Gwanghwamun sushi for two, B sets and free croquettes: Elephant Sushi

Today I found a seriously great sushi place in Gwanghwamun! It's Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun (코끼리초밥), a hot new opening near Gwanghwamun Station 🍣 It's a premium plank-sushi restaurant planned by the head chef behind well-known high-end brands like Sushi Shimizu, Sushi Umi and Dosan Sakaba Kawasemi. They kept the high-quality know-how of traditional sushi, but the prices are friendly... so how could I not go?!

What are the interior and atmosphere of Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun like?

At the entrance hang a red noren curtain and a big blue sign. That cute noren and sign were the first things I noticed! Adorable elephant characters are dotted around too, so I was smitten from the doorway 🐘❤️

Inside, round hanji (Korean paper) lamps glow softly and warmly. The wood-toned frames and neat table layout felt stylish, very comfortable and spacious!

There's also a dacchi (counter bar) seating area, which is great for eating solo or enjoying that counter-seat mood.

Each table has an ordering tablet, so you can browse the menu and order easily, which is a big plus 📱 Every table is also stocked with soy sauce, pickled rakkyo (Japanese pickled scallions), cups, water, sauce dishes and tissues. The staff were really friendly too, so I was in a great mood the whole meal!

What did we order at Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun?

My husband and I ordered two Elephant Sushi B sets and one futomaki, and the potato croquettes came from the Naver receipt review event.

• Elephant Sushi B set (₩28,000) × 2
• Futomaki (₩15,000) × 1
• Potato croquettes, 3 pieces (free with the Naver receipt review event 🎉)

A basic salad and hot clear soup are set out as soon as you order!

The nutty, crunchy black sesame dressing salad freshens up your appetite, and the rich clear soup warms your stomach.

What's in the Elephant Sushi B set (₩28,000) and how does it taste?

The B set is a ₩28,000 set with 12 pieces of sushi plus somen (thin wheat noodles). Wow~~~ I screamed the second I saw it, kyaaa! 😱 Can you see the shine on the fresh fish sushi lined up so prettily on the wooden tray?

There's a gorgeous variety of fish: fresh white fish, flounder, salmon, shrimp, tuna, sea bream, greater amberjack, horse mackerel, ankimo (monkfish liver) and more! They say every fish is cold-aged the traditional sushi way, with salt level and aging time set differently for each fish, and...

The fish just melted the moment it hit my mouth 🤤 Not a hint of fishiness, and the plump moisture and softness were perfectly balanced!

The tuna and toro (fatty tuna) sushi were soft and full of tuna flavor, the aburi (flame-seared) sushi had a smoky, nutty richness that exploded, and the seared salmon truly melted in my mouth. Fresh onion cuts the oiliness, so it all felt super clean~

The somen noodles that come with the B set

And the somen that comes with the B set!

It's generously loaded with seaweed, and the broth is so deep and refreshing that a bite of sushi followed by a sip of somen broth is pure heaven 🍜

How was the Elephant Sushi futomaki (₩15,000)?

The futomaki is ₩15,000, a roll packed with salmon, tuna, rolled omelet, fried tofu and kanpyo (dried gourd strips). The king of rolls! A futomaki that fills every bite with happiness. Can you see how stuffed it is, even just from the photo?

Thick, fresh salmon, tuna, rolled omelet, fried tofu and kanpyo are packed in without holding back, so varied textures and freshness burst in your mouth at once. The big end piece of the futomaki made my heart flutter just by looking at it! The more I chewed, the softer and richer it got, and I totally fell for it. It's chunky, so it's really fun to eat!!

The end piece, with the most generous filling, is mine. My husband has a smaller mouth than me, so the end piece is all mine, yaaay ♡

Free potato croquettes (3 pieces) from the receipt review event

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun gives you 3 free potato croquettes if you write a Naver receipt review. Please join this one, everyone, because they come out freshly fried and they're a work of art.

Inside, the mashed potato is sweet, fluffy and so soft 🥔💛 They're mild and tasty on their own, and dipped in the ketchup they gave us, they're sweet-tangy and absolutely heavenly 😋! This place does great fried food too 😍

Where is Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun, and what about hours and parking?

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is at B109-5, B1, KT Gwanghwamun building, 178 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It's on the first basement floor of the KT Tower connected to Gwanghwamun Station Exit 2, so access is truly perfect! It's right in front of you as soon as you exit the station, so rain or snow is no worry ❄️☔

It's ideally placed for when you get hungry browsing at Kyobo Book Centre, or after a show at Sejong Center, just across the street! It's also a highly recommended stop on a Gyeongbokgung or Gwanghwamun Square date course 👍

• Hours: daily 11:00-21:00 (break time 15:00-17:00)
• Parking: up to 2 hours in the underground garage
• Parking spaces are limited and can be hard to get when full, so public transport is recommended (directly connected to the subway station)

Verdict: is it worth recommending for a Gwanghwamun sushi lunch?

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is a top Gwanghwamun sushi lunch spot where you can taste high-end omakase-level aged sushi at a reasonable price! Freshness, quality, a clean atmosphere and friendly service were all perfect on this Gwanghwamun sushi hunt. Big praise 👏

If you're looking for a Gwanghwamun date, an office lunch or an evening team dinner, don't hesitate and go to Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun~