Mapo Station omakase with fig brûlée and self-parking: Danya

Today I visited Danya at Seoul Garden Hotel, famous for sushi omakase in Mapo, for their dinner omakase~ From the calm atmosphere to the upscale food, I felt it's one of the best spots for a Mapo date. Let me give you an honest review of the vibe and the food!

Where is Danya at Seoul Garden Hotel?

Danya at Seoul Garden Hotel is super accessible from Mapo Station! It's just a 3-minute walk from Exit 3. It's in the basement of the shiny Garden Hotel!

Seoul Garden Hotel parking: how to find the self-parking entrance

There's an entrance to the basement parking lot on the left side of the hotel (there's a left-turn signal from the Gongdeok > Mapo direction!). If you go in here, valet is required at first, but after passing the first lot, just a bit further there's a self-parking lot!

No valet fee! Don't worry, the attendant will let you know when you enter the first lot! Also 2 hours are covered when you dine, so just tell them your license plate number when you leave~

How to book Danya and what the dinner seating times are

Since it's a Mapo sushi omakase spot, reservations are essential! You can book through Naver or Catch Table, and dinner has a 1st seating at 6 PM and a 2nd seating at 7 PM.

We went on a weekday at 6 PM for dinner, and lots of guests were also coming in between 6:30 and 7. For other times, I'd recommend calling to ask!

Inside Danya: the counter seats and the mood

We parked in the basement and went down the connecting corridor right there, and at the end we could see the small Danya sign. A hotel omakase — how exciting is that?

As soon as we entered, a staff member greeted us warmly, checked our reservation, and guided us to our seats

The pretty dishware and table linens were already set up, which felt nice!

There were about 8 counter seats! When we went, only 6 seats were set up and there were empty spots in between, so we had plenty of room

It's a bit of a stretch to call the room at Danya at Seoul Garden Hotel fully private, but there was a separate table seating area

Watching the chefs prep at the counter seats is a fun little bonus

What comes in the Danya dinner omakase course

3 appetizers - steamed abalone - sashimi - 10 sushi pieces - special dish - meal - dessert (takes about 1 hour)

For dinner there are two options: regular omakase and premium kaiseki + draft beer course. The premium course has more special dishes and a wider variety of sushi! We can't drink beer so we passed on it...!!

Lunch even comes with tendon (tempura rice bowl), and you can enjoy it for around ₩50,000 — lunch seems like decent value for a Mapo omakase

Here's the dinner course: 3 appetizers - steamed abalone - sashimi - 10 sushi pieces - special dish - meal - dessert

Aren't the teacups so cute? Only soy sauce is set out by default, so if you need wasabi you'll have to ask!

Three appetizers to start

Castella-style rolled egg, syrup-soaked tomato, fig cream cheese

The rolled egg reminded me of siruk-style rice cake so it tasted like a super soft egg dessert. The tanginess of the cream cheese and tomato really whetted the appetite

Steamed abalone

Under the softly steamed abalone was a sauce as smooth and full of flavor as mushroom soup. It came out warm, which I really loved

Five kinds of sashimi

The five kinds of sashimi came out so beautifully — the kind of visual that makes you go 'the cucumber's spread its wings!' All five were white-fleshed fish — flounder, amberjack, sea bass, striped mullet, and red sea bream — and they were really chewy and well-aged (at a place like this, it's so good you end up chewing forever...)

Seafood miso soup

Among the mild sashimi, an intense miso soup appears! A whole blue crab was in it, making it extra refreshing

Ten pieces of sushi, with half-portion rice on request

We had asked beforehand for half the usual amount of sushi rice. Since there weren't many guests, the chef made sushi right in front of us, pacing it to our eating speed. The staff also cleared plates with great timing! The lineup seemed to change a bit day to day!

We got sea bass/striped mullet, red sea bream, horse mackerel, red sea bream, flounder — all white-fleshed fish. The rice inside was brown...!!! It felt fancier somehow, with just the right amount of wasabi mixed in

Sea bass / striped mullet

Sea urchin and fatty tuna negitoro — so, so soft...

I hadn't seen sea urchin mentioned in other reviews...! Can't believe I got to eat something this precious

Sea urchin / bluefin tuna — the two most delicious pieces...!! I couldn't believe I got to eat this much sea urchin, and good sea urchin really is sweet. The bluefin tuna melted in my mouth too

Special dish: salmon steak

Grilled mushrooms were served on top of the salmon steak

The salmon had a sweet-savory sauce, crisp on the outside, with just the right amount of oil rendered out. The mushrooms were oddly scentless, just texture, which let the salmon flavor take center stage

Rice course: sea bream hot-pot rice with clam udon

So they do use plain white rice? Grilled vegetables and sea bream were neatly placed on top

Honestly it's just a bite's worth, but since it's a Mapo sushi omakase, savor it slowly! I wish rice balls with this combination existed...

The clam udon noodles aren't the usual kind you'd expect. Kelp, clams, and fried tofu came together cleanly — it felt like a shio ramen broth with no oiliness...!

Dessert: fig cream brûlée with green tea

Toward the end of the meal, a staff member asked whether we wanted hot or cold green tea. I got the cold one to help with digestion, my mom got the hot one, and she said the hot one tasted better (obviously)

The fig yogurt brûlée is genuinely delicious...!! Inside there's fig, yogurt, and something like a Lotus cookie — I never knew a brûléed fig could be this good...... I want to try recreating this at home! Best dessert of the night

Is Danya at Seoul Garden Hotel worth it?

This was my first Mapo omakase, and the atmosphere was so nice — being inside a hotel made the chefs feel even more trustworthy! The meal and special dish courses were unique too, so I'd love to come back again another day! For the quality, this seems like solid value for a Mapo omakase! I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a Japanese restaurant or sushi omakase in Mapo!