Gwangalli sashimi spot: private room for 6, no alcohol, Gwanganda Jjji

Why did I take my cousin from abroad to Gwanganda Jjji?

Gwanganda Jjji is the Gwangalli sashimi restaurant where I took my younger cousin (my mom's side), who flew in from overseas ahead of my wedding. She lives abroad and had come back for my wedding, and since it had been so long since her last time in Korea, I wanted to send her off stuffed with only delicious, good things. So I took her to my hometown, now a hot spot, Gwangalli, for sashimi, and to show her Gwangandaegyo Bridge too.

If the plan is "we're eating tons of sashimi and seafood," I always go to Gwanganda Jjji. (I've been going for years, at least 3 times a year.) This time I got a great opportunity on top of that, so I headed there all excited.

Where do you park for Gwanganda Jjji?

The parking lot of Sanbada Hoe Town, the building where Gwanganda Jjji is, has no time limit, and the Suyeong Waterside Park public parking lot right in front of the building gives you 2 hours. So I could park comfortably in the big public lot without worrying.

After parking, I took a quick look at Gwangalli beach on the way up to Gwanganda Jjji~

When our reservation time came, we finally headed up to the 6th floor, where Gwanganda Jjji is.

Gwanganda Jjji opening hours and closing day

Gwanganda Jjji is closed on Tuesdays and opens only in the evening on Wednesdays. Hours by day are below.

• Sun, Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat: 12:00–22:50
• Break time 14:10–16:30 (you can eat if you enter by 14:00)
• Last order 20:30
• Wednesday: 16:30–22:50, last order 20:30
• Tuesday: closed

Are Gwanganda Jjji's private rooms good for a family gathering?

Gwanganda Jjji has private rooms along a long corridor, and with the door closed they were really private and nice. Further down the corridor there's also a regular hall, so both groups and ordinary guests can pick whatever suits them.

(The group room's view didn't show the sea.)

Gwanganda Jjji menu

The menu at Gwanganda Jjji is just one dachi spread (a set table of many small dishes), and you can add abalone porridge (large or small), sashimi at market price, cheese flying fish roe rice balls, steamed rice and more.

Gwanganda Jjji's basic table: 17 appetizers alone

The dachi spread at Gwanganda Jjji starts with a table full of "appetizers" before the sashimi and meal even arrive. This photo is an aerial shot, taken before the main sashimi and the closing dishes came out.

My cousin's foreign friend was with us too. It was unfamiliar to her, but she said it was incredibly generous and that she now really understood Korean tables and the jeong (warmth and care) of worrying that a guest won't have enough food 😂

• Salad
• Seasoned raw fish (hoe-muchim)
• Seasoned pufferfish skin
• Abalone sashimi
• Sea squirt (meongge)
• Seasoned raw crab (yangnyeom gejang)
• Kimchi pancake
• Grilled scallops
• Fresh ginseng (susam)
• California roll
• Cream shrimp
• Grilled eel
• Live octopus (sannakji)
• Grilled abalone
• Horned turban snail
• Raw shrimp
• Seasoned cockles

And this is just the a.p.p.e.t.i.z.e.r.

Can you enjoy the Gwanganda Jjji dachi spread without drinking?

At Gwanganda Jjji, the dachi spread comes out the same even if you don't order alcohol. Of our 6 adults, the number who drank was literally 0.

Honestly, dachi comes from the (?) culture of Tongyeong, where you order drinks and the owner sends out side dishes "auntie-omakase" style. But these days few people drink heavily, so Gwanganda Jjji doesn't serve according to what alcohol you order. Of course, if you're drinking healthily and happily, the stay runs long, and you're a group, the owner says he'll serve accordingly.

Gwanganda Jjji's main sashimi, meal and dessert

The mains at Gwanganda Jjji run from sea bream, flounder, flounder fin and sea bass sashimi to fried crab, fried shrimp, braised fish, crab stew, abalone porridge and mini yakgwa (a honey cookie). We were already full, but the astonishing part was that this was only the beginning..

• Assorted sashimi (sea bream, flounder, flounder fin, sea bass)
• Fried crab
• Fried shrimp
• Braised fish
• Crab stew
• Abalone porridge
• Mini yakgwa

True to a Gwangalli sashimi restaurant, the display plate featured Gwangandaegyo Bridge, and everything from first to last was fresh and really tasty, seasoned neither strong nor weak. The mini yakgwa was so cute 😁

Is Gwanganda Jjji good value? How did the family react?

The ingredients at Gwanganda Jjji were really fresh, maybe because turnover is fast. My family worried that a course like this would run ₩100,000 per person, but it was half that, and everyone was very happy with the value.

Even on a weekday afternoon, Gwanganda Jjji was busy. If you've come to Gwangalli, you gotta have a plate of sashimi, so head over to Gwanganda Jjji~ 🌉🐟😁