Millak-dong sashimi spot: live octopus & engawa sushi, Gwanganda

Gwanganda Jjji Gwangalli Main Branch (광안다찌 광안리본점) is a sashimi restaurant in Gwangalli, Busan, and a favorite with Millak-dong locals.

A Gwangalli restaurant that makes my top 3 must-visit places on a Busan trip, the ultimate Gwangalli sashimi spot where the side dishes (skidashi) just keep coming, and a Millak-dong sashimi favorite! Let me introduce Gwanganda Jjji, where you can take in the whole Gwangan Bridge view at a glance!

How much is the Gwanganda Jjji dachi set, and what's in it?

The only thing on the Gwanganda Jjji menu is the "dachi set" (다찌 한상) at ₩55,000 per person. For that price you get appetizers, assorted sashimi, seafood, fried dishes and braised fish, Nagasaki-style soup and abalone porridge. It's a lavish spread.

The menu is wonderfully short (!), so there's nothing to agonize over, and the table is simple yet incredibly generous.

Where is Gwanganda Jjji in Millak-dong, and how is the parking?

Gwanganda Jjji is on the 6th floor of the Sanbada Hoe Town building in Millak-dong. There's a dedicated parking lot, and when it's full they cover your parking fee, so parking is easy ✔️

Even if you're playing at Gwangalli Beach, it's worth walking about 1 km for, even in this kind of weather. It was a top-tier restaurant among Millak-dong sashimi places!

Inside Gwanganda Jjji and the Gwangan Bridge view

I went on a seriously hot day and was exhausted, but the air conditioning inside Gwanganda Jjji was blasting. You get a cool ocean view by day, the Gwangan Bridge against an orange sky at sunset, and a night view at the end. The ocean view is the clear winner!

It's not just one small side that's glass. It's floor-to-ceiling windows on all four sides, so wherever you sit the sea looks perfect. Photos taken near the window seats during the day turn out great too!

Do you need to reserve a window seat at Gwanganda Jjji?

Advance reservations are strongly recommended at Gwanganda Jjji. Luckily I booked ahead, got a window seat, and was all set to dig in 🤍 And don't forget, it's also a Gwangalli restaurant with private rooms!

What side dishes come with the Gwanganda Jjji dachi set?

The dachi set starts with a dazzling spread of appetizers. Creamy baked clams, seasoned raw fish salad (hoemuchim), pufferfish cold salad, and everything I picked up was delicious. On top of that there were seasoned cockles, rolls and soy-marinated crab (ganjang gejang), a hearty lineup 😌

They really don't hold back on ingredients, and the dishes you'd expect at a classic dachi bar keep coming nonstop. The taste isn't mass-market either; it's quite high level and the freshness is superb. A few dishes from this single ₩55,000 dachi set were, in ingredients and quantity, way beyond the handful of appetizers you'd get at other Gwangalli sashimi restaurants.

Live octopus tangtangi, straight from the tank

The live octopus tangtangi (chopped raw octopus) at Gwanganda Jjji is prepared right from the tank, so it was very clean. The wriggling is fun, and it's lightly seasoned with oil for aroma, so it's nutty and refreshing, and popping it in your mouth is just a fun flavor experience.

I lost count of how many times I picked at it. There was plenty and it was delicious. No exaggeration, at other restaurants it's over ₩20,000 as a single dish, so being able to eat this much of it at a dachi place is practically heaven,,

Seasonal raw shrimp, abalone, and ginseng roots dipped in honey

And then the dachi spread just keeps going. They said shrimp is in season right now, and they brought three pieces of live, jumping shrimp, with only the bodies prepared, to our seat. Wow..✨

True to a Millak-dong sashimi restaurant known for abalone, we got chewy, moist abalone, and next up was sprout ginseng root (sansam-ppuri) dipped lightly in honey! It gives you energy. After all this, my hunger was already gone and I was full, sob

Which fish are in the Gwanganda Jjji assorted sashimi?

The Gwanganda Jjji sashimi platter had sea bass, flatfish, engawa (fin-edge flatfish), fluke and red sea bream. And this was only the start. After you fill up on appetizers, an Avengers lineup of sashimi makes a very flashy entrance like a course meal. These aren't cheap fish, so wow.

With sea bream included, I wondered if it's really okay to serve this at this price. I just came for a few slices of flatfish, but Gwanganda Jjji is business-class quality, the kind of excellent live fish you'd bring guests to impress, sliced right on the spot..✨

Moderate fattiness and a rich yet clean taste, just a perfectly in-season sea bass. It's such a prized cut, like something true gourmets hide to keep for themselves, that it's no exaggeration to say they poured the quality of the ingredients into the menu.

The flatfish, better quality than anywhere else among Gwangalli sashimi restaurants, had no regrets either. You could see the beautiful grain and feel the care in the work, and the texture was overwhelming enough to deserve full marks for finish.

Make-your-own engawa and fluke sushi with sushi rice

At Gwanganda Jjji they gave us sushi rice (shari) separately to make our own sushi, a free extra ✨ The staff's kindness deserves a mention too, I was so happy with it. I made engawa sushi for the first time (!), and fluke + perilla leaf = my favorite.

How does the Gwanganda Jjji dachi set finish?

The dachi set finishes with crab stew, fried crab, fried shrimp and braised rockfish (ppolrak). Skip a meal before coming to Gwanganda Jjji, definitely (❁´◡`❁)

We wrapped up the meal with plump abalone porridge, a huge handful's worth 🙌🏻 It felt nothing like ₩55,000 (more like an ₩80,000 course meal), and with the kind service and perfect view, I really want to recommend it!

A restaurant that scores you points when you take your parents.

Gwanganda Jjji Gwangalli Main Branch visitor info

• Address: 6th floor, Sanbada Hoe Town, 17-20 Gwanganhaebyeon-ro 344beon-gil, Suyeong-gu, Busan
• Hours: 12:00 pm–10:50 pm (closed Tuesdays)
• Break time: 2:10–4:30 pm, last order 8:30 pm
• Parking: Dedicated lot; parking fee covered when full
• Reservations: Advance reservation recommended, private rooms available