Yeouido sushi restaurant with 1,000-won ankimo kaisendon lunch: Ilpum

When you're craving good sushi or meat, you end up hunting for Yeouido sushi restaurants — and in the competitive Yeouido dining scene, Ilpum Yeouido Branch is a popular pick. Here's my lunch review.

Ilpum Yeouido Branch at a glance: hours, reservations and perks

• Baby chairs available
• Perks with Naver Reservation ✔️ Free corkage (1 bottle free on request) ✔️ 2p birthday celebration nigiri sushi ✔️ 2p pregnancy support sushi

How to find Ilpum Yeouido Branch: Anwon Building B1 by National Assembly Station

Ilpum is known for its neat, refined table settings, and it's easy to find in the basement of the Anwon Building in Yeouido.

The clean wood finish and storefront give off a tidy, cozy feeling.

Inside Ilpum Yeouido Branch: counter seats, tables and atmosphere

The seating ranges from counter seats to tables and is fairly spacious, suitable for anything from family gatherings to dates to company dinners. Staff were friendly and the mood was bright.

Crisp tables, neat cutlery settings, and a hygienically managed open kitchen make this a great spot for lunch near National Assembly Station.

There are also table seats, which made it a good setup for dining with a group.

Ordering for lunch near National Assembly Station is convenient via QR code, and there's also a receipt review event.

Ilpum Yeouido Branch menu and prices

• Kaisendon ₩26,000
• Premium kaisendon ₩37,000
• Single unagidon ₩40,000
• Sushi omakase platter ₩50,000
• Ilpumdong ₩30,000
• Uni-doro don ₩55,000
• Sashimi don ₩39,000
• Uni-ikura don ₩38,000
• Honmaguro tsukedon ₩33,000
• Aburidon ₩30,000
• Salmon sakedon ₩26,000
• Chicken karaage don ₩22,000
• Seasonal buri (yellowtail) don ₩33,000
• Today's sushi ₩28,000
• Futomaki whole roll ₩28,000 / half roll ₩17,000
• Whitefish sushi set ₩33,000
• Maguro special futomaki ₩45,000
• Salmon sushi set ₩28,000
• Shimesaba stick sushi ₩26,000
• Seasonal buri sushi set ₩35,000

You can add extra ingredients separately, which is great for making your favorite combination.

One thing I loved: every main menu item comes with chawanmushi, a noodle or fried dish, and dessert. There was also an ankimo hosomaki on the pop-up menu that looked so good, so I added the ankimo (monkfish liver) from the add-ons too — for just 1,000 won. So glad I added it.

Kaisendon, 26,000 won: a seafood rice bowl with perfectly seasoned rice

Before the kaisendon arrived, the basic side dishes came out — a plump shrimp peeking out of soft chawanmushi (egg custard).

Also served with every menu was a noodle dish — cold udon with karaage. The fried chicken was soft and had a satisfying, full texture, pairing well with the clean, refreshing cold udon broth.

The kaisendon I ordered arrived. It came with seaweed and the ankimo I'd added.

The kaisendon for lunch near National Assembly Station included whitefish, salmon, tuna, shrimp, ankimo, crab meat, rolled egg, and even scallop.

Of course the seafood matters for a kaisendon, but since it's a rice bowl, the rice itself has to be good to complete it — true to a Yeouido sushi restaurant, the rice's seasoning and umami were naturally spot on.

The fish was aged just right — soft, with good bite, but above all, great umami.

Ankimo for 1,000 won: the most generous add-on at Ilpum

Adding ankimo for just 1,000 won — what kind of generosity is this. There's enough to even mix into a bibimbap-style bowl.

The rice was so good that just mixing in flying fish roe, or wrapping ankimo and soy sauce in seaweed, made for a delicious bite.

I also wrapped some in gamtae (dried seaweed), and since there was crab meat with the ankimo too, it was fun mixing up combinations as I ate.

I snapped a photo of the plump unagidon too, since it looked pretty good for lunch near National Assembly Station. I watched them make it — packed with big chunks of eel and a thick rolled egg — and it's a dish I want to try next time.

Today's sushi, 28,000 won: is it worth the price?

Next, today's sushi arrived. What is this quality for under 30,000 won.. 🫶

A generous spread of sushi with hosomaki and futomaki rounds out the set.

From soft to fresh and crunchy ingredients, plus fried shrimp and spicy pepper — the futomaki was full of umami.

Each sushi piece had a fitting topping arranged beautifully, with nothing there just for show — every single piece was delicious, true to a Yeouido sushi restaurant!

The ankimo I ordered earlier — turns out this is exactly what it was for..! Delicious as expected 😎

It all wrapped up refreshingly with a mango dessert at the end — a proper Yeouido sushi restaurant. Every main dish comes with a chawanmushi appetizer and udon, and since each dish arrives one at a time, it's nice for slowly chatting over the meal like a course dinner.

Is Ilpum Yeouido Branch worth it for a Yeouido lunch?

For a proper lunch spread near National Assembly Station, Ilpum is a Yeouido sushi restaurant worth keeping in mind, especially if you love raw fish. It's a place I'd want to visit again whenever I'm in Yeouido.