Sushi near Ilsan Lake Park, sharing two sets: Hwangje Sushi

It was a nice day out, and isn't it healing to walk along a sparkling lake? Right in front of Ilsan Lake Park, perfect to drop into after a walk or a workout, I visited an Ilsan sushi spot called Hwangje Sushi (황제초밥, "Emperor Sushi").

How's the parking?

When you pay, just ask staff for parking and they'll give you 1 hour free. The restaurant is on the main road so it's easy to find.

Parking entrance tip

There are two entrances you can use!! I parked in the basement 1F (store-use lot), but there's also 1F parking. Since there are two entrances to the basement level, either one works fine!

Hwangje Sushi Ilsan Main Branch hours

• 경기 고양시 일산동구 백마로 195 상가동 1층 그린존 1117호
• Monday–Sunday
• 11:00 AM–9:20 PM (last order 8:40 PM)
• Break time: 3:00 PM–5:00 PM (lunch last order 2:20 PM)
• Closed during Chuseok holiday
• Takeout available, delivery available

The vibe and seating

Inside, there's a range of seating from solo seats for eating alone to spacious 4-person tables for groups.

It's a great spot for lunch, but also a lovely place to have some drinks with good side dishes in the evening.

The menu (sashimi, rice bowls, weekday lunch, assorted sushi)

• Sashimi
• Single dishes (rice bowls)
• Weekday lunch
• Popular assorted sushi

What Yeni ordered

I ordered two sets and I'll introduce each of their compositions. On the table, soy sauce, pickled radish, and thinly sliced ginger are neatly laid out so you can help yourself to taste.

I loved that the soy sauce wasn't just regular soy sauce — it was Japanese Kikkoman soy sauce, which really brings out the umami in the sushi.

Self-serve bar

There's a self-serve bar on one side of the restaurant. Forks and scissors for kids, pickled radish, shichimi seasoning, small plates, and even warm broth soup!

The starter spread comes with abalone porridge and croquette

Before the main dishes arrive, there's a starter spread!

• Grilled fish served at random (salmon or sea bream)
• Tangy pickled vegetables (cucumber, seaweed, onion) to wake up your appetite
• Warm, savory abalone porridge (jeonbokjuk) to warm up my stomach

It made me feel like I was being treated at a fine Japanese restaurant. Taking a bite of the croquette, then following it with the rich, deep broth of the udon, made the sushi's flavor feel even better 😋

The udon was generously packed with fried tofu skin and fish cake too, which made it feel like they weren't skimping on anything.

VIP sushi, 12 pieces for ₩25,000

The two sushi sets I ordered are both priced the same at ₩25,000, but the compositions are a little different.

VIP sushi composition

Sea bream x2, flounder x1, seasonal live fish x1, salmon x2, akami (lean tuna) x1, mekadoro (fatty swordfish belly) x1, abalone x1, grilled red shrimp known as "lobster shrimp" x1, grilled beef x1, grilled freshwater eel x1 piece

The VIP sushi really lived up to its name with a lavish lineup! I heard it's built on properly aged sushi as the base — flounder over 3kg from Wando, top-grade Superior Norwegian salmon, sea bream, and seasonal live fish. On top of that, clean-tasting tuna akami and swordfish belly (mekadoro) make it feel quite luxurious.

Maybe because of the tuna, I really felt like "wow, this is a properly finished, delicious sushi set." The composition was so good I'd want to eat it again.

Popular 6-type assorted sushi

Popular 6-type assorted sushi composition

Flounder x2, salmon x2, soy-marinated shrimp x2, grilled beef x2, grilled shrimp x2, eel x2 pieces

Shouldn't good things be eaten twice? This popular 6-type assorted sushi, where every piece comes in a pair, seems like it would especially win over teens and people in their 20s.

The grilled shrimp sushi oddly had a sweet-and-salty flavor kind of like Ppuring seasoning, and it was genuinely a standout! Plus the soy-marinated shrimp sushi, with its plump, meaty flesh, was really delicious. With eel and beef too, it's a lineup put together to make the younger crowd go wild.

Going as two? Order two different sets

If you're visiting with a friend or a partner, how about ordering two different sets like I did and sharing a variety? The staff were kind too, and I felt taken care of throughout the meal at Hwangje Sushi! The warm abalone porridge and pickled vegetables gave me that sense of fine Japanese-restaurant luxury from the very first bite. Unlike a typical sushi place, I was satisfied to have a meal that felt this pleasant and filling, like being properly hosted.

Marking this one down as the perfect spot to pop into on an Ilsan Lake Park date course, after a walk, or after a workout!