Slam Dunk poster seat at a Hongdae sushi restaurant: Yu Iksang Sushi

I had somewhere to be in Hongdae today, and I was racking my brain over what to eat for lunch before my next plan! My fiancé and I always make a point of getting sushi or raw fish once the weather turns cooler, and I thought — now's the time, haha.

I searched around for a good Hongdae sushi restaurant for a while, and I came across one with sushi that has an extra-long tail. That got me way too curious, haha, so I went and checked it out!

Where is Yu Iksang Sushi, and when is it open?

Yu Iksang Sushi is at 101, 18-7 Wausan-ro 23-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 335 meters from Hongik University Station Exit 9. It's open Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00-21:00, with last order at 20:00, and closed Mondays. To find it, look for the one-way alley right behind Seocho Elementary School.

Let's eat it raw today, just like the sushi! Even the line written at the entrance sets the fun tone at this cheerful Hongdae sushi restaurant, Yu Iksang Sushi!!

Inside Yu Iksang Sushi: a Slam Dunk poster and an arcade machine

Stepping inside this Hongdae sushi restaurant, there were counter-style seats as well as table seats, and since it was lunchtime, quite a lot of people were already eating!

You're the prettiest when you're eating sushi...! Guess I need to eat sushi every day... hahaha.

Ahh... Slam Dunk, a masterpiece... We got seated at the spot where Hanamichi Sakuragi looks down on us.

There's even an arcade machine! Haha, I wanted to try it but had another plan coming up, so I'll save it for when I've got more time... TT haha.

Yu Iksang Sushi menu and prices: ordering the Couple A Plus

Yu Iksang Sushi's Couple A Plus is 26 pieces for ₩56,000, and that's what we ordered. There's a guide at each seat on how to eat everything for the best taste, haha! The menu had quite a wide range of options too:

• Couple A (26 pieces) ₩52,000
• Couple A Plus (26 pieces) ₩56,000
• Couple B (28 pieces) ₩60,000
• Yu Iksang VIP Sushi (14 pieces) ₩35,000
• Yu Iksang Sushi (12 pieces) ₩24,000
• Yu Iksang Cooked Sushi (13 pieces) ₩23,000
• Yu Iksang Special Sushi (13 pieces) ₩27,000
• 🍣Lunch menu
• Lunch sushi (9 pieces) ₩18,000
• Lunch sushi B (11 pieces) ₩20,000

We went with the Couple A Plus set today!

Side dishes and the complimentary fried shrimp

At our seat, salad and pickled radish were already set out.

Soba (buckwheat noodles) and broth come as a default side! And that little brush is for painting soy sauce onto the sushi — as you'll see later, the tails are so~o long that they thoughtfully give you a brush to apply the soy sauce with!

It was a bit warm out, so cool soba was perfect!! I slurped it right down — I wasn't expecting much since it's just the basic side dish, but it was so good, haha.

The complimentary fried shrimp was also so crispy and delicious, TT.

Couple A Plus, 26 pieces: can two people finish it?

And finally, the Couple A Plus set arrives!! Let's dig in!!

Wait, how are we supposed to finish all this?? The moment we saw it, my fiancé and I both went quiet — we can't possibly eat all of this?? I was trying to conquer a Hongdae sushi restaurant and I'm already in trouble...

First up, the tuna with that beautiful color!

Following the eating guide, I brushed on the soy sauce like this, popped it in my mouth in one bite, and it was so good! The fish was so soft and fresh it just melted away...

Next, more tuna!! Just as delicious, haha!

How long is the extra-long tail sushi, really?

This looks like flounder topped with baek-kimchi (mild white kimchi) — look at that tail!! Yep, this is definitely the sushi with the extra-long tail...

Popping it in whole, the combination of baek-kimchi and flounder needs no explanation, TT. So delicious, TT.

The lightly torched sushi was also great!! And at this Hongdae sushi restaurant, they don't put wasabi inside the sushi, so you can add as much as you like to your taste, haha! It seems like a place kids could enjoy too!

The shrimp sushi was so good too, TT.

Apple cream sauce sushi and crab sushi

The sauce on top of this one tasted like apple cream — really refreshing and totally my taste, haha.

The crab sushi was delicious too! Thanks to the sauce on top, it stayed fresh and sweet even after piece after piece — I never got tired of it!!

The crispy tempura crumbs on top added extra texture, so it kept tasting good bite after bite!!

You all know salmon — it's so good, TT haha. And look at that tail, seriously so long!!

Here's a look at Yu Iksang Sushi's signature extra-long tail sushi before I move on!

Of course we had to try the egg sushi! Ate it right up — soft, fluffy, and sweet, just the best, TT.

Beef sushi needs no explanation, it was so delicious!

Leaving the futomaki roll uneaten at Yu Iksang Sushi

The portion was truly, truly huge, so we ended up leaving without even touching the futomaki (thick seaweed rice roll), TT.

That was our trip to Yu Iksang Sushi, a Hongdae sushi restaurant!! On the way out after finishing our meal, I noticed these cute little notes stuck up on the wall, haha. Looks like past customers left them, and it gave the place a really charming touch, haha.

The chef was so, so kind, the set was generously put together, the price was reasonable, and the taste was excellent! Such a great Hongdae sushi restaurant! If you're in Hongdae and looking for a good sushi spot, a budget-friendly Hongdae sushi restaurant, or a Hongdae date spot, I'd definitely recommend it!