Soju bucket at a 6th-floor Gwangalli sashimi restaurant: Gwanganda

I went to Gwanganda Jjji, a sashimi restaurant in Gwangalli, Busan, to eat with a friend. We booked in advance through Naver, and the menu we had that day was the dachi set (다찌한상) at 55,000 won per person. It wasn't just sashimi — a variety of sujokashi (side dishes) and seafood, an assorted sashimi platter, crab stew, braised dishes, fried dishes and abalone porridge came out one after another, so it was fun eating all kinds of things. Best of all, you can see Gwangan Bridge from inside the restaurant, so both the food and the atmosphere were great.

Where Gwanganda Jjji is, plus parking and booking

Gwanganda Jjji Gwangalli Main Branch is on the 6th floor of Sanbada Hoetown, 17-20 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 344beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan. Hours are Monday, Thursday to Sunday 12:00–22:50 with a break from 14:10–16:30, and Wednesday 16:30–22:50, closed every Tuesday. Last order is 20:30, and you can reserve through Naver.

• Address: 17-20 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 344beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan, South Korea
• Hours: Mon, Thu–Sun 12:00–22:50 / break 14:10–16:30
• Wed 16:30–22:50, closed every Tuesday
• Last order 20:30
• Naver reservations available
• Reserved guests: 2 hours from reservation time
• Walk-in guests: 2 hours from arrival time

Gwanganda Jjji is on the 6th floor of the Sanbada Hoetown building. There was a large parking lot in front of the building too, and Sanbada Hoetown also has its own dedicated lot on the 1st floor.

When I visited, the building's dedicated lot didn't have that many spaces.

We arrived right on time for our reservation and were seated immediately without waiting.

Group tables and the Gwangan Bridge view inside Gwanganda Jjji

Once inside Gwanganda Jjji, I noticed quite a lot of group seating.

There were actually several tables of people dining together that day too — the space itself is spacious, so it looked great for family gatherings or group meals. And looking toward the windows, you can see Gwangalli's sea and Gwangan Bridge right there.

Being on the 6th floor, the view was wide open, and I really loved being able to watch Gwangan Bridge while eating.

What comes with the 55,000-won dachi set

What I had was Gwanganda Jjji's dachi set at 55,000 won per person.

It's a course that starts with sujokashi and seafood, then moves through an assorted sashimi platter, soup and braised dishes, fried dishes, and finally abalone porridge.

As soon as we sat down and started receiving food, it wasn't just one or two dishes — the plates kept coming.

We got to try abalone, cream shrimp, soy-marinated crab, grilled eel, cheese scallops, nakji tangtangi (chopped live octopus), sushi rolls, live shrimp, whelk sashimi, sea squirt and more — lots of seafood and dishes all at once.

It was fun trying each one, and among them the live shrimp was especially delicious.

It wasn't just springy — it had a chewy texture that got more noticeable the more you chewed, easily the most memorable dish among the early ones.

Dishes like soy-marinated crab and grilled eel were great to pair between bites of sashimi, so the lineup never felt monotonous.

Courses paced to how fast you eat

I liked how much variety there was, but the staff's service was also easy to deal with throughout the meal. They cleared plates as soon as we'd finished them and kept bringing out the next dish at our pace. Instead of plates piling up on the table, they got cleared away as we emptied them and new dishes came in, so even with this much food it was fairly comfortable to eat through.

We also ordered soju and beer that day, and they served the drinks in a bucket filled with ice. With all the sashimi and seafood we kept eating, we couldn't not order drinks, and it was nice being able to keep them cold while drinking.

Flatfish, red seabream, flounder and sea bass sashimi platter

After we'd worked through most of the earlier dishes, the assorted sashimi platter we'd been waiting for arrived.

That day, Gwanganda Jjji's platter included a good mix of flatfish, red seabream, flounder and sea bass. The slices were on the thicker side overall, so you could really feel the texture with each bite.

Some cuts were soft, others distinctly chewy, so it was fun comparing textures as we went.

The flounder in particular, sliced into long strips, stuck with me — it had a clearly chewy bite that felt different from the other cuts.

Sushi rice came out alongside it too, so I tried topping a slice of sashimi on rice to make it like a piece of nigiri.

It was good on its own, but eating it over rice gave it a whole different feel, and dipping it in chojang (vinegar-chili sauce) with a bit of wasabi was also great. With so many kinds of sashimi, I happily finished the whole plate.

Blue crab stew, braised crab, fried crab and abalone porridge

As we were nearly done with the sashimi platter, the warm dishes started coming out.

Crab stew, braised fish, fried shrimp and fried crab all arrived together — even though I'd already eaten quite a lot, I still reached for more.

The crab stew was warm with a refreshingly clean broth, which paired really well after all that sashimi.

The braised dish had well-balanced seasoning too, and the fish was tender and delicious.

Among the fried dishes, the fried shrimp was good, but the fried crab was especially nutty and crispy, which made it memorable.

And at the very end, abalone porridge arrived. After eating so much sashimi, seafood and fried food, a warm porridge was a perfect way to finish. With abalone mixed in, finishing the dachi set from start to end felt like properly completing a full course.

Worth returning to in Millak-dong for a family meal

From the moment the first sujokashi arrived to the final abalone porridge, the sheer variety kept me looking forward to what was coming next. This kind of dachi set at Gwanganda Jjji feels especially suited to people who want to try a mix of seafood and dishes, not just focus on sashimi alone.

Being able to eat while looking at Gwangan Bridge was great, and with so much group seating, I found myself thinking I'd like to come back with family next time. One thing to know ahead of time, though: the basic time limit is 2 hours regardless of whether you've reserved, so if you're planning a gathering where you want to sit and chat for a long time after eating, keep that in mind.

Still, with such a varied lineup, from the thick-cut sashimi platter through to the warm finishing dish, I was satisfied from start to finish. This is the kind of Gwangalli sashimi restaurant I'd think of again when I want to enjoy a wide range of sashimi and seafood in Gwangalli while taking in the Gwangan Bridge view.