Sadang izakaya with whale sake and first beef sashimi: Susan Sadang

Now that the weather's nice, I've been craving a drink lately — I can barely stay sane haha — so I went to visit a friend who lives in Sadang and looked up a hot izakaya in the area. After some searching I found Susan Sadang Main Branch, a bar in Sadang, and going in person, it really was as hot as advertised!

Susan Sadang Main Branch hours and how to reserve

Susan Sadang Main Branch is open Monday to Thursday from 16:00 to 1:00, Friday and Saturday from 15:00 to 2:00, and Sunday from 15:00 to 23:00. Reservations can be made through Naver Reservations.

Where to park near Susan Sadang and Sadang Station

Susan Sadang Main Branch doesn't have its own parking, so it's best to use Sadang Public Parking Lot No. 1 or No. 2.

First floor full? The basement room at Susan Sadang

Susan Sadang Main Branch, this bar in Sadang, is spread across the first floor and the basement. When I got there the first floor was completely full and I thought we'd have to leave, but luckily there was a basement level too. It's a fairly spacious place, so it should be able to hold a lot of people. Personally, I thought the basement had more atmosphere and was a better spot for drinking.

Once we sat down, a staff member kindly showed us around. And the wet wipes were so cute haha. A lucky charm was gifted to a friend of mine.

May the whole universe support us as we drink~

The menu: aged sashimi and beef sashimi are the stars

Aged sashimi and beef sashimi are the mains at this Sadang bar, Susan Sadang Main Branch. With side dishes like these... it's basically sake all the way. And since everything on the menu looked clean and refined, it seemed like a great spot for a date too.

Yeonban-yukban: half salmon, half beef sashimi

Half salmon, half beef sashimi. When I mentioned I'd never had beef sashimi, my friend let me be the one to order it haha. It came out looking so clean, and the color on both the sashimi and the beef was gorgeous. I usually don't expect much from the sashimi at izakayas, but this was top quality.

The free glass of sake they gave us as soon as we sat down was tastier than expected, so after trying it I immediately ordered the whale sake.

So this is what beef sashimi looks like — pretty fascinating. And it looked so appetizing. Beef sashimi with a bright red color and nice marbling, plus salmon slices that looked plump and orange just by looking at them. I'm going to get drunk today... the side dishes are just too good.

Served alongside: salt sauce, vinegar-chili sauce, and seaweed. I love wrapping sashimi in seaweed and dipping it in salt sauce, so this bar really suits my taste.

How the salmon tasted

Let's try a piece of salmon. It's been a while since I've had salmon, and this one is really good. The texture is bouncy and soft, so it goes down easily. Dipped lightly in soy sauce with wasabi, it just melts in your mouth, ugh — and it makes you want sake.

If the salmon is this good, I got excited about what the other sashimi options might be like.

Beef sashimi for the very first time

Beef sashimi, which I was trying for the very first time, was truly delicious. I already liked yukhoe (raw beef tartare), but eating it as sashimi gives it a totally different texture and feel. The thickness of the beef sashimi was just right, easy to chew, and so savory. Dipped in the salt oil sauce, the savoriness was maximized, and I found myself alternating endlessly between a piece of beef sashimi and a sip of sake.

Wrapping it in seaweed makes it even tastier. The saltiness of the seaweed adds to it, doubling the flavor of the beef sashimi. Wow... I really nailed the choice of side dishes.

Whale sake: cheap and poured generously

I picked the whale sake just because it was cheap. Turns out the portion was quite large. It also tasted clean, with that distinctive sake aroma that was so good I kept drinking until I got completely drunk... ㅠ Even after drinking and drinking, the amount barely seemed to go down.

Finishing with hotteok ice cream

Since we had more drinks than food left, we added an order of hotteok ice cream. It came out looking so cute haha, I loved it. Eating something sweet after drinking is just pure bliss.

The combination of sweet hotteok and cool vanilla ice cream was so good that if you come to Susan Sadang Main Branch, this dessert is a must-order!

Verdict: Susan Sadang as a date bar in Sadang

If I ever have a date in Sadang, this is a Sadang bar I'd definitely want to come back to. The atmosphere was really to my liking, and both the food and drinks were clean and satisfying. I did have a bit of a rough time getting home that night since I got so drunk, but it was a happy kind of rough haha.