# Sushi at 1am in Seolleung, Seoul: egg nigiri and soju at Sakai - By Yeon H. (https://superchart.com/en/@seongsu-doorway/) - Written Sep 17, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Gangnam, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written as part of a paid store visit sponsorship. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seongsu-doorway/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seongsu-doorway/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/index.md) ## In short Sakai is a late-night sushi bar in the Seolleung and Yeoksam area of Gangnam, Seoul, open until 1am, where you pick individual pieces instead of a fixed omakase course. On this visit Sakai served egg nigiri, flounder, steamed abalone in sake and odeng-tang (fish cake soup) alongside soju, though the bong sushi roll had sold out by that hour. Come a little earlier if there is something specific you want, but for sushi and a drink after midnight Sakai is hard to beat. ## Good to know - **Location**: 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, 1st floor, Unit 101, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Seolleung/Yeoksam) - **Hours**: Late-night sushi bar, open until 1am - **Sushi price range**: From 2,900 won up to the 10,000 won range - **How to order**: Pick whichever pieces you want; late at night only the items still listed on the bar board are available - **Ordered on this visit**: Egg, flounder, salmon, mackerel, conger eel and squid nigiri, steamed abalone in sake, odeng-tang, Saero soju - **Price reference**: ₩2,900 ≈ $2.1 · ₩10,000 ≈ $7.2 (2026-09-18) *as written by the visitor on Sep 17, 2026* ![Main photo from the visit to Sakai, a late-night sushi restaurant in Seolleung](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-01-10ho2-966.webp) Hi, this is Dain. I love sushi, so I sometimes go out of my way to find good sushi restaurants. This time I visited Sakai in Yeoksam. I do like omakase too, but with omakase you eat whatever the chef decides that day. This time, I wanted to pick exactly the sushi I felt like eating, so I chose Sakai instead. Plus, this place is a late-night sushi restaurant open until 1am, which makes it a great spot to eat late with a glass of soju. ## What kind of place is Sakai? ![Exterior of Sakai, a sushi restaurant in Yeoksam](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-02-ctta3-966.webp) ## Picking the exact sushi pieces you want at Sakai ![Sakai's clean interior atmosphere](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-03-zou0c-966.webp) ![Sushi bar seating at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-04-5dze2-966.webp) ![Sakai's à la carte sushi menu board](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-05-1a2gl-966.webp) ![Table setting at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-06-5qzrw-966.webp) ![Saero soju and glasses at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-07-10vrd-966.webp) Sakai's sushi prices range widely, from ₩2,900 up to the ₩10,000s, which was nice because it meant I could pick whatever I felt like. The interior had a clean, upscale feel that really suited a sushi restaurant. We also ordered a bottle of Saero soju that day. Sushi with a glass of soju turned out to be a surprisingly good pairing. ## Go late and the menu at Sakai shrinks ![The list of menu items available to order that day, written on the bar](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-08-198ui-m-966.webp) One thing worth noting: if you visit late like we did, a lot of ingredients can already be sold out, so the bar had a separate list of what was still available. You can only order from whatever's left that day! So if there's something specific you really want to try, it's better to go a bit earlier rather than too late. We unfortunately couldn't get the bonjochobap that day — a menu I'd really wanted to try, so that was a bit disappointing ㅠㅠ ## Can egg nigiri really taste this good? ![A single piece of egg nigiri at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-09-fqjot-966.webp) ![A plate of hand-picked nigiri](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-10-esx97-966.webp) ![Flounder nigiri at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-11-hjj5r-966.webp) ![Salmon nigiri at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-12-1jq7s-966.webp) The thing I remember most from that day at Sakai was, surprisingly, the egg. Seriously so good... the egg melted away softly the moment it hit my mouth. It had been a while since I enjoyed egg nigiri this much, so it really stuck with me. I also had the flounder, and it tasted fresh the instant I bit into it. With sushi, the condition of the ingredients really matters, and the flounder was personally very satisfying. The salmon was a solid, familiar salmon flavor, and I tried the mackerel too. ![Mackerel nigiri at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-13-1j8j8-966.webp) The mackerel was good as well. On top of that, I picked out conger eel and cuttlefish too, among other things. ## Steamed abalone in sake is a must-order ![A plate of steamed abalone in sake at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-14-1t7z2-966.webp) ![Close-up of the steamed abalone in sake](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-15-1aqcc-966.webp) ![Steamed abalone served as a drinking snack](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-16-1ot65-966.webp) ![Steamed abalone paired with a glass of soju](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-17-lnpqn-966.webp) It felt like a waste to stop at just sushi, so I ordered the steamed abalone in sake too. This was genuinely delicious. Abalone ㅠㅠ The abalone itself was tasty, but steamed in sake it made an even better drinking snack. Instead of just eating sushi nonstop, adding a dish like this in between let us enjoy the meal in a lot more different ways. We also ordered odeng-tang (fish cake soup). ![Odeng-tang (fish cake soup) at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-18-pz356-966.webp) ![A warm bowl of odeng-tang broth](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai-19-rw6ko-1200.webp) Drinking soju alongside, we needed some warm broth, and odeng-tang was exactly right for a night like that. ## Why a sushi bar open until 1am wins One of Sakai's biggest strengths is being open until 1am. A lot of sushi places close early, but this one stays open late, so it's great for nights when you eat dinner late or want to pair sushi with drinks. I also really liked that instead of following a fixed omakase course, you get to pick exactly the sushi you feel like eating that day. ## For sushi and a glass of soju in Seolleung Overall, I liked that Sakai lets you pick your own sushi in a clean, upscale atmosphere. Of the dishes I had, the egg nigiri, flounder, and steamed abalone stood out most. On the flip side, not being able to get the bonjochobap that day was a little disappointing. Since only what's still available gets served once ingredients run out, I'd recommend going early if there's something specific you want. I'd recommend this place to anyone in Yeoksam looking for good-quality sushi, anyone who'd rather pick their own sushi than follow a set omakase course, and anyone who wants to enjoy sushi and drinks late into the night. Next time I go, I want to finally try the bonjochobap I missed :) ## Where it is - Sakai (사카이) - 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, 1st floor, Unit 101, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 강남구 역삼로67길 15 1층 101호 - 37.5023593, 127.0528285 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%EC%82%AC%EC%B9%B4%EC%9D%B4/@37.5023593,127.0528285,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seongsu-doorway/seolleung-late-night-sushi-sakai/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt