Sashimi shabu-shabu finish at a Yongin sashimi restaurant: Mr. Squid

I was craving sashimi, so I headed to Bojeong-dong's cafe street to visit an old favorite — Mr. Squid, a Yongin Bojeong-dong sashimi restaurant. Anyone searching for good food in Bojeong-dong, Yongin already knows this place.

Where is Mr. Squid Yongin Bojeong Branch, and where do you park?

Mr. Squid Yongin Bojeong Branch is located at 1193-8 Bojeong-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, in the alley of the Bojeong-dong cafe street. It's open daily from 4 PM to 4 AM the next day. The weather's been great lately, perfect for the open-air seating too. You can park in front of the restaurant or use the Bojeong-dong public parking lot.

Inside Mr. Squid: sofa seats full of work dinners on a weekday night

Mr. Squid Yongin Bojeong Branch is great for group dinners and family gatherings in Bojeong-dong. The weather was so cool and pleasant that they had the doors open, letting everyone enjoy the open-air seating.

Even on a weekday evening, there were plenty of people in for group dinners. We took a sofa seat.

Mr. Squid's menu: fall gizzard shad, king prawns and squid

With Chuseok (Korean harvest festival) coming up, they already have fall specialties ready — grilled salted prawns and gizzard shad, the seasonal fish they say even a runaway daughter-in-law would come back home for.

• Grilled salted prawns Small ₩26,000 / Medium ₩47,000 / Large ₩65,000
• Grilled salted prawns / raw shrimp sashimi
• Gizzard shad sekkoshi (thin-sliced with bones), raw gizzard shad, grilled gizzard shad

The prices are reasonable too.

When I visited last year, it wasn't squid season yet so I couldn't try it. But now they have squid at its most delicious, in season.

• Assorted sashimi ₩37,000
• Assorted sashimi medium ₩54,000
• Assorted sashimi large ₩67,000
• Raw squid sashimi ₩50,000
• Blanched squid ₩60,000
• Whole steamed squid ₩60,000 (fried squid included)
• Stir-fried squid ₩35,000

Free spicy fish stew with a medium sashimi platter or larger

At Mr. Squid Yongin Bojeong Branch, a spicy fish stew (maeuntang) comes free with medium-size orders or larger. We ordered the assorted sashimi medium, which is always delicious with its variety. You get to enjoy great sashimi and a stew on top.

The banchan at Mr. Squid: seaweed soup and steamed egg

The banchan (side dishes) come out really generously — seaweed soup, seasoned seaweed, steamed egg, and baek-kimchi (white kimchi).

If you only eat sashimi, it can leave you a bit hungry as a drinking snack, but the wide variety of side dishes are well done, which is probably why this place is famous on the Bojeong-dong cafe street.

What's on the 54,000-won medium platter: flounder, salmon, rockfish, fin

You get to enjoy a variety of cuts — flounder, salmon, flounder, rockfish, flounder, and even flounder fin. The owner kindly explained each cut to us. It's mouthwatering just to look at. Personally, I love the flounder, flounder fin, and salmon.

The composition of the medium assorted sashimi is really great — highly recommend. The portion is generous too.

Fresh lettuce wraps with the sashimi

You get to enjoy fresh lettuce, perilla leaves, and makjang (spicy fermented dipping sauce) alongside the sashimi. The sashimi is so fresh and delicious that it's great no matter how you eat it!

Finishing with the stew: leftover sashimi cooked shabu-shabu style

The sashimi portion was so generous that we had a few pieces left when we ordered the stew. Since the spicy stew comes free with medium-size orders or larger, make sure to try it. And you can't have maeuntang without a bowl of rice — we ordered one bowl. The broth was refreshing and the stew was clean and delicious.

We put the leftover sashimi into the stew like a shabu-shabu, and mixed rice into the refreshing broth with radish in it. As a well-known spot on the Bojeong-dong cafe street, the restaurant was fully booked and the staff must have been busy, but they were still kind and attentive, which made for a pleasant meal. After eating, we took a walk around before heading to a cafe, and found the Bojeong-dong cafe street already full of Halloween vibes. We wrapped things up with a refreshing avocado smoothie at a cafe.