# Sadang izakaya second round: raw salmon sashimi & mentaiko, Hiku - By Jihye (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-gangwon-mealmarks/) - Written Sep 7, 2026 - Local places › Bars › Dongjak, Seoul - Sponsored: This post was written after receiving a complimentary visit and menu items from the business. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-gangwon-mealmarks/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-gangwon-mealmarks/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/index.md) ## In short Hiku is an izakaya in a back-alley eat street near Sadang Station in Dongjak, Seoul. After finishing a chicken hot pot dinner, this writer stopped in for a second round of finger-thick raw salmon sashimi and sesame-crusted grilled mentaiko (marinated cod roe) with biscuits, walking in with no wait around 8pm on a Wednesday. The spacing between tables is generous and the room isn't loud, making it a solid pick for a couple or small-group second round. ## Good to know - **Location**: 2-minute walk from Sadang Station Exit 10, in the back-alley eat street - **Ordering**: Tablet ordering at each table - **Dishes tried**: Raw salmon sashimi, grilled mentaiko (cod roe) & biscuits - **Complimentary snack**: Puffed rice crackers - **Wait time**: Visited around 8pm on a Wednesday, seated immediately with no wait *as written by the visitor on Sep 7, 2026* After filling up in Sadang for round one, the same question always comes up!! "I want one more light drink, but not at a loud pub — is there anywhere with a bit of atmosphere?" We'd just finished a chicken hot pot dinner and were wandering the alleys when the glow of paper lanterns pulled us in — a well-known date spot for a Sadang Station drink, the izakaya Hiku (히쿠), and we walked out completely satisfied!! haha ![Table spread of snacks at Hiku izakaya near Sadang Station](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-01-1mfcr-1200.webp) ![Plate of raw salmon sashimi at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-02-134le-900.webp) ![Snacks and drinks on a table at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-03-1m0eh-966.webp) ![Close-up of grilled mentaiko at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-04-vm808-900.webp) ![Snacks and a soju glass at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-05-1mvqq-753.webp) > Hiku ![Sign for the izakaya Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-06-12ebi-900.webp) ## A 2-minute walk from Sadang Station Exit 10, in the back-alley eat street It only took about 2 minutes on foot from Sadang Station Exit 10! At night, rows of yellow and blue-and-red lanterns are lit up outside, so you can spot it from a distance and instantly think, "ah, that's the izakaya." ![Hiku's entrance lit up with lanterns](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-07-1y41o-811.webp) Next to the entrance is a board covered in photos of the signature menu — from raw salmon sashimi to Nagasaki champon soup, Hanoi nabe hot pot, and octopus wasabi, the food lineup is more varied than you'd expect. Inside, it's black tones with wood accents, marble tables and green sofas — a surprisingly clean-looking izakaya for once!! ![Interior of Hiku with black tones and wood accents](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-08-iz6rw-m-900.webp) One wall is lined with sake bottles, there's a whiskey shelf above the bar, and a Japanese-style noren curtain hangs at the kitchen entrance — every little detail really nails the izakaya mood. And under the sake shelf there are One Piece wanted posters plastered all over, so Pippi, who loves the anime, started rattling off character names the second we sat down haha ![Wall shelf lined with sake bottles at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-09-1aumt-900.webp) ![Kitchen entrance at Hiku hung with a Japanese-style noren curtain](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-10-ejbxq-875.webp) You order through a tablet at each table, which was nice — no need to time your call to a staff member or feel awkward waving someone down. ![Tablet ordering screen on a table at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-11-17uva-966.webp) ## Raw salmon sashimi, and the thickness is just something else Our first drinking snack was raw salmon sashimi! The moment the plate landed, we both went "whoa." Big cuts of salmon were laid out covering the whole plate, and each piece was finger-thick, so you really got to chew and taste it. ![A plate piled high with thick raw salmon sashimi](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-12-oyiat-966.webp) Once it's in your mouth, the cold, fatty flesh melts apart and the richness spreads right out, dissolving like butter — my chopsticks kept going back for more haha. Usually if salmon is this thick, a few bites in you get sick of it, but the plate stayed cold all the way through, so even the last piece kept that springy texture! ![A finger-thick slice of raw salmon sashimi](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-13-19xi1-966.webp) The side dishes were solid too. There's the standard soy sauce + wasabi plus a spicy chogochujang (vinegared chili paste) option, so you can dip however you like, and topping the fish with sour cream and radish sprouts cuts through the richness completely. Pickled garlic, pickled ginger, and tangy pickled paprika were all generously portioned, so we could mix it up all the way through the salmon!! ![Dipping sauces and pickled side dishes served with salmon sashimi](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-14-2nh1f-899.webp) ![A piece of salmon topped with sour cream and radish sprouts](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-15-16yjw-900.webp) A drink with a piece of salmon in between is an infinite loop haha. Ruru was team chogochujang, Pippi was team soy sauce + wasabi, so our sauce preferences didn't match at all haha ![A drink alongside the salmon sashimi](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-16-1ckv5-966.webp) ## Grilled mentaiko & biscuits, a genius pick for a lighter snack Our second dish was grilled mentaiko (marinated cod roe)!! ![Sesame-crusted grilled mentaiko at Hiku](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-17-1cl4z-900.webp) The mentaiko comes coated in sesame seeds, grilled golden, and sliced whole like a sausage, served with salty crackers, cucumber, mayonnaise, and cheongyang chili. ![Plate of grilled mentaiko served with crackers, cucumber, and mayonnaise](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-18-4n430-753.webp) The grilling is a perfect medium — the outside gets that nutty char while the roe inside stays moist and intact, which is the whole point! ![Cross-section of grilled mentaiko showing a moist interior](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-19-1aema-900.webp) Stack a slice of cucumber, a piece of mentaiko, and a dab of mayo on a cracker and pop it all in one bite! The salty roe, nutty mayo, and crisp cucumber layer together as the cracker crunches apart — this is a total drink-thief. hahaha ![A bite of cucumber and mentaiko stacked on a cracker](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-20-takp6-779.webp) Slip in a piece of cheongyang chili now and then and the sharp kick hits, sending the soju down smoothly. The mentaiko itself wasn't grilled too salty, so it was fine to just eat on its own too, and honestly we ran out of crackers first and ended up rationing the mentaiko by itself haha ![A bite of grilled mentaiko topped with cheongyang chili](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-21-1639g-900.webp) Even the complimentary puffed rice crackers were the kind of small, addictive snack you keep reaching for! ![Complimentary puffed rice crackers served as a starter snack](https://img.superchart.com/images/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko-22-1xioa-900.webp) ## How about Sadang for a second round? For anyone in Sadang looking for a spot for round two after dinner, I genuinely recommend this place!! If you've done round one nearby with meat or sashimi like we did, the walk over is perfect haha. The seats are spaced generously, so it's comfortable for couples or small groups alike, and when we went around 8pm on a Wednesday, we were seated right away with no wait! It's not loud, so it's great for talking quietly over drinks, and the food looks great and tastes great too!! Next time I think we'll try the Nagasaki champon soup and the Hiku platter!! haha ## Where it is - Hiku (히쿠) - 49 Dongjakdae-ro 7-gil, 1st floor, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea - 서울특별시 동작구 동작대로7길 49 1층 - 37.4787129, 126.9796132 - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/search/%ED%9E%88%EC%BF%A0/@37.4787129,126.9796132,17z --- Superchart · https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-gangwon-mealmarks/sadang-izakaya-hiku-salmon-sashimi-mentaiko/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt