# Gwanghwamun Japanese restaurant for sashimi platters: Elephant Sushi - By Haesol (https://superchart.com/en/@restaurant-doorways-fb81/) - Written Sep 11, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Jongno, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written with support for the restaurant visit. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@restaurant-doorways-fb81/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@restaurant-doorways-fb81/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/index.md) ## In short Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is a Japanese restaurant in Jongno, Seoul, on the B1 level of KT Gwanghwamun Building West. We ordered a 50,000 won sashimi platter for two and an 18,000 won hoe-deopbap, enjoying a variety of aged fish and plenty of flying-fish roe and vegetables. Verdict: Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is a satisfying pick for comparing different sashimi or sharing a generously loaded rice bowl. ## Good to know - **Ordered**: Sashimi platter for two; hoe-deopbap - **Sashimi platter for two**: ₩50,000 - **Hoe-deopbap**: ₩18,000 - **Sashimi selection**: 10 kinds, including tuna, flounder, sea bream, yellowtail, engawa, scallop, sweet shrimp, horse mackerel, and soy-marinated shrimp; varies with stock - **Parking**: Up to 2 hours supported at KT Gwanghwamun Branch underground parking; spaces are limited - **Review perks**: 3 potato croquettes for a Naver review; 1 free glass of sake for following Naver notifications *as written by the visitor on Sep 11, 2026* Lately, somehow my girlfriend and I have been going around Gwanghwamun and Jongno every weekend! This time, we visited Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun, a great sushi spot in the basement of Gwanghwamun KT Tower! We ordered the sashimi platter for two and a hoe-deopbap (raw fish mixed rice bowl), and were very happy with it! Haha. Maybe lots of KT employees use it too?! ![Featured photo from Elephant Sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-01-imumt-1200.webp) ## How to find Elephant Sushi from Gwanghwamun Station ### Exterior It might be a little tricky the first time! Go down to B1 of KT Gwanghwamun Building West, which connects to Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station. It was taken in the evening so it is hard to see in the photo, sorryㅠㅠ, but go into a place that looks like that and head down one floor—the restaurant area is there! The location is very good! I sometimes go to performances around Gwanghwamun, and it is just across the road from Sejong Center; it is close to Kyobo Book Centre too? ![Entrance to the KT Gwanghwamun Building West underground restaurant area](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-02-i3uos-900.webp) Take the escalator in the photo below down to B1 and a whole world of places to eat opens up. Walk around once and you will spot it right away! Haha. ![Escalator down to the B1 restaurant area](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-03-12tel-900.webp) Would you call it an open-fronted shop? It was a little unusual because it was in a wide-open space rather than enclosed by glass! If you spot the huge Elephant Sushi neon sign and the red, fluttering Japanese-style entrance thingy (what do you call that...?), that is it! Oh, and there is a separate takeaway zone too, so some customers were getting food to go. We ate in~! ![Elephant Sushi's Japanese-style entrance and takeaway zone](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-04-11niw-901.webp) ### Inside seating On the left are long rows of open-kitchen seats! I think this is probably where the chefs make sushi for you right away? Haha. ![Open-kitchen-style seating at Elephant Sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-05-6e2aa-900.webp) We ate at one of the table seats on the right! We visited late in the evening, so there were plenty of seats. ![Table seating inside Elephant Sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-06-fnp79-900.webp) ![Elephant Sushi table seating in the evening](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-07-56xuk-900.webp) ![Table area inside Elephant Sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-08-zqhvx-900.webp) ## Sashimi platter and hoe-deopbap menu prices There were lots of options, including Elephant Sushi A, B, and C sets with slightly different combinations, a sashimi platter, tuna maki, and sushi for children! We ordered the sashimi platter for two at ₩50,000 and hoe-deopbap at ₩18,000 from the kiosk! It said there would be 10 kinds: lean tuna, tuna belly, flounder, sea bream, yellowtail, engawa, scallop, sweet shrimp, horse mackerel, and soy-marinated shrimp. The selection seems to change a little depending on stock. When we visited, there were two sweet shrimp instead of soy-marinated shrimp. ![Elephant Sushi kiosk menu guide](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-09-cywvc-900.webp) 🔻Our menu today🔻 A quick snap of what we ordered too! ![Ordered sashimi platter and hoe-deopbap](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-10-1kglh-900.webp) ## Side dishes and our order in detail Once we sat down, cabbage salad and soup were set out first. I am not completely sure, but the salad dressing seemed to be either black sesame or sesame dressing... one of the two! ![Cabbage salad and soup set out as side dishes](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-11-1cxhj-900.webp) ### Sashimi platter for two After getting excited while we waited, the sashimi platter finally arrived! ![Sashimi platter for two](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-12-11qrv-900.webp) When 10 kinds come on one plate, it is fun to compare this and that, right? I do not know much about sashimi, but it seemed to include some fairly premium fish. At ₩50,000 for two, I thought it was a good value for the selection! ![Sashimi platter with several varieties](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-13-ocs7z-899.webp) ![Close-up of the sashimi platter selection](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-14-17aa2-901.webp) The flounder fin and sea bream were pleasantly chewy, so I slurped them up in no time!! And the one in the middle was probably yellowtail—it was nicely fatty and nutty, haha. I think all the fish had been aged! (Everything was generally nutty!) The tuna belly on the right, which looked like beef, disappeared the moment I put it in my mouth, so I was taken aback.... I almost said, “More tuna belly, please!” But I soothed the disappointment with the lean tuna instead... hahaha. ![Tuna belly and lean tuna sashimi](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-15-e015g-900.webp) This is probably lean tuna, and the one below is probably yellowtail(?)! I might be wrong because I do not know fish that wellㅠㅠ If you know, please tell me in the comments! ![Sashimi thought to be lean tuna and yellowtail](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-16-18bfr-900.webp) Personally, the scallop and sweet shrimp were the real winners. Maybe because I like sweet things... haha. They both had a slightly sweet flavor! Haha. ### Hoe-deopbap loaded with vegetables The hoe-deopbap came with pieces of sashimi including tuna and sea bream, plus flying-fish roe and a mountain of vegetables. ![Hoe-deopbap topped with sashimi, flying-fish roe, and vegetables](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-17-9k68a-900.webp) I did not photograph it, but the staff give you cho-gochujang (sweet-and-tangy red chili sauce) and sesame oil separately! Add them to taste, then mix it all up with gusto! Just throw in loads without worrying about anyone watching~!!! ![Hoe-deopbap mixed with cho-gochujang and sesame oil](https://img.superchart.com/images/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi-18-7yv0r-900.webp) Can you see how much sashimi and flying-fish roe there is? (There was so much that the two of us could not finish it and left some behind.... haha.) I loved the popping texture of the flying-fish roe, and there was so much sashimi and so many vegetables that it never got boring—I kept digging in...! But the portion was too big, so we had to call it GG and leave a little behind... haha. Next time, I will come hungrier... ## Elephant Sushi tips and parking ### Are there any useful tips for Elephant Sushi? Write a Naver review and you can get three potato croquettes. They also say you get one free glass of sake if you follow their Naver notifications! ### Is parking paid? Parking is supported for up to two hours at the KT Gwanghwamun Branch underground parking lot, but spaces are said to be limited. Since it connects to Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station, public transportation would be a good idea, right? ## Where it is - Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun (코끼리초밥 광화문점) - B1 B109-5, 178 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 종로구 세종대로 178 지하1층 B109-5호 - 37.5721535, 126.9778819 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%BD%94%EB%81%BC%EB%A6%AC%EC%B4%88%EB%B0%A5%20%EA%B4%91%ED%99%94%EB%AC%B8%EC%A0%90/@37.5721535,126.9778819,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@restaurant-doorways-fb81/gwanghwamun-sashimi-hoedeopbap-elephant-sushi/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt