Monday full house at a Daeheung-dong sashimi restaurant: Mapo Bada

This spot in Daeheung-dong, Mapo, is newly opened and already hot — Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada (제철담은 마포바다), a seriously good-value sashimi restaurant. Go before the owner comes to their senses about the pricing~

Mapo Bada's signature set is ₩150,000-ish and feeds four people to bursting: salt-grilled live shrimp (18), raw shrimp + gizzard shad sashimi + large assorted sashimi (4 kinds), mixed seafood platter (abalone/live octopus/sea cucumber/scallop/sea squirt), grilled gizzard shad (4), boiled pork with radish kimchi, abalone innard porridge, assorted fried items, fried shrimp heads, octopus tartare, sashimi sushi, steamed egg, and spicy fish bone stew~ The table practically sags under it all, and it comes out to about ₩37,000 per person~ You won't get this composition at this price even at the actual seaside ㅜ Before the owner realizes they're losing money on this~ go as soon as possible, ideally before Chuseok!!

Where is Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada, and what are its hours?

• 📍 Location: 104 Baekbeom-ro, Bonghwa Building, Mapo-gu, Seoul
• ⏰ Hours: 17:00–23:00 (from 12:00 on holidays) / open daily, closed only on Sept 25 (Chuseok)
• 🚗 Parking: nearby private lot (details below)

Where do you park near Daeheung Station?

You can use the nearby Hicar Plaza Halla Auto Yeomni branch parking lot. Parking is a manageable ₩4,000 an hour!

Mapo Yeomni Hicar parking rates

• Free grace period: 5 minutes
• First 30 minutes: ₩2,000
• Additional: ₩1,000 per 15 minutes
• 1 hour rate: ₩4,000
• Daily max: ₩50,000

The menu and a look around the restaurant

Set menus and prices

Mapo Bada Signature Set (4 people): ₩151,000 — salt-grilled live shrimp (18), raw shrimp + gizzard shad sashimi + large assorted sashimi (4 kinds), mixed seafood platter (abalone/live octopus/sea cucumber/scallop/sea squirt), grilled gizzard shad (4), boiled pork with radish kimchi, abalone innard porridge, assorted fried items, fried shrimp heads, spicy fish bone stew

Mapo Bada Premium Set (3–4 people): ₩129,000 — salt-grilled live shrimp (18), raw shrimp + gizzard shad sashimi + large assorted sashimi (4 kinds), grilled gizzard shad (4), boiled pork with radish kimchi, abalone innard porridge, assorted fried items, fried shrimp heads, spicy fish bone stew

Mapo Bada Value Set (2 people): ₩79,000 — salt-grilled live shrimp (13), raw shrimp + gizzard shad sashimi + medium assorted sashimi (4 kinds), grilled gizzard shad (2), abalone innard porridge, fried shrimp heads

À la carte dishes

• Salt-grilled live shrimp (25, includes fried heads): ₩65,000
• Freshest daily assorted sashimi: Large ₩68,000 / Medium ₩56,000 / Small ₩46,000
• Chewy live flounder sashimi: Large ₩68,000 / Medium ₩56,000 / Small ₩46,000
• Chewy live rockfish sashimi: ₩41,000
• Fresh mixed seafood platter: Large ₩55,000 / Medium ₩34,000
• Gizzard shad sashimi (5): ₩35,000
• Grilled gizzard shad (6): ₩30,000
• Sea cucumber: ₩35,000
• Live octopus / sea squirt: ₩30,000 each
• Boiled pork: ₩25,000
• Abalone innard porridge: ₩18,000
• Assorted fried items: ₩15,000
• Fish bone spicy stew: ₩10,000
• Steamed egg: ₩3,000
• Rice / ramen noodles: ₩1,000 each

Drinks: beer, soju and wine

• Draft beer: ₩2,000 (promotion)
• Soju / bottled beer: ₩5,000 each
• Ilpum Jinro / Hwayo (375ml): ₩30,000 each
• Sake: Junmai 750 (₩38,000) / Kubota Senju (₩90,000) / Chokaisan (₩115,000) / Dassai 45 (₩150,000)
• Wine: Beringer White Zinfandel (₩46,000) / Josh Cellars (₩65,000) / Chandon Brut (₩69,000) / Kendall-Jackson (₩79,000) / Duckhorn Decoy (₩95,000)
• Wine deal: 50% off from the second bottle

For a first visit, absolutely order the set menu~ If you tally up the Mapo Bada signature set à la carte, the price comes out ridiculous~

Since it's newly opened, the interior is spotless, and it seemed word had already gotten around — plenty of customers even from outside~

The core of this place is the fish tank out front~ Once you see the state of that tank, you can't help but want to go in haha

Everything's live fish, and the tank is so clean you could practically drink the water ^^

Shrimp jumping around right in front of your eyes — moved ㅜ

The finishing touch to the interior~ a dining hall packed with customers~ I was surprised how full it was on a Monday.

A Daeheung Station favorite, an absurdly good-value sashimi restaurant near Daeheung Station — locals in the know have already clocked this place^^

What comes in the 151,000 won signature set for four?

These days, just one plate of sashimi at a fish market alone easily runs over ₩100,000 without side dishes, right? And with prices these days, even a pasta and a drink costs several tens of thousands of won — so a course that breaks the table's legs for ₩151,000 for four (about ₩37,750 per person) is truly next-level value~

Considering rents in the middle of Seoul's Mapo district, and that even the Jeolla-style sashimi place I regularly go to charges around ₩50,000 per person, this is somewhere you need to visit fast, before the owner realizes they're losing money selling more of it 😏

Chewy, springy and lightly sweet in every bite

Since the fish is caught live from the tank right in front of the restaurant and sliced to order, there's no need to even question freshness~

Starter: rich abalone innard porridge

Genuinely rich and savory abalone innard porridge with insane depth of flavor.

Eaten warm, the savoriness spreads through your mouth in one bite — perfect as a pre-meal appetizer~!

Steamed egg and sashimi sushi

Fluffy, not salty, and moist — great as a palate cleanser between bites~ The sashimi sushi comes out as 4 pieces, matched to the headcount~

Raw shrimp, gizzard shad sashimi and the large four-fish platter

Sweet, chewy raw shrimp and this season's fatty, savory autumn gizzard shad sashimi~ plus the freshest 4-kind assorted sashimi of the day~ See the size of that plate? Whoa~~

I asked, and the sashimi types are flounder, mullet, sea bream, and rockfish, in that order~

The sashimi was so chewy and got better the more you chewed, I thought it was rice cake ^^ The freshness of the gizzard shad and raw shrimp sashimi was unmatched ㅜ

Glossy and shiny, the shrimp gets sweeter the more you chew, and the gizzard shad is in season so it's extremely savory~

Mixed seafood plate: abalone, live octopus, sea cucumber, scallop, sea squirt

My favorite of all — the mixed seafood platter ㅋ

No fishiness at all, springy texture and a strong ocean aroma~ the chewy bite is really great too.

Nakji tangtangi: still-wriggling chopped octopus

Tossed with fragrant sesame oil, chewy and so delicious ^^

This alone as an à la carte order costs several tens of thousands of won at sashimi restaurants these days.

Seasonal grills: live shrimp and gizzard shad at their peak

Salt-grilled live shrimp, 18 pieces

They come out still alive and jumping~ Grilled golden on salt, the flavor is sweet and clean and top-notch

Grilled with salt so the seasoning is just right and savory, with zero dryness in the shrimp — so tender~ They're big, so there's real substance to chew on^^

Nutty grilled gizzard shad, four fish

It'd be a shame to skip grilled gizzard shad during gizzard shad season~

This is exactly the most delicious time for it, so you have to eat it grilled^^

My friend said the seasonal gizzard shad was so savory and delicious she'd never leave the house again ㅋㅋ

Crispy fried shrimp heads

Once you finish the shrimp, they take the heads and fry them crispy in butter, then bring them back~

This is genuinely a delicacy — an explosion of savory, rich flavor, salty enough to be a perfect drinking snack~!

The shrimp heads were so delicious she started getting a bit silly and playful ㅋ

With every single dish this good, drinks got real fun real fast~~~~

Specialty dishes and fritters, crisp outside and tender inside

Tender boiled pork with crunchy radish kimchi

Moist boiled pork paired with sweet-and-spicy radish kimchi — the perfect surf-and-turf combo!

Assorted fritters straight from the fryer

Well-fried, crackly assorted fritters, dipped in the creamy house sauce, so good~~

No exaggeration, even the sauce alone was delicious!

Hearty spicy fish-bone stew to finish

As the finale, the spicy broth resets your palate cleanly and settles your stomach right down.

One small regret and the final verdict on Mapo Bada

Walking out, we all shed a few tears together over the one thing we forgot — we should have added ramen noodles to the stew ㅠ Dunking ramen noodles into that spicy, savory stew broth would have been the perfect finish, so a slight regret there ㅎ

The main dishes go without saying, but with a place offering this many items, usually at least one thing ends up mediocre — yet at Jaecheoldameun Mapo Bada in Daeheung-dong, even the side dishes were addictively delicious. I heard the owner spent a long time preparing before opening, and I really felt it~ that's how it is~ ^^

Among all the sashimi restaurants I've been to, this was the best in every category — value, taste, freshness, and friendliness, nothing missing. Daeheung-dong locals are truly lucky ㅋ If you're looking for a Chuseok family gathering spot, a Mapo group dinner course, or a Daeheung-dong restaurant-bar, I strongly recommend going fast, before the owner comes to their senses! Highly recommend!!

Highly, highly, highly recommend!!!!!