Ansan izakaya with salt-grilled shrimp and seafood platter: Susanjang

Since it's shrimp season right now, I went with a friend to Seonbu-dong for some grilled shrimp! We also got to enjoy some fresh sashimi and seafood, haha. The vibe was relaxed and great for a casual drink, so if you've been looking for an izakaya in Seonbu-dong, this one's worth a look!

Where is Susanjang Seonbu in Ansan?

Susanjang Seonbu is a seafood izakaya located at 17 Seonbu-gwangjang-ro in Seonbu-dong, Ansan. The exterior is decked out in wood, giving it a genuine mountain-lodge feel that matches the name..! Kind of like a lodge you'd find in Jeju Island, haha. It stands out from the surrounding shops, so it catches your eye even just walking by!

The drawing painted on the window is so cute...

There's no big signboard, so just look for the wooden sign near the entrance that says Susanjang and head in!

Inside Susanjang: lodge-style interior and seating

Once you step inside Susanjang, the space is quite spacious. There are lots of tables, so it seemed good for a couple of friends having a casual drink or for larger groups too!

The interior uses a lot of wood too, just like the exterior, staying true to the lodge concept, haha.

Each table has a tablet, so you can look at the menu and order right from your seat. Small plates, utensils, and other essentials are already set up around the table!

Susanjang menu and prices

Susanjang had a wide range of menu options, from sashimi to grilled dishes to cooked dishes. There are sashimi combos like flounder plus sea bream, or flounder plus giant croaker, along with seafood platters and mini seafood platters where you can enjoy several kinds of seafood at once. There are also soups and side dishes worth ordering if sashimi alone isn't quite enough, which seemed great for picking a bit of everything when you're out drinking. They've got a full lineup of drinks too — sake, highball, beer, and soju!

That day we ordered the salt-grilled raw shrimp for ₩37,000 and the Susanjang mini seafood platter for ₩43,000, along with some beer.

While we waited for our order, grilled flounder came out first as a complimentary appetizer! It was fairly salty in seasoning, which made it perfect for drinking..! We nibbled on it with a beer before the main dishes arrived, haha.

Salt-grilled raw shrimp, 37,000 won

The main reason we came — salt-grilled raw shrimp! First, real raw shrimp comes out. We turned on the fire and waited a bit, and it grilled up faster than I expected?!

Peeling the shell off the well-cooked shrimp, the meat was super plump... Maybe because it's in season, the flesh was firm and springy, and the more I chewed, the sweeter it tasted — really delicious! Since it's just salt-grilled with no other seasoning, I also liked that you could really taste the shrimp itself. Personally, the salt-grilled raw shrimp was the number one dish of the day! My friend and I were too full to try it, but apparently you can add ₩3,000 to get the shrimp heads butter-grilled too, haha.

What comes on the Susanjang mini seafood platter, 43,000 won?

And then the Susanjang mini seafood platter arrived! It's called "mini" but when it actually showed up, the portion was generous. On one side there's plenty of sashimi, and up front there's an assortment of other seafood like sea cucumber and sea squirt.

The sashimi isn't just one type — several kinds of white fish come together. I'm not sure exactly which species, but overall the slices were cut thick, so you really got that satisfying chew, haha. Honestly, I usually get tired of eating just sashimi after a while, but with this dish you could mix in other seafood in between, so I ended up enjoying every bit without leaving anything behind!

Have a bite of chewy sashimi, then something crunchy, then a sip of beer — ah, so good! I can't really drink much so I had beer with it, but for anyone who can handle their liquor, I think highball or sake would pair even better!

Worth a drink and seafood night in Seonbu-dong, Ansan?

Ordering the mini seafood platter plus salt-grilled raw shrimp like we did meant we could enjoy a variety of sashimi and seafood along with warm, freshly grilled shrimp all at once — a great combo! More than anything, everything we ate that day was fresh and tasty overall, so I left satisfied, haha. The seating inside is quite roomy and there are plenty of menu options, so it also seemed like a good spot to visit with a group of friends!

Next time I visit, I'd like to try some of the other menu items I missed this time! If you're looking for a solid izakaya near Seonbu Station in Ansan for fresh seafood and a casual drink, give Susanjang a try~!