Hapjeong izakaya in Seoul: raw shrimp sashimi, clam rice at Ppaere

I went to Ppaeret, a Hapjeong izakaya that's great for sashimi and a drink. I ate raw shrimp sashimi there and it was so good I had to write about it right away.

Walking to Ppaere from Hapjeong Station

I hadn't been to Seoul in a while haha. Ppaeret is within walking distance of Hapjeong Station, and it's an izakaya famous for actually being delicious! I found out about it by chance last time, so I was really happy to finally visit haha.

It's popular enough that they even have a separate waitlist!? Luckily when I visited the waitlist was short, so I got in quickly haha.

What is on the seasonal seafood menu at Ppaere?

There was quite a variety on the popular menu — sea squirt sashimi, halibut sashimi, patterned squid sashimi, fried abalone with organ sauce, minari (water celery) and shrimp pancake, Korean beef tartare with sea urchin, premium triploid oysters, and female blue crab raw or steamed!

The fact that there are dishes you can only enjoy in season really adds to the charm — it feels like a special treat.

Bar counter and open kitchen inside Ppaere

There's a bar table and regular tables. There were some One Piece figures scattered around too haha, fun to look at, and since the kitchen is open you could watch the food being prepped really cleanly — it put me completely at ease about hygiene!

On top of that, they've received certification as a clean, disinfected business — so honestly there's nothing to worry about hygiene-wise, right? haha

Ordering half-and-half raw shrimp sashimi and Kirin draft beer

Ppaeret clearly displays the country of origin for its ingredients somewhere visible, so anyone who checks that carefully can do so easily.

That day I ordered the half-and-half raw shrimp sashimi, clam rice, beer, and soju. Well, when you're eating raw shrimp sashimi haha, you can't not have a drink haha, so I had no choice but to order haha;;

They set us up with three basic sauces and side dishes! You just dip the raw shrimp sashimi in whichever sauce you like. In order, it's soy sauce, vinegar-chili sauce, and sesame oil sauce.

The draft beer we ordered was Kirin, and the foam-to-beer ratio was fantastic, right? Hahahahaha it was seriously so smooth and delicious, ugh. For anyone who loves beer, I really recommend the Kirin draft here haha.

How were the fried shrimp heads and clam rice?

The fried shrimp heads were seriously crispy, and even though they're fried there was zero greasiness — just full of nutty flavor, so good!! It comes free when you order the raw shrimp sashimi, which felt like a nice little bonus haha, loved it haha.

The clam rice literally cures your hangover as you eat it!!! Genuinely refreshing and spicy-hot in that perfect way, so so good. The clams were pretty big too, chewy and just the best...

I've had plenty of soybean paste rice before, but this was my first time trying clam rice? Why don't other places have it? Maybe because Ppaeret does it best hahahaha. It was seriously so so good and felt like an instant hangover cure — loved it haha.

Sweet raw shrimp and the spicy seasoned half

When the half-and-half raw shrimp sashimi arrived, it came with white kimchi and seaweed too! The ₩60,000 price might feel steep at first, but that's actually the normal price range for raw shrimp sashimi haha. Shrimp itself isn't cheap, so I thought it was a fair price.

Half was raw shrimp, half was seasoned shrimp sashimi — I'd only ever had the raw kind before, never the seasoned version? But the mild spiciness and the well-balanced sauce went together so, so well.

The plump texture of the shrimp really came through, and you also got to enjoy the seasoning — it felt like a whole new take on shrimp jangajji (soy-marinated raw crab/shrimp), haha. Genuinely delicious, ugh.

I already love raw shrimp sashimi so I just went in with vague expectations that it'd be good, but it was so, so good — full of that distinctive shrimp sweetness and incredible umami. Delicious no matter how I ate it, ugh.

Why Ppaere works for sashimi and drinks in Hapjeong

This place has actually been featured on YouTube haha, so I went in with even higher expectations, and honestly I was fully satisfied! I scraped the plate clean it was so good. Finding a great restaurant in Hapjeong made me even happier haha.

If you're looking for a sashimi izakaya in Hapjeong, give Ppaeret a try. It's genuinely delicious — you won't regret it!

Final verdict on Ppaere

If you're looking for a great izakaya in Hapjeong, Ppaeret is an easy recommendation! I left completely satisfied. This time I had the raw shrimp sashimi, but since it's known for sashimi, I'll have to come back and try the sashimi menu next time haha.

The food was genuinely so, so satisfying and the atmosphere was great too, so I'd totally recommend it for a date haha.