Live shrimp sashimi with open price tags at Garak Market: Narae Susan

Live shrimp sashimi is having a real moment lately. Since freshness is everything with live shrimp, I headed to Garak Market — and you can't talk about Garak Market without talking about sashimi, right? Quality and value matter a lot when picking a fresh fish restaurant. I went looking for a place with fully transparent pricing and found somewhere seriously delicious. Let me introduce a Garak Market favorite: Narae Susan (나래수산).

Where is Narae Susan in Garak Market, and where do you park?

Narae Susan is a fish restaurant inside the Garak Market fish market in Songpa-gu. Come out of Exit 2-1 of Garak Market Station, head up to the 1st floor, and the fish market is right there!!

If you're driving, you can use the Garak Market parking lot. The underground lot is huge and well laid out, so it's not stressful at all. For parking settlement, you either register your discount voucher yourself at the payment machine in the lot, or some shops apply it for you in advance. It varies by shop, so make sure to ask about parking.

If you come in through Entrance 1 of the Garak Market fish market, Narae Susan is right in front of you. Super easy to find — literally right in front of the first entrance!!

Among the many sashimi restaurants inside Garak Market, Narae Susan is on the larger side. That means more customers, which means faster turnover, which means freshness only goes up, haha.

Live shrimp for raw shrimp sashimi and seasonal gizzard shad

From in-season gizzard shad (jeoneo) to live shrimp you can eat raw as saeu-hoe — everything looked so alive and lively. And the prices were nearly half of what my neighborhood sashimi place charges...

They had flounder and other sashimi fish, plus snow crab too. This would be perfect to pack up for a family holiday gathering.

Every price is posted on the display case out front

One of the biggest reasons I chose Narae Susan is that the price list is openly posted out front. Honestly, if you don't know what you're doing, you can get ripped off at places like this. But at Narae Susan everything is transparently displayed, so zero worries. You can pick exactly the type and price range you want.

The popular fish already come as ready-made sets. And if you want something else, they say they'll make it up for you if you just ask.

What comes in the 70,000-won premium live platter for two

I wanted a variety of fish, so I debated between the premium live platter and the VIP live platter — and picked the premium one!! It comes with flounder, salmon, red seabream, two seasonal fish, and special belly cuts.

• Premium live platter for two, ₩70,000

They also have assorted sushi and futomaki. Futomaki made at a sashimi restaurant has to be amazing...

The 3-hour parking voucher and the insulated takeout bag

Parking is normally ₩1,000 for the first 3 hours, but if you buy something at Garak Market favorite Narae Susan, they give you a 3-hour voucher (₩1,000 discount). That's more than enough time whether you're getting takeout or eating in, so you can visit without any parking worries.

For takeout, they pack everything separately in a yellow insulated bag, so there's no worry about spoilage on the way home. It seems to hold up fine for about 3 hours..?! If you're eating in, just ask the owner to connect you with the chojang (spicy vinegar sauce) shop and they'll take care of it. Pick your own sashimi fresh at Narae Susan and head upstairs to eat comfortably.

How does the premium live platter taste at home?

I brought it home and wow, it's really generous. Isn't this supposed to be for 2 people, not 3-4??

They stick a sticker on top of each fish so you know exactly what you're eating — really nice touch. Super neat-★

I can't believe this quantity and quality is only ₩70,000. The quality is honestly great.

These pieces laid separately on top are salmon and red seabream belly cuts, they said. Definitely a better texture and richer flavor. So delicious...

They also gave abalone sashimi as a free extra. The value for money is insane. They packed pretty much every kind of sauce you'd need — chojang, makjang, soy sauce — neatly, so all you have to do is lay it out and eat, haha.

Looks amazing, right? A perfect opportunity to eat sashimi until you burst. Red seabream was my favorite — no fishy taste at all, just savory and chewy. Narae Susan, a Garak Market favorite sashimi restaurant, really is a great find at Garak Market. The owner is super kind, the quality is great, and the portions are generous..!! There's really no reason not to come here. If you're looking for a sashimi restaurant at Garak Market, I recommend Narae Susan.