Pufferfish sashimi course for two in Hanam Misa: Dongnae Bokjip

Here's a pufferfish restaurant that's both delicious and good for you: Dongnae Bokjip in Hanam Misa, coming right up~!

Dongnae Bokjip Hanam Misa: hours, reservations and parking

Dongnae Bokjip Hanam Misa branch is open daily from 09:00 to 22:00, takes Naver reservations, and has parking. It's at 592 Misa-daero, Hanam, Gyeonggi, South Korea, on the 1st floor, near the Misari rowing venue.

Dongnae Bokjip exterior and parking lot

Dongnae Bokjip Hanam Misa branch sits near the Misari rowing venue. The parking lot is nice and roomy, which I loved.

Pufferfish and croaker figures greeted me at the door. On the right there was a board with the names of people with reservations, listed by time.

What are the interior and private rooms like at Dongnae Bokjip?

Stepping inside, I found the entrance covered with autographs from celebrities who'd visited before me. Browsing them is surprisingly fun. It has even been used as a drama filming location, so you can really feel that it's one of the most famous restaurants in Hanam.

There are also private rooms you can reserve in advance. A quick search suggests corkage is possible too if you ask! For anyone planning a year-end get-together, this looks like a nice spot to chat over good pufferfish dishes.

I went on a weekday evening and it was fairly quiet. I live near Dongnae Bokjip, and whenever I pass by on weekends the parking lot is always full. Even if you eat at a regular table in the hall instead of a room, the space is so wide and comfortable that you'll enjoy it. Feeling the retro vibe, right?

They sell wine by the glass too, so the drink menu is pretty varied!

Dongnae Bokjip menu and how to order

As the oldest pufferfish restaurant in Hanam, Dongnae Bokjip goes all in on pufferfish! I'd never eaten pufferfish in my life, so I was thrilled looking over the menu... I'd even been searching for days beforehand and had picked out what I wanted!

I ordered the bok sashimi course (for 2)! At Dongnae Bokjip, most dishes have to be ordered per person. First they set out small plates and the sauce dishes you need for the soup.

Sashimi course first round: skin salad, fried pufferfish, aged sashimi

The side dishes came out quickly, along with the pufferfish skin salad, fried pufferfish and aged sashimi. Everything looked delicious and neatly presented, so my expectations went up.

Pufferfish skin salad

Pufferfish skin! Pufferfish itself was a first for me, and here the skin was cut into long noodle-like strips and tossed in a tangy, spicy sauce! The texture was chewy and firm, which made it fun to eat.

Aged sashimi

Let's try the fried pufferfish and aged sashimi too. The best thing about a course meal is that you get to taste lots of dishes in small portions.

See these neat little slices of aged sashimi? You can tell Dongnae Bokjip cares about every detail of the presentation, which put me in a good mood.

When you think of aged sashimi you picture thick cuts, but here it's sliced at just the right thickness and size to eat comfortably! Chewy and delicious.

Fried pufferfish

The fried pufferfish is a real winner too, and you get it as a freebie if you join the review event. My partner and I ordered the course, so we didn't join the event separately.

The seasoning on the fried pufferfish was just right, and it was crunchier than everything else, so good! When I come back, I'll definitely order the fried pufferfish.

What does pufferfish sashimi taste like for a first-timer?

The pufferfish sashimi I'd been waiting and waiting for finally arrived. It was my first time ever trying it, and one of the dishes I was most excited about. A precious dish we get to eat thanks to the sacrifice of our ancestors...

Look at how thinly it's sliced. The chef clearly has incredible skill. Unlike the aged sashimi from before, it had a richer, oilier flavor, and it made me think of soju!

Pufferfish bulgogi stir-fried at the table

Next up is the pufferfish bulgogi (marinated stir-fry). I was just craving something spicy, and they planned the order brilliantly. The staff kept checking how much we'd eaten throughout the meal and even stir-fried the bulgogi for us. So kind.

The sweet and spicy pufferfish bulgogi made me crave a bowl of plain rice. But I held out, waiting for the pot rice coming later haha.

Finishing with clear pufferfish soup, pot rice and scorched rice

While we ate the bulgogi, the staff were already boiling the clear pufferfish soup (jiri) at the empty table next to us. Nice touch! Thanks to that, we could dig into the soup right after finishing the bulgogi.

The pot rice (solbap) was also cooked in advance so we could eat it right along with the soup. I go to Korean set-meal restaurants fairly often for pot rice, so I was delighted to find it at a pufferfish restaurant.

One bite of the fluffy pot rice and the scent of fresh rice filled my mouth. So happy.

I moved all the rice to one side and dropped it straight into the soup! The broth was so refreshing that I honestly wondered if I should have deliberately drunk the night before...?

We finished with the nicely made scorched rice (nurungji) from the pot to cleanse the palate. A Korean dessert really does complete the meal 🧡

Whether you're with family, a partner or a group, Dongnae Bokjip in Hanam is a no-fail place. Highly recommended!