Jongno sushi for four with 1,000-won seaweed maki: Choe Uyeong

Today I'm bringing you an honest review of Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, a Jongak Station / Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant that's great on both price and taste. It's located in the famous Pimatgol alley near Jongak Station, and it's super accessible from both Gwanghwamun Station and Jongak Station.

Where is Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, and when is it open?

• 235m from Jongak Station exit 1
• Open daily 11:00-21:30
• B1, 7 Jongno 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
• Break time 15:00-17:00
• No regular closing day
• Free parking for 2 hours

How to find the restaurant from the Pimatgol entrance

It might be confusing your first time, but just follow this and finding the entrance is super easy. Come out of Jongak Station exit 1, and walk in between the building with Baskin Robbins and Banana Press,

and you'll come to a door that says Pimatgol!!! Go through this entrance,

and right on your right you'll see the entrance to Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, the Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant that's great on both price and taste. Go into this building and it's right on B1. If you're coming from Gwanghwamun Station, just find the Pimatgol door and you're set — it's not hard to find at all!!

Once you head down to B1, it's right there. A clean-looking storefront with eye-catching sushi photos~

Counter seats for solo diners and 6-person group tables: the 6:30pm wait

Inside Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, the Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant that's great on both price and taste, there are two 6-person group tables, tables on both sides, and dachi (counter) seats in the middle on either side, so solo dining is definitely possible. There were tons of solo diners taking advantage of the counter seats.

A delicious piece of sushi and a drink after work~~~ah~~~just imagining it is romantic enough, right!! You can enjoy that exact romance and leisure right here!!! We arrived at 6:30 and every seat except the counter was already full. There were four of us so we needed a group table, and we ended up waiting a bit.

Soju and beer at 4,000 won, corkage at 3,000 won

Once seated, you order through the kiosk. The main menu is the same as the photos above, so refer to those~ the drinks menu wasn't shown separately so I took a photo of it.

Soju and beer are 4,000 won, and corkage is 3,000 won!! Wait, drinks for 4,000 won in Jongno/Gwanghwamun??? That's an insanely generous price. Corkage at 3,000 won too~~~ The table next to us was actually enjoying whiskey with their sashimi. Being able to pair good drinks with delicious food without worrying about the cost — isn't that a total win?

The table setting comes with pickled radish, ginger, and soy sauce, plus a personal miso soup and wasabi dish.

Mixed sushi at 13,000 won vs special sushi at 19,000 won: what you get

Special sushi (15 pieces) ₩19,000 / Mixed sushi (12 pieces) ₩13,000

First up were the mixed sushi and special sushi we ordered. The special and mixed sets differ in both composition and piece count. The mixed sushi's lineup was really great too — it comes with a variety including salmon, halibut, squid, and gunkanmaki. The special sushi comes with pricier cuts like tuna and eel sushi, plus additional types of gunkanmaki.

Ahh~~ the color on this is so good, right? Honestly, I recently had really delicious omakase sushi in Osaka, Japan, so I wondered if this would measure up — but the sushi at Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, the Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant that's great on both price and taste, had great neta (fish) quality, was well-aged, and the shari (rice) was just right, so I ate it very happily.

Mixed sashimi at 40,000 won, with shrimp and seared scallop

Mixed sashimi ₩40,000

Then the mixed sashimi we ordered arrived!!! Wow~~~ everyone let out a gasp the moment it came out. Wait, this is really only 40,000 won??? We were shocked at how generously portioned the variety of sashimi was. Isn't that seriously great value? But is it just about value!! Absolutely not. It was really well-aged, so it went down smooth with no fishiness or toughness at all.

This shrimp sashimi was thick and rich with a nutty flavor, and the lightly seared (aburi) scallop had a slight smoky char that made it really delicious.

Ahh~~ you can't help but reach for a drink with this!!! And I was worried the salmon was cut too thick, but nope~~ it just melts in your mouth, melts~~

Adding 1,000-won seaweed to wrap the sushi into maki

We put the extra seaweed sheet (1,000 won) with sprouts and rice and wrapped it up — insanely good!! This is the perfect makizushi that I love~~~ eating it makizushi-style in all sorts of combinations made it even more delicious.

At Choe Uyeong Sushiya Jongno Branch, the Gwanghwamun sushi restaurant that's great on both price and taste, you can enjoy sushi, sashimi, and kaisendon (seafood rice bowl) made carefully with fresh ingredients every day. It works for solo dining, dates, and group gatherings alike, so how about some delicious sushi and a drink tonight!!