Hongdae sashimi restaurant with live octopus add-on: Eosa Chulto

I've been craving sashimi lately, so I went to Eosa Chulto, famous for being a budget-friendly raw fish restaurant in Hongdae! Turns out I wasn't the only one drawn in haha, the place was packed. It's already well known so a lot of locals come here~ If you're looking for a great gizzard shad spot in Hongdae, I really wanted to write this up carefully for you ❤️

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch: hours and how to find it

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch is on the 1st floor of Hoseong Building, 8 Donggyo-ro 27-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, right in the middle of Hongdae near Hongik University Station. It's open daily from 11:30 to 23:00, closed on Sundays.

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch Open daily 11:30 – 23:00 (closed Sundays)

A whole group of college guys came pouring in among the many customers. That pretty much confirms this is a can't-miss for budget sashimi in Hongdae, right? Haha.

There are also various coupons if you check Naver Map! It's shocking that a place famous as a Hongdae sashimi spot is also this affordable haha. There's even a Hongik University student discount! Can we sneak in Ewha students too since they're right next door haha ㅠㅠ Honestly, being able to get sashimi plus spicy fish stew for just ₩40,000 is such a huge perk! Eating raw fish out is usually so expensive ㅜㅜ

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, right in the heart of Hongdae! Probably because it's famous for being an affordable sashimi spot in Hongdae, a lot of tables already had reserved signs on them.

Lunch menu and sashimi set price at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch also has lunch menus like cockle bibimbap and nakgopsae (stir-fried octopus, intestine, and shrimp), and the sashimi set meal is ₩13,000 per person. As a Hongdae lunch option, it was a really great value meal ❤️ The nakgopsae looks seriously delicious. And ₩13,000 per person for a sashimi set is genuinely cheap. I've never seen such a good-value sashimi restaurant before! And it even tastes great too ㅠㅠ

The weather's already cooling down and fall has arrived, right? Since it's also known as a great spot for gizzard shad (jeoneo) haha, I'd definitely recommend going to Eosa Chulto for that. It's already famous as a gizzard shad restaurant! That's probably why it's proudly posted right on the front door~~~ Goes perfectly with soju haha.

What free starters and side dishes come out?

At Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, the basic dishes get set out right away, and the savory pancake was so crispy and delicious haha. Total hidden gem! They also give you golbaengi muchim (spicy whelk salad) ❤️ Even without ordering a lot of extra dishes, the basic side dishes were so perfect... this is exactly why I'm recommending it as a budget-friendly Hongdae sashimi spot ㅠ.ㅠ

Small flounder and rockfish set with spicy fish stew included

What I ordered was the flounder + rockfish small set! The spicy fish stew comes free too... it's perfect... The rockfish sashimi at Eosa Chulto is honestly a total hidden gem. I highly recommend the rockfish sashimi!!! And don't even get me started on the spicy fish stew, it's legendary.

Seriously deliberating over what to eat first. Since it's known as a budget-friendly sashimi bar in Hongdae I didn't expect much from the side dishes... but there were so many good ones that I had a hard time deciding what to start with~ The corn cheese is obviously delicious too, but I went for the sashimi first... total satisfaction. Especially that mixture of sesame oil and ssamjang (seasoned soybean paste) — so good. Ah, I want to eat it again ㅠㅠㅠ

How big is the spicy fish stew, and is ramen worth adding?

While eating the sashimi, I asked them to prepare the spicy fish stew. Time to really get going haha. Since the portable burner has strong heat, it boils fast and gets so delicious. The broth keeps getting richer! There's actually quite a lot of fish meat in the stew too. Serving this much stew, do they even make a profit... makes you wonder. Thanks to that I ate so happily ㅜㅜ. The stew portion is huge, enough to eat with rice too! I'm someone who thinks the spicy fish stew is the best part of any sashimi restaurant haha. Just judging by the stew portion alone, this is easily one of the best budget sashimi spots in Hongdae. Great for a Hongdae group dinner too, right? You could just keep eating with the stew alone haha~

You've gotta add ramen noodles, right? Haha. Rice and ramen noodles hit differently... make sure to add ramen noodles. It's seriously delicious. No fishy smell at all, and since it's dropped into a broth that's basically pure concentrated flavor, it thickens up nicely. Sounds delicious just from the description, right? Haha. Eosa Chulto is famous as a gizzard shad spot in Hongdae, but the basic stew that comes free is already this overwhelmingly good... I can't even imagine how good the other menu items must be ㅜ.ㅜ

Adding live octopus for 20,000 won

And I really wanted live octopus so I ordered it~~ Live octopus at Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch, ₩20,000! If you're looking for a good live octopus spot in Hongdae, definitely visit. Totally chewy, nutty, fresh, perfect to eat alone. Absolutely perfect live octopus... it's nutty enough that it goes down easily with soju haha. Eaten together with the spicy fish stew, it's nutty and spicy and just crazy good.

Haha I seriously cleaned everything off the table. I ate so much that day, if I exaggerate a little, I'm probably still carrying that weight haha;;; not an excuse! I really scraped everything up because it was that good. The combo of rockfish sashimi and spicy fish stew is truly wild (in a good way). Definitely stop by this budget-friendly sashimi restaurant in Hongdae. If you're craving sashimi, don't hold back just because it's usually expensive... definitely go visit Eosa Chulto, the affordable sashimi spot in Hongdae...

Haha. Leaving behind proof that I cleaned everything up. Even though I only really hit the main dishes, the portions were so big I was stuffed to death! A budget-friendly sashimi restaurant in Hongdae, so happy about this. Sashimi that you thought you couldn't afford!! All you college students should go check it out. Great date course too. There were plenty of older men eating there as well ^-^ Totally a known local favorite, a budget-friendly sashimi bar in Hongdae haha. Highly recommend it as a spot for a Hongdae group dinner!

Waiting times, group dinners and reservations at Eosa Chulto

Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch has a spacious dining room so group dinners work fine, and even during an off-peak time slot, by the time I was leaving the place was full and there was already a waitlist forming. I came at a pretty awkward time and there were still quite a few customers, and by the time I left it was full enough to have a waiting line — that's how good this budget-friendly Hongdae sashimi spot is! Definitely recommend it. Making a reservation before you go might be smart haha. Groups are totally fine too! The place is spacious. It would also be great as a spot for a Hongdae group dinner~ The staff were super kind too, which made me feel really good ^^ So happy to have found a neighborhood sashimi hideout. If you're looking for the well-known gizzard shad restaurant in Hongdae, I definitely recommend visiting Eosa Chulto Hongdae Branch!