Incheon fish restaurant with mala sauce raw shrimp: Veteran Guwol

A fall night at Veteran General Fish Market in Guwol-dong

This evening I went out for sashimi at Veteran General Fish Market Incheon Guwol Branch in Guwol-dong, Incheon. Once that fall breeze starts blowing, I keep craving a thick plate of sashimi for some reason haha. So dinner was decided without a second thought — sashimi it is! Even the first photo shows off the sashimi pretty seriously.

Where Veteran Guwol is and where to park

• Location: 22 Inha-ro 507beon-gil, 102-ho, Namdong-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• Getting there: 470m from Exit 6 of Yesulhoegwan Station, Incheon Subway Line 1
• Parking: Available (building basement parking)
• Hours: Daily 11:00 - 3:00 the next day (last order 2:00)

The location is in the Guwol-dong area, not far from Yesulhoegwan Station. The store sign was pretty visible once I turned into the alley, so it wasn't hard to find. If you're driving, it's worth checking the building's parking lot or nearby public parking lots too.

Once inside, the hall was quite a bit bigger than I expected. There were also plenty of tables, so it looked fine for a group dinner too. There's terrace seating outside where you can feel the breeze, which would be even nicer in cooler weather. Worth keeping in mind if you're looking for a Guwol-dong spot for a work dinner too.

Ordering, and frying your own kimchi pancake at the self-bar

At Veteran General Fish Market Incheon Guwol Branch, once you sit down you can browse the menu on a tablet. There are so many types of sashimi that everything looks good and I couldn't decide haha. Still, since I wanted to try a bit of everything at once, I mainly went with the assorted sashimi platter this time.

Something fun happened even before the sashimi arrived — making your own kimchijeon (kimchi pancake). Fried until golden, the edges were crispy while the inside kept the moist texture of the kimchi. There was no chance to get bored while waiting for the sashimi.

How thick is the assorted sashimi platter?

And finally, today's star showed up — the assorted sashimi platter! The first thing that caught my eye as soon as the plate arrived was the thickness of the slices. Instead of slicing thin to make the portion look bigger, each piece was quite thick, so you could really feel that distinctive sashimi texture when chewing.

For the first piece, I skipped adding anything extra and just dipped it lightly in chojang (vinegared red pepper sauce). Behind the sweet and tangy chojang flavor came the chewy texture of the sashimi, spot on! Since it was cut so thick, just one piece filled my mouth completely, and it naturally made me want a shot of soju.

This time I went for a lettuce wrap. A piece of sashimi on fresh lettuce with a little ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) on top, one bite! Maybe because of the cool fall night, this combo hit especially well. Switching to wraps in between instead of just eating sashimi nonstop changed the mood of the flavors nicely.

Since I ordered raw shrimp, even the shrimp heads didn't go to waste. Served crispy, the shrimp heads had a strong savory aroma. It was a totally different texture from the sashimi, perfect to eat one at a time in between. With a menu item like this around, the drinking session doesn't end easily.

The grilled fish that came as a basic side dish got more attention than I expected too. The outside was fried golden with a savory aroma, and the flesh came apart softly. Eating warm grilled fish in between the cold sashimi reset the palate nicely!

I kept switching up how I ate the assorted sashimi even within the same plate. Dipping in chojang, adding ssamjang and lettuce, or just eating a plain piece by itself. The more I ate, the faster it disappeared, how does that happen. If you like sashimi with some real thickness to it, this style would satisfy you a lot.

Raw shrimp sashimi two ways: chojang and mala sauce

I tried the raw shrimp sashimi at Veteran General Fish Market Incheon Guwol Branch two ways — chojang and mala sauce. First, the most familiar way, dipped deep in chojang. The springy yet soft texture unique to raw shrimp plus the sweet and tangy chojang is a combo that's hard to get wrong. I liked the popping texture in the mouth.

But that wasn't the end. Personally, the combo I found most fun was raw shrimp sashimi with mala sauce! Dipping it lightly in mala sauce brought out a spicy, fragrant flavor. It was a completely different feeling from chojang and paired especially well as a drinking snack.

Eating a piece of sashimi, then a piece of raw shrimp, you just can't not have a drink. One thick bite of sashimi, then a refreshing sip! Enjoying sashimi and drinks together on a cool night, I once again realized why fish restaurants come to mind the moment fall arrives.

The self-bar and the live fish tanks

There are basic side dishes provided, but any extras you need you can grab yourself from the self-bar. When you're eating sashimi, some things like wraps or sauces run out quickly, right? Being able to grab what you need without calling a staff member every time was definitely convenient.

There's one thing I always end up checking when I go to a sashimi restaurant — the fish tank. There's a tank near the entrance, so it naturally caught my eye coming in and going out. Since this is a sashimi-focused restaurant, having a space like this visible really showed off the store's atmosphere.

Walking out, there was a cool fall breeze blowing, which made for a perfect ending to the evening. Thick-cut assorted sashimi, a variety of basic side dishes, a self-fried kimchi pancake, and the raw shrimp sashimi with mala sauce combo. I think I'll come back here whenever I'm craving a sashimi and drinks night in Guwol-dong. It's also good for sharing menu items among a group, so I'd recommend checking it out to anyone looking for a Guwol-dong restaurant or a Guwol-dong work dinner spot.

Is Veteran General Fish Market worth a visit?

What stuck with me most was that the sashimi wasn't sliced thin — each piece was cut thick. On top of that, adding raw shrimp sashimi and alternating between chojang and mala sauce meant I never got tired of it until the end. There was also the fun of making things yourself, like the self-fried kimchi pancake, so it felt a bit different from a place where you just eat sashimi and leave.

If you want a plate of sashimi and a drink in Guwol-dong, or a place where a group can eat plenty together, Veteran General Fish Market Incheon Guwol Branch is worth putting on the list.

Frequently asked questions

How do the assorted sashimi and raw shrimp sashimi taste?

What stuck with me most about the assorted sashimi was the chewy texture from the thick slices. It was good dipped lightly in chojang, and also good wrapped in lettuce with ssamjang for a different feel. The raw shrimp sashimi had an appealing springy, crunchy texture, and dipping it in either the sweet-tangy chojang or the spicy, fragrant mala sauce really brought out its character as a drinking snack.

Is Veteran Guwol good for a group dinner in Guwol-dong?

When I visited, the hall was spacious with several tables set up, making it a good layout for a group visit. Along with the main hall, there's terrace and outdoor seating too, so it looks good for a friend gathering, a drinking session, or even a Guwol-dong work dinner.

What else can you order besides sashimi?

Yes. This place felt less like a spot where you just eat sashimi and leave, and more like one where you also enjoy the basic side dishes and the self-bar together. What stood out most was the self-fried kimchi pancake at the self-bar! You bring over the batter and fry it yourself, so there's the fun of making it crispy outside and moist inside exactly to your taste.