Magok sushi restaurant negitoro tuna bowl lunch: Ilpum Magok

My first proper outing with my husband since giving birth! 🌸🌼🌸 Leaving our baby girl at home to get some fresh air, though my heart wasn't quite at ease haha 😅😅 I came here once while pregnant, but back then I played it safe and had the chicken karaage don instead of raw fish. This time, I was ready for real sushi 🍣🍣🍣

Ilpum Magok hours, closing day and parking

Ilpum Magok is a sushi and kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) specialty Japanese restaurant on Gonghang-daero near Magok Station, closed every Monday. It's open 11:00-21:30, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:30.

• Closed every Monday
• Hours 11:00-21:30 (break time 15:00-17:30)
• Parking available (Leaders Tower Magok / 2 hours free)
• Corkage available (free or paid)

Is a reservation needed for lunch at Ilpum Magok?

If you book ahead through Naver, you can eat right away. There are lots of offices around here, so it's always packed at lunchtime! Even though we came around 1pm, it was already full. There are bar seats too, so plenty of solo diners were eating there as well.

There was a pop-up menu item, anago liver hosomaki (₩15,000). I love anago liver, so I'll have to try it next time 😉

Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) served before the meal. I liked that whatever you order at Ilpum Magok, it comes out feeling like a full course.

What comes with the ₩28,000 today's sushi set

The today's sushi set 🍣 I ordered came with a satisfying lineup: 7 pieces of sashimi sushi, 4 pieces of tuna roll, plus 1 futomaki (thick roll). It was enough to fill up a woman on her own.

Ilpumdong special ₩30,000: negitoro tuna like Tokyo's Tsujihan

The ilpumdong (special) reminded me of Tsujihan, which I ate in Tokyo. They serve it with seaweed on the side, so you just wrap it up as you eat. The portion was quite generous, and the rice was already seasoned, so I didn't need to pour on any extra soy sauce!

It even came with a cold udon topped with chicken karaage, so we were completely stuffed~~~!! 😙😙 The cold udon had a yuzu ponzu base that really woke up your appetite, and it paired well with the main dish. The noodles were chewy and plump too.

It would've felt a bit lacking with just sushi, but having this maguro maki (tuna roll) alongside made for a nice variety. That flavor reminded me of a sushi place I loved in Fukuoka,.. ❤️ The tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) that came with it was soft and fluffy too 🥚🥚

How good is the tuna sushi at Ilpum Magok?

All the other sushi was delicious too, but honestly, the tuna at Ilpum Magok is just that good 👍🏻👍🏻 The overall sushi quality had freshness on par with an omakase. (Definitely different from your average sushi platter,, 😉)

An ilpumdong piled high with tuna negitoro and topped with salmon roe and sea urchin. Last time I had the kaisendon here the portion was hearty too, and this ilpumdong was also plenty big enough to fill up a grown man!

I tried a bite of my husband's, and yep, it was just as delicious.. I'll have to order the ilpumdong myself next time ☺️😘 The menu is also varied enough that you could visit often and still enjoy picking something new (kaisendon, unagidon, seasonal buri don, aburidon, salmon sake don, honmaguro tsukedon, and more..)

The futomaki was genuinely huge, kind of awkward to eat, but delicious anyway hahaha. They also sell a full roll of futomaki, and there's apparently a maguro special futomaki too.

Why Ilpum Magok works for a date or a solo lunch

We finished up with a mango purée dessert for dessert 🥭🥭 Overall it's clean and the atmosphere is nice, so it works well as a date spot, and I'd also recommend it for a solo lunch 👍🏻 If you want real sushi or kaisendon, head to Ilpum Magok,.,🤍🤍🤍

🚘 Parking was convenient too, and they gave us a solid two hours free, so we even had time to grab coffee nearby afterward ☺️