Magok sushi restaurant with shrimp sushi three ways: Ilpum Magok

Today it's... another visit to the same place, haha! Ilpum Magok. This place is genuinely delicious — it's a well-known spot in Magok, and since I loved it the first time, I came back.

This time I met up with a younger friend to hand over my wedding invitation, haha. Eating, drinking coffee, and catching up after so long felt really good.

Both of us love seafood, so we decided to meet at Ilpum Magok — and we were both extremely satisfied! We literally ate until we were stuffed that day, lol. So if you love seafood and are searching for sushi restaurants in Magok, this might be worth checking out.

What are the seats and atmosphere like at Ilpum Magok?

Inside Ilpum Magok, besides the counter seats there are 4-person tables and sofa seating, which made it easy for the two of us to sit face to face and talk. I heard a lot of celebrities have visited too.

What's on the menu at Ilpum Magok?

The menu at Ilpum Magok was more varied than I expected. From kaisendon (seafood rice bowl), premium kaisendon, unagidon (eel rice bowl), and chirashi sushi, to ilpumdong, unidorodon, sashimidon, uni-ikuradon, honmaguro-zukedon, aburidon, salmon sakedon, and seasonal buri don — there's a wide range. If you're looking for sushi near Balsan Station, this menu lineup is worth a look.

The chawanmushi that comes free with every meal

At Ilpum Magok, broth soup, chawanmushi (steamed egg custard), and aged kimchi came out as complimentary starters. The chawanmushi was soft like Korean-style steamed egg, and it even had shrimp inside. I love this kind of soft steamed egg, so I scraped it all the way to the bottom, lol. Genuinely delicious.

Getting a warm, soft dish before the meal started made my stomach feel comfortable right away.

Ilpum futomaki: a roll as thick as your forearm

Of everything we ordered, what I was most excited about was the Ilpum futomaki! The futomaki is seriously the size of a forearm, lol. Each piece is huge and packed full, so honestly it's not easy to fit in one bite.

But futomaki tastes best eaten in one bite... the problem is it doesn't fit in your mouth, lol. So I just shoved it in and chewed away happily. I really love futomaki, and this one was so good.

But futomaki tastes best eaten in one bite... the problem is it doesn't fit in your mouth, lol. So I just shoved it in and chewed away happily. I really love futomaki, and this one was so good.

Ilpumdong vs special ilpumdong: how much negitoro you get

What I picked was ilpumdong! And we also ordered the (special) ilpumdong. What actually arrived was piled even higher than the menu photo, so I was surprised at first.

The negitoro — minced tuna — was packed on generously. I got to enjoy negitoro in every bite, all the way to the last spoonful. And with uni and salmon roe mixed in, the flavor turned savory and rich in the best way.

Shrimp sushi three ways at Ilpum Magok

On top of that, we also ordered shrimp sushi 3 ways. Since we both love seafood, the order just kept growing as we tried different things, lol.

Still, eating delicious food while chatting with a friend was such a happy time. I've been having a lot of engagement gatherings lately, meeting friends one by one, and seeing this friend after so long made it even more special. I got to deliver the invitation and talk for ages while enjoying great food. If you're looking for sushi in Magok, this could be a nice spot for that kind of get-together too.

Since they gave us seaweed on the side, I tried wrapping negitoro with uni and salmon roe — also genuinely delicious. With the crunch of the seaweed plus the negitoro and salmon roe together, my mouth was full of savory flavor.

So my personal favorite dish here is officially ilpumdong...!

Eating it on top of gamtae (roasted seaweed laver) is pure heaven too. If you're searching for sushi near Balsan Station and can't decide what to order, I'd personally recommend the ilpumdong.

Mango puree panna cotta to finish

And that's not the end! After the meal, they brought out a pudding-like mango puree panna cotta. Refreshing and sweet — perfect as an after-meal dessert.

Finishing the main dishes with a sweet dessert made it feel like a proper, complete meal, haha. Getting to enjoy cold udon and panna cotta dessert together made the whole experience satisfying right to the end. If you're looking for sushi near Balsan Station and want somewhere that does both the meal and the dessert well, this could be a good pick.

Is Ilpum Magok worth a second visit?

I love seafood in general, so I often eat kaisendon or sushi. At Ilpum Magok, every dish felt clean yet generously filled with ingredients, which made eating it genuinely fun. And honestly, the fact that this wasn't my first visit but a repeat one is probably the strongest review I can give, lol.

Eating here again, it was just as delicious as before. I especially loved the futomaki and the ilpumdong. If you're searching for sushi in Magok and love seafood, this is a place I'd recommend.

It'd be great for a date with a friend, or for an engagement gathering like mine. I got to enjoy great food and coffee with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, and had such a fun time. Next time I visit, I'll definitely get the futomaki and ilpumdong again for sure. If you're looking for sushi near Balsan Station, give Ilpum Magok a try.

If you like flavors that are clean yet generous, I think you'll be satisfied.