Seolleung date-night sushi bar: snow crab with uni and chutoro, Sakai

Let me introduce Sakai, a sushi spot near Seolleung I visited with my boyfriend for a Friday after-work date! It felt like it took me to Japan, and the fact that you can order exactly the sushi pieces you want got me excited before I even went.

They sell all kinds of izakaya-style side dishes alongside the sushi, so it's also a great place for a casual drink. Let me walk you through the sushi recommendations, prices, and how everything tasted :)

How to find Sakai near Seolleung Station — there is no sign

Sakai is located at 서울 강남구 역삼로67길 15 1층 101호. It's about a 6-minute walk from Exit 2 of Seolleung Station.

There's no sign outside, so I wandered around for a while when I got there haha. First-timers might get confused too. It's right next to the café 'Knock Coffee Bar Seolleung,' so use that as your landmark — it makes finding the place much easier!

• 📍 서울 강남구 역삼로67길 15 1층 101호
• 🕐 17:00 ~ 01:00 (last order 00:00)
• Closed first Tuesday of every month
• 🚗 No parking
• 📝 No pets allowed, Naver reservations available

When you open the door, you don't walk straight into the seating area — you go a bit further in, past a white partition, to find the seats. It gave the place a more mysterious feel!

Inside Sakai: table seats and the counter at the back

The lighting inside Sakai is cozy, giving off a calm yet warm, local Japanese izakaya kind of atmosphere. There are 2- and 4-person tables, plus separate counter seats in the back. We were seated at a 2-person table that day!

I heard the counter seats are pretty popular, so if you'd like to sit there, it's worth asking in advance before your visit!

At the counter, you can watch the chef prep ingredients and make the sushi right in front of you — a different kind of fun than the table seats. We were at a table, but it was spaced widely from the next one, so conversation noise wasn't an issue and we could eat comfortably :)

On one side of the restaurant there were colorful sake cups and bottles displayed — looks like these come out when you order sake! Gathered together like that, they looked so pretty~

How ordering works at Sakai — write down your "today's nigiri" picks

Sakai sells everything from simple izakaya side dishes to à la carte sushi.

They said the sushi menu changes a bit depending on what ingredients come in that day. You check the 'today's nigiri' list on the wall, then write down what you want on paper to order. Beyond sushi there's a wide range of izakaya dishes too, so it seemed like a great place to pair sushi with a drink :)

< Order > Horse mackerel nigiri ₩4,500 Sweet shrimp nigiri ₩4,500 Chutoro nigiri ₩6,100 Crab picked for you ₩36,000 Mackerel miso simmer ₩15,000 Asahi draft beer ₩10,000 Saero soju ₩8,000

How do the sweet shrimp, horse mackerel and chutoro nigiri taste?

The table already had basic settings laid out — even the tableware had that Japanese feel ¨•.✦ The chopstick rests were so cute!!

Our Asahi draft came out first, topped with a rich, dense-looking foam! It was actually really crisp, smooth, and clean-tasting. Went really well with the sushi!

Next came the sushi we ordered! 🍣 Since the sushi prices are a bit high, and we ordered other side dishes too, we deliberated quite a bit over our picks. We got the famously tasty sweet shrimp and horse mackerel nigiri, and I also added chutoro haha. Let me show you how each one tasted!

Sweet shrimp nigiri, 4,500 won — three shrimp on one piece

The sweet shrimp nigiri is ₩4,500, which I initially thought was a bit pricey — but once it arrived, there were actually three shrimp piled on top! They also explained the shrimp were trap-caught in Sokcho that same day, which got me even more excited before tasting.

There was even egg yolk sauce on top of the shrimp — and eating it, the sweet shrimp's signature rich, sweet flavor combined with the yolk's savoriness for a really delicious bite.

The texture was both bouncy and soft, so the ₩4,500 felt completely worth it haha. Highly recommend — you have to try this one!!

Horse mackerel nigiri and chutoro nigiri at Sakai

The horse mackerel nigiri had a savory umami flavor with no fishy taste at all. The subtle richness typical of blue-backed fish spread gently, and eating it with the rice made the umami come through even more! The rice grains had that alive, individual texture that paired well with the soft mackerel sashimi too haha.

Finally, the chutoro nigiri! 🍣 It didn't look especially fatty from the outside, but once I tasted it, the tuna's distinctive aroma and rich fattiness really came through. Yet there was no greasiness or fishy taste at all — just a deep, savory flavor spreading through my mouth. Really delicious!!

The sushi quality was better than I expected, so I was really satisfied! Next time I'd love to try more of the pieces we didn't get to this time haha.

"Crab picked for you," 36,000 won — snow crab meat heaped with uni

While we were still eating sushi, our next order — 'crab picked for you' — arrived! The name itself was so witty that it stuck with me from the moment I ordered it haha.

It comes out with picked crab meat topped with a generous amount of sweet shrimp and uni, and the color alone made it look so appetizing!! Absolute top visual.•♥

There was plenty of luxurious uni on top, and packed tightly underneath was the crab meat. The upper part seemed to be mostly leg meat, while the lower part had body meat mixed with the crab's innards. (Nodding along, the price made sense.)

One bite in, the crab meat was soft with a gentle sweetness, and the uni had a rich, creamy, savory flavor. On top of that, the popping texture of the flying fish roe added even more — several kinds of seafood coming together in perfect harmony in a single bite! Each flavor stood on its own but still blended beautifully — this dish ended up tastier than I expected haha.

The jelly-like sauce on top was especially salty, so it was perfectly seasoned even without dipping in soy sauce. This dish was packed with so much seafood flavor that my boyfriend and I kept raving, 'this is seriously so good!' haha.

After eating something this good... you start craving soju, you know?ㅎㅎ

Mackerel simmered in miso, 15,000 won — scallion and wasabi are the kick

Since we still had drinks left, we finished up by ordering the day's mackerel miso simmer too!

It came out as a whole half mackerel, and the flesh was really thick!

I tried it topped with scallion and wasabi, and the miso's savory, salty flavor combined with the sharp kick of wasabi made for a really great combo. The scallion especially was the real kick! Adding it made the flavor come through much more cleanly haha.

It would probably be great mixed into rice, but it's also fantastic as a drinking snack on its own!

Is Sakai in Seolleung a good date-night sushi bar?

Overall, I loved the atmosphere that felt like stepping into a local Japanese izakaya, and the ability to pick out exactly the sushi pieces I wanted was a real draw. With a wide range of sushi and side dishes, it was a great spot for a drink with my partner after work!

The prices aren't especially cheap, but everything we ordered was satisfying overall, and next time I'd love to try more of the sushi we missed this time haha. If you're looking for a good-vibe sushi izakaya near Seolleung, Sakai is worth a visit 🍣

🍣 Pick your own pieces from today's nigiri list 🦀 Crab meat + uni combo in the 'crab picked for you' 🍺 A menu built for pairing sushi and side dishes with drinks 🏮 Cozy, Japanese izakaya-style atmosphere