Jongak Station sushi date with 16-piece sushi and somaek: Choe Uyeong

It's been ages since I made it out to Gwanghwamun~ Since I was in the area, I dragged my other half (who loves sushi) out for sushi and beer at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch 😋

• 7 Jongno 5-gil, B1 104, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Daily 11:00–21:30 (break time 15:00–17:00)
• Takeout, delivery, groups, parking, reservations available

Where is Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, and is it good for lunch or dinner?

Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch was a great pick for lunch or dinner around Jongak and Gwanghwamun. This neighborhood has so many good restaurants that it's actually hard to choose, but sushi works well as an office worker's lunch and just as well with drinks in the evening — I could see myself coming back to Choe Uyeong Sushiya often.

Inside the basement-level restaurant: counter and table seating

The restaurant is on the basement floor of the building 🏬 It's clean and tidy, with a good mix of counter (dachi) seats and table seats — great for solo diners, and just as good for a date like ours.

What's on the menu at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch

The menu centers on sushi, alongside sashimi, tempura, noodle dishes like udon, and various side dishes. Solo diners might go for an assorted sushi platter, while a group could order the assorted platter plus sashimi and individually order more sushi and sides to share.

What we ordered, and how it arrived

• 🍣 Premium sushi, 16pcs
• 🍣 Raw shrimp aburi sushi, 2pcs
• 🍣 Cuttlefish sashimi
• 🍣 Fried tofu udon

Rather than just sticking to sushi, we decided to order a few different dishes to share! While we waited, we warmed up our hungry stomachs with the jangguk (clear broth) that came with the order 😆

Nice touch — everything we ordered came out all at once!

Premium sushi 16pcs: how the textures differ on one plate

The star of the order — premium sushi! It arrived as 16 pieces neatly arranged on a plate, and with so many colors mixed together it looked seriously appetizing before we even took a bite.

Some pieces, like the tuna, had a soft, almost-melting texture, while others like flounder or sea bream had a chewier, springier bite — we could really taste the texture range across just one plate!

My other half copied some sushi-eating technique they picked up from somewhere(?). Adding a little pickled ginger and fresh wasabi brought out that sharp, tangy kick and made the sushi's flavor pop even more.

I'm not usually a huge fan of salmon sushi, but the onion and tartar sauce here made it taste lighter and cleaner. Trying one of each kind like this is one of the perks of an assorted sushi platter 🍣

And of course, no meal like this is complete without somaek~🍺 Still the best combo out there!

Raw shrimp aburi sushi 2pcs

Since we both love shrimp, we ordered the raw shrimp aburi sushi separately. If you're a shrimp sushi fan, this is a hard one to skip!

Visually, the lightly torched surface and sauce made it look even more tempting than regular sushi! The point here seemed to be enjoying the soft texture of the raw shrimp together with the flavor of the seared surface 😋

Cuttlefish sashimi with a chewy bite

Feeling like sushi alone wasn't quite enough, we ordered cuttlefish sashimi! Its chewy, bouncy texture — quite different from regular sashimi — was really appealing.

It goes down soft at first but gets chewier and springier the more you chew. There's a subtle sweetness to it too, which made it nice to eat in between bites of sushi 🦑

Finishing with fried tofu udon

Fried tofu udon 🍜 pairs so well with sushi. Is it just me, or does eating sushi always make you crave a warm soup dish afterward?

The sweetness of the fried tofu combined with the udon broth made for a milder, softer flavor overall. Adding a warm noodle soup instead of just eating cold sushi and sashimi made the whole meal feel a lot more varied.

Is Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch worth it for sushi and drinks?

If you're looking for a place to eat sushi around Jongak Station, Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch is worth a visit! Personally, I'd recommend ordering a few different dishes together like we did, rather than just sushi on its own, to enjoy both the meal and the drinks 😆