Seongsu bar with counter seats for mackerel sushi: Jindoken

A few days ago I got a mackerel-sushi sign from the pig gods 💦 and ever since, mackerel pressed sushi has been all I can think about. I heard there's a place in Seongsu that makes it incredibly well, so off I went to [Jindoken Seongsu Branch]!!

Back when my partner and I were dating, we ate mackerel pressed sushi over and over — trying to impress each other lol. Thinking back on those fluttery memories 🫧, off to Ttukseom Station we go!!

Where is Jindoken Seongsu Branch, and how far is it from Ttukseom Station?

[Jindoken Seongsu Branch] was about a 5-minute walk from Ttukseom Station. Looking at the map, it also seems close to Seoul Forest Station. Walk just a bit further and it's plenty close from Seongsu Station too.

The sign is small, so the entrance is easy to miss

[Jindoken] is on the 2nd floor of a 3-story building, but the sign is so small I ended up looking around for a while.. The sign for Hanyang Tteok Bangatgan (rice cake shop) on the 1st floor is big, so use that as your landmark.

There are drawings of Jindo dogs (though honestly they look a bit more like huskies..) everywhere, so I looked it up — turns out 'Jindoken' is Japanese for Jindo dog. Climbed the stairs eagerly to meet the dog. No elevator, by the way~

Jindoken Seongsu Branch hours and parking

• Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–01:00 / closed Mondays
• Parking: none on site (nearby Novel Building private lot, Seongsu Art Hall until 21:00, YG Forest)
• Paid corkage available
• Solo seats available
• Groups welcome

Can you walk into Jindoken without a reservation?

Reservations for Jindoken Seongsu Branch can be made through Catch Table or Naver Reservation. I booked ahead for 6pm on a weekday, and by around 6:30 the crowd had really picked up. Tables filled fast and a wait even formed. Guess I'm the last one to find out how popular this place is…

Inside Jindoken: counter seats and atmosphere

The lighting is a bit dim overall, and personally I love that kind of mood. That izakaya-specific calm, dark atmosphere 😌 It felt like a great spot to chat over drinks with a friend or partner rather than somewhere loud and chaotic.

We ended up at the middle counter seat!! I always sit at the counter whenever there is one. There's something fun about watching the food being made up close while whispering with my partner haha + the little passed-out Jindoken figurine at the counter was ridiculously cute haha.

Jindoken Seongsu Branch menu and prices

You order via a QR code at each table, and they'd written the best menu picks by hand on the tissue box. Handy reference for ordering!!

What we ordered at Jindoken

• Fresh mackerel pressed sushi ₩24,000
• Charcoal-grilled pollock roe ₩16,000
• Draft beer x2 ₩8,000 each
• Soju ₩6,000

I came for the mackerel pressed sushi that day, so I ordered the signature fresh mackerel pressed sushi. For a side, I picked the charcoal-grilled pollock roe!! I actually wanted to try the cream jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup) too, but held back because my partner's on a diet 😭 Someday I will have it..!

The cabbage salad served as a complimentary side

A cabbage salad came out as a complimentary side dish.

Topped with bonito flakes and doused in a salty sauce overall — very much a Japanese-style salad.

I love salty food so it went perfectly with the beer, but people who aren't into salty flavors might find this one polarizing.

Live mackerel pressed sushi, 24,000 won: how big is it?

After a bit of a wait, today's star finally appeared ✨ I don't even know how long I'd been waiting for this moment.. First off, the size was massive!! Way bigger in person than in photos — with maybe a bit of exaggeration, but it was almost the size of my fist. Picking it up with chopsticks, it was genuinely heavy.

The mackerel flesh itself was thick too. This was on a whole different level from those thin-mackerel-thick-rice pressed sushi rolls I'd had before,,💕 First bite with just wasabi, then from the second bite on I wrapped it in seaweed and dipped it in soy sauce. It wasn't the seasoned kind of seaweed, which made it even better!! However you ate it, it definitely wasn't going in your mouth in one bite lol.. Giant size with mackerel spilling out on all sides 👍 Bigger really does mean tastier,,👏

Maybe because of the size, even one piece filled my mouth with the full flavor of the mackerel.

Charcoal-grilled pollock roe, 16,000 won, as a side

Got a shot with the charcoal-grilled pollock roe we ordered as a side too. Isn't this exactly the right dish for someone dieting👍 It's a well-rounded plate: grilled pollock roe + cucumber + mayonnaise + wasabi + chili + sliced ginger.

I'm the type who loves anything with cucumber in it 💦 and adding mayonnaise to pollock roe on top of that — there's no way that combo isn't delicious 👏👏 I'd never thought to put chili on grilled pollock roe before, but adding chili gave a clean finish to each bite!! Definitely putting chili on grilled pollock roe from now on…✏️

With the mackerel pressed sushi as the main event and the grilled pollock roe to nibble on the side, it was the winning combo for making the beer go down smooth 🐽

Is Jindoken Seongsu Branch worth a visit?

I visited [Jindoken Seongsu Branch], a Seongsu restaurant known for mackerel pressed sushi! The size was about 1.3x bigger(?) than any pressed sushi I'd had elsewhere, and the fresh mackerel pressed sushi alone made a huge impression as basically a single standout dish.

'Bigger really does mean tastier' — mackerel pressed sushi that got better the bigger it was

Honestly, this one dish alone was reason enough to make a special trip. The never-fails side dish, grilled pollock roe, paired perfectly with it too!! If you're looking for genuinely delicious mackerel pressed sushi, I'd recommend this Seongsu izakaya, [Jindoken]👍

Quick summary

• A go-to spot for fresh mackerel pressed sushi — bigger really is tastier
• Plenty of good side dishes too
• Dim lighting sets the mood
• Perfect for a date or solo drinking
• Weekday waits happen too, so book ahead