Gwanak birthday sushi omakase with pufferfish tempura: Sushi Ryeo

Sushi Ryeo, a well-known omakase spot near Seoul National University Station — here's my record of a dinner visit for a special occasion.

I went to Sushi Ryeo, a famous omakase place near Seoul National University Station, on my birthday! Since it was my birthday, I wanted to eat really good sushi, so I picked the dinner omakase — and every single course, from the sushi to the various dishes, was delicious. It's such a great spot for a special occasion that I wanted to share it!

Where is Sushi Ryeo, and how do you book it?

Sushi Ryeo is on the 2nd floor of the Yeongin MC Building, Gwanak Weberpolis, 195 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul. It's open daily from 12:00 to 22:00, with a break time from 15:00 to 17:30 and last order at 20:30. Reservations can be made through Catch Table or Naver Reservations, and parking is available.

It's close by — about 200m from Exit 5 of Seoul National University Station. It took less than 5 minutes on foot, so it was convenient by public transport, and parking is also available. I booked ahead through Catch Table.

Inside Blue Ribbon-listed Sushi Ryeo and its counter seats

The first thing that caught my eye as soon as I arrived was the Blue Ribbon mark! It's been consistently listed in the Blue Ribbon guide since 2017, so I was already excited before even walking in.

Inside, it's a clean, tidy Japanese-restaurant atmosphere. There are counter seats where you eat right in front of the chef, regular tables, and a private room too. I love watching the sushi being made as I eat, so I chose the counter seats when booking.

If you enjoy watching the sushi-making process while you eat, go for the counter! If you're visiting with parents or for a family gathering, the tables or private room would be nice too. Once your reservation time arrives, the course starts right away.

Sushi Ryeo omakase prices and what the dinner course includes

What I had was the dinner omakase at ₩100,000 per person; lunch is ₩50,000 per person. The dinner course runs: chawanmushi → tsumami → suimono → grilled dish → sushi → kaisendon → tempura → soba → dessert.

From chawanmushi to tsumami and suimono

Chawanmushi. The meal opens with chawanmushi (savory steamed egg custard), springy yet soft, warming you up gently from the inside. Then comes tsumami — a few dishes before the sushi proper begins.

Tuna otoro (fatty belly). Since it's such a fatty cut, I piled on plenty of wasabi — it melted softly in my mouth and was so rich and savory, delicious right from the start!

Herring isobemaki. Herring with wasabi wrapped in seaweed, dipped lightly in soy sauce — the oily richness of the herring paired really well with the seaweed's aroma.

Amberjack with garlic soy sauce. The amberjack topped with garlic soy sauce, eaten with just a touch of wasabi — the soft fish paired well with the salty-savory sauce.

Mozuku and whelk. Okinawan mozuku seaweed served with whelk, cherry tomato, and minari (water dropwort) — crunchy and refreshing, it cleared my palate in one go.

Suimono. A clear soup with fish balls and shrimp — light and clean!

Steamed abalone and liver sauce. Chewy steamed abalone paired with a rich, deep abalone liver sauce — this combo was so good. The nutty depth of the abalone innards was especially memorable that day.

The sushi, grilled dishes and tempura courses

Red seabream. Clean and light in flavor with a nicely chewy texture.

Striped jack (shima-aji). A bit more savory and chewier than the seabream.

Spanish mackerel. Tender flesh with a subtle richness!

Sweet shrimp and sea urchin. Sweet shrimp topped with rich sea urchin — this is already one of my favorite combos, so of course it hit the spot!

Tuna akami (lean cut). Wow, isn't it gorgeous? Low in fat, clean-tasting, with the tuna's umami coming through clearly.

Tuna chutoro. After the akami came the chutoro — a bit fattier and softer, and the difference was really clear eating them back to back.

Miso-grilled black cod. Black cod marinated in miso and grilled also came out. Moist and tender, with a touch of ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) on top adding even more umami — delicious.

Chicken grunt (benjari). Clean-tasting yet chewy — I liked the texture.

Grilled hairtail on a mesh grill. The moment you bite in, that smoky char hits you! Grilling it over a mesh grill made it even more savory and delicious.

Kuruma-ebi (tiger prawn). The big, plump prawn was springy and sweet. I love shrimp, so this was so good!!!

And then, the kaisendon that was gorgeous from the start! Tuna, salmon roe, and sea urchin on top, wrapped in seaweed to eat.

The pop of the salmon roe with the rich sea urchin, all in one bite! The portion was modest but the ingredients were the real deal.

Pufferfish tempura. This was my first time ever trying pufferfish tempura. Crispy on the outside, light and moist inside!

Sea eel. The last sushi piece was sea eel — gently cooked eel with a sweet glaze, a delicious finish down to the last bite!

Finishing with kaisendon, Inaniwa udon and dessert

Inaniwa udon. The noodles are thinner than regular udon, so they slip down smoothly. Even though I was already pretty full, I ate it without any trouble.

Tamagoyaki. Fluffy, soft tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) rounded things out — subtly sweet, and by then I really felt like I was wrapping up the meal!

The final dessert was mango and green tea ice cream. The mango was sweet-tart, the green tea was sweet with a subtle tea aroma. If I had to pick one, I'd go green tea! Even after eating so much, I finished the dessert cleanly too.

Is Sushi Ryeo worth it for a birthday dinner in Gwanak, Seoul?

The sushi was fresh, and every course — from the grilled dishes to the tempura to the kaisendon — was delicious. For ₩100,000 at dinner, this lineup and quality felt like a fair price too.

I went because it was my birthday and I wanted really good sushi, and it turned out to be perfect for a special-occasion meal~~ (thanks to this, I had a happy birthday >.<) If you're looking for a great restaurant or a sushi omakase to visit near Seoul National University Station for a special occasion, I recommend Sushi Ryeo!