Gwanghwamun sushi with smoked amberjack and ankimo: Elephant Sushi

I recently went to Gwanghwamun and found an amazing sushi spot in the KT Tower, so here's my review haha! Let's get into it!

📍Location: B1 B109-5, 178 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul 🕰Hours: Daily 11:00-21:00, break time 15:00-17:00

Where Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is and what the room feels like

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is located in the restaurant row on B1 of the Gwanghwamun KT Tower. It's about a 1-minute walk from Exit 2 of Gwanghwamun Station, or about a 7-minute walk from Exit 1 of Jonggak Station.

It's right across from Bobo Restaurant on B1, an open storefront with no doors or windows. There's a big sign that says Elephant Sushi out front, so it's easy to find!

The interior was bigger than I expected, with a lot of seating. Since a lot of Gwanghwamun office workers come for weekday lunch, the 2- and 4-person tables are packed in tightly to fit more people.

This is what it looks like from inside. There's a lot of seating but it's not too crammed together, and thanks to the open structure without doors or windows, it doesn't feel stuffy even when it's busy — it feels open and airy.

On the other side, there were bar-style seats like this. The bar seats were set up for two people each, and could fit up to 10 people total.

I went on a quiet weekend afternoon, so I sat at a regular table. Water, cups, pickled radish, soy sauce, soy sauce dishes, tissues and chopsticks were all set on the table. You order through the kiosk on the table.

Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun menu and prices

This is the menu at Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun. The bestselling signature items are the Elephant A, B and C sets. Among them, the Elephant B set is apparently the most popular. There are also sets made only of tuna or salmon, à la carte sushi pieces, kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), hoedeopbap (raw fish rice bowl), ochazuke (rice in green tea broth), futomaki, and assorted sashimi platters — lots of meal options.

There were also side dishes to pair with your meal, like grilled fish, karaage, fried shrimp and croquettes. There's a kids' menu too, so families can eat comfortably here!

Our order: two Elephant B sets and croquettes

• Elephant B set x2 (₩56,000)
• Croquette 4pcs (₩8,000)
• Sprite (₩3,000)

After ordering, cabbage salad and clear soup came out first. Before eating, they set the table with soy sauce, pickled radish, chopsticks and wet wipes for photos haha (this part we did ourselves!).

Then our drink order came out right away. I don't drink a lot of soda so I only ordered one Sprite, and since there were two of us, they brought two cups. Since we're not big drinkers, splitting it was just the right amount! :>

What comes in the Elephant B set (12pcs + somyeon)?

Our Elephant B sushi set arrived. Such a gorgeous-looking spread!!

For ₩28,000, the fish selection was seriously generous — it didn't feel like a waste at all. This set was packed with pricier cuts like tuna belly, horse mackerel, amberjack, swordfish and ankimo (monkfish liver).

Smoked amberjack

The moment I picked up the amberjack sushi, I felt like I was eating something really high-end haha. It was savory and rich with a very tender texture.

Horse mackerel

This horse mackerel sushi was dripping with fat! Can you see the oil glistening on top of the fish haha? Being so fatty, it had a savory yet clean flavor.

Engawa (flounder fin)

This is my favorite part when eating flounder, and as expected, it had that chewy texture and fattiness that made it so savory and delicious! Uniquely, they added finely chopped green onion inside, which looked great and gave it a fresh, herby taste!

Ankimo gunkan (monkfish liver)

Ankimo is monkfish liver, with a rich, savory flavor. It's kind of like canned tuna in taste and aroma, but with a much smoother texture. This gunkan sushi was piled high with ankimo, making it savory and rich!

Swordfish belly, torched

This is torched swordfish belly topped with cheese garlic sauce! The charred aroma really came through, along with a savory, sweet, umami-packed sauce — the perfect combination. I personally love torched (aburi) sushi, so this was incredibly delicious 🫶

There was also tuna belly and tuna akami (lean tuna). With tuna belly included, it really felt more premium than your average neighborhood sushi spot haha.

Flounder, torched salmon, squid, soy-marinated shrimp, futomaki — each piece really brought out its own texture, whether rich, chewy or savory, and it was all so, so delicious ㅜㅜㅜ By the way, the futomaki had several kinds of fish plus soy-marinated shrimp in it!! I've never seen a futomaki so packed with ingredients before 🥹

The somyeon noodles served with the set

These are the noodles that come with the set. Since fall has arrived, we got them served warm. Sets usually come with udon as a side, so it was interesting that Elephant Sushi serves somyeon (thin wheat noodles) instead!

Thanks to this red seasoning, it had a strangely spicy kick that almost tasted like ramyeon, which suited Korean palates perfectly haha.

How were the croquettes 4pcs?

While looking at the menu, I noticed they had croquettes! My mom loves potato croquettes, so I decided to order some!! They came neatly served in a wooden box, so I liked the plating right away haha.

The croquettes were round and cute, and the outside was fried up just right — they looked totally delicious from the start.

Let's dip it in the ketchup that came with it.

The outside was crispy while the inside was soft like potato mousse — totally my kind of thing! It reminded me of the soft croquettes I had in Japan haha. By the way, if you participate in the review event, you get 3 pieces of croquette. Be sure to join the review event and grab some!

Tips and things to know before you go

• ✅ Review event: 3 pieces of potato croquette for leaving a review
• ✅ Parking available: 120 minutes free, then ₩3,000 per 70 minutes
• ✅ Delivery available

Verdict: would I go back to Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun?

I heard Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun is one of Seoul's three top sushi restaurants, and it's clear they use quality ingredients and pile them on generously — definitely a cut above other sushi spots in Gwanghwamun! It's famous as a lunch spot, but I did think the price felt a bit high for lunch — though that makes sense once you see they're using premium cuts like tuna belly, swordfish belly, ankimo, flounder fin and horse mackerel. Now that I've tried it, I get it. I want to come back again..🥹

Every piece was cooked to bring out its own texture, and the sauces on top were surprisingly creative combinations that made the whole meal so fun and satisfying to eat!! The place is also clean, and being on the basement food court level of the KT Tower means it's close to Gwanghwamun Square, Kyobo Book Centre, Gwanghwamun Station and Jonggak Station — a really convenient location no matter where you're coming from.

For anyone looking for a great sushi restaurant near Gwanghwamun or Jonggak, a good spot in the Gwanghwamun KT Tower, or a solid Japanese restaurant for lunch in Gwanghwamun, I highly recommend Elephant Sushi Gwanghwamun!!🫶