than I expected.

If you want fresh seafood with a shot of soju near Dongtan's north plaza, Susanjang is worth a visit. The most memorable part was the raw shrimp sashimi actually arriving alive and moving, and I also liked that it came pre-cleaned for easy eating. Since you can add ₩3,000 to turn the leftover heads into a butter grill, I'd recommend getting that too if you order the raw shrimp sashimi.

Seeing it packed even on a weekday evening, it seems like this place has already built quite a reputation as a go-to spot near Dongtan's north plaza. Next time, no second round — I'm coming back to properly finish with the seafood ramyeon.