Jongno aged sashimi bar: 5-step tasting order with uni, Suksseong

When it gets chilly like this, I crave a cool, steaming seafood stew and soft aged sashimi so badly! So this time my partner and I went to Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch (숙썽수산 종로본점), the Jongno spot everyone's talking about. The flavor is on a different level from live sashimi, and the private feel was totally my taste!

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch: location, hours, parking and corkage

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch is at 16 Samil-daero 19-gil, 3rd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul, reached from Jonggak Station Exit 4 or Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 15. It's open 11:00 to 23:30 (from 12:00 on Saturday and Sunday), and you can book on Naver.

• Address: 16 Samil-daero 19-gil, 3rd floor, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Jonggak Station Exit 4, Jongno 3-ga Station Exit 15)
• Hours: 11:00–23:30 (from 12:00 on Sat and Sun)
• Reservations: Naver
• No parking (a nearby public car park is recommended)

💡 Corkage tip: wine, sake, whisky and more are corkage-free, 1 bottle per person (up to 5 bottles)! (Drinks the restaurant sells are excluded; if you bring one of those, it's ₩20,000 per bottle.)

Is Suksseong Susan in Jongno good for a date or a group dinner?

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch has 120 seats, all divided by partitions, fabric curtains and blinds, so it works nicely as a private spot for a Jongno date or group dinner. You can see a big aging cabinet for the fish at the entrance.

The moment you walk in, the huge aging cabinet catches your eye! Seeing the fish aging there at low temperature for 24–36 hours after a full blood-draining process, my expectations exploded before I'd even eaten 💥

The place is really spacious, with 120 seats! Every seat is divided by partitions, fabric curtains and blinds, so it's really cozy. They aren't soundproof rooms, but the space is split up so privately that it's perfect for a blind date, a date, or a Jongno company dinner 🤍

What comes on the small aged sashimi platter for two?

That day at Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch we ordered the small aged sashimi set, salt-grilled shrimp and red crab innards cream croquettes. The small set came with bastard halibut, red sea bream, salmon, bluefin tuna, greater amberjack and blackthroat seaperch, plus sweet shrimp, uni (sea urchin) and caviar.

We ordered the small aged sashimi set, salt-grilled shrimp and red crab innards cream croquettes!

I cleansed my palate with the refreshing soft tofu salad that comes as a basic side, and then the main dish arrived!

The look of this aged sashimi is crazy, right...? Each fish has a cute name tag stuck in it, so it's fun to know what you're eating.

Bastard halibut, red sea bream, salmon, bluefin tuna, greater amberjack, blackthroat seaperch, plus sweet shrimp, uni and caviar... such a generous lineup, I could only marvel 👏

How to eat aged sashimi: a 5-step tasting order by fish

The flavor of the aged sashimi at Suksseong Susan comes alive 200% if you start with mild white fish and finish with fatty salmon. Here is the 5-step tasting order the writer tried herself.

• Step 1 (bastard halibut & red sea bream): Mild and chewy through and through! Dip it lightly in just soy sauce and wasabi to taste the natural sweetness of white fish.
• Step 2 (sweet shrimp + uni + caviar): Put rich uni and popping caviar on sweet shrimp and have it in one bite! The scent of the sea fills your whole mouth 🤤
• Step 3 (blackthroat seaperch & greater amberjack): A crunchy texture and nutty richness come in heavy!
• Step 4 (bluefin tuna): A time when its rich tang and meaty aroma refresh your whole mouth!
• Step 5 (salmon): The fattiest, softest fish melts away for the finish~

Aged at low temperature for over 24 hours, it had a soft, deep flavor that I loved.

Can you wrap aged sashimi in gim (seaweed)?

If you wrap white fish like halibut, sea bream and blackthroat seaperch in seaweed (gim), you bury their subtle sweetness! Have white fish with soy sauce only, and leave the seaweed for the uni, sweet shrimp, tuna, salmon and amberjack!

Salt-grilled shrimp with uni and fried shrimp heads at Suksseong Susan

The salt-grilled shrimp at Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch is a warm side dish of live shrimp grilled right in a salt pot, great to alternate with the cold aged sashimi. If you ask separately, they fry the shrimp heads for free.

After eating cold aged sashimi, I started craving a warm side, you know? The fresh live shrimp flop around and slowly turn golden in the salt pot...

Sorry, little guys, but it's sweet and so delicious. The combo of warm grilled shrimp with cold uni and caviar goes surprisingly well together!

If you ask for the shrimp heads to be cut off separately, they fry them up crispy for free. This is a real treat that calls for a drink 🍻

What do the red snow crab tomalley cream croquettes taste like?

The red crab innards cream croquettes (gollokke) at Suksseong Susan are filled with nutty crab innards flavor and smooth cream, crispy outside and moist inside. They're something even people who don't like seafood would enjoy.

Nutty crab innards flavor joined by smooth cream, the ultimate crispy-outside, moist-inside croquette! Even a friend who doesn't like seafood will fall for this, haha

Verdict on Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch: a 100% revisit

• A Jongno aged sashimi spot with far softer, deeper flavor than live sashimi!
• Every seat is partitioned, so it's private and perfect for a Jongno date, small gathering or company dinner
• Friendly service and free corkage too!

Whenever I want seasonal sashimi, I'm going to run to Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch. In autumn and winter they even had seasonal greater amberjack, so if you're looking for a Jongno aged sashimi place or a year-end gathering spot, definitely visit ❤️