# Gangnam sushi restaurant with torch-seared benizari: Sakai - By Saeon (https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-noon-bowl/) - Written Sep 10, 2026 - Local places › Restaurants › Gangnam, Seoul - Sponsored: This content was created with a sponsored visit to the restaurant. - English edition: https://superchart.com/en/@seoul-noon-bowl/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/ - Also in: [한국어](https://superchart.com/ko/@seoul-noon-bowl/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/index.md) ## In short Sakai is a sushi restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, where diners choose the day's available toppings in an okonomi-style order. I chose scallop, striped squid, horse mackerel, sea bream, benizari, and negitoro hosomaki, with crispy seseri tangsuyuk as a side. Verdict: Sakai is a great pick for quality sushi chosen exactly to your taste. ## Good to know - **Address**: 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울 강남구 역삼로67길 15 1층 101호) - **Hours**: Daily 17:00–01:00 the following day - **Closed**: First Tuesday of every month - **Reservations**: Available through Naver Map - **Parking**: Not available - **Order requirement**: One alcoholic drink per person is required - **Seating**: Counter seats by the open kitchen and tables for two *as written by the visitor on Sep 10, 2026* I visited Sakai in Seolleung, where you can enjoy sushi okonomi-style. Rather than following a set omakase (chef-selected course), you can pick and order each piece of sushi you feel like having that day—and the sushi quality was every bit as good as omakase! Even the seseri tangsuyuk I ordered on the side was sooo delicious, making for a very happy dinner. ![Sakai's okonomi sushi and seseri tangsuyuk](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-01-1sqbm-1200.webp) ## Sakai Location and Visit Information Sakai is at Unit 101, 1F, 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It is open daily from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. the following day, and closed on the first Tuesday of every month. Reservations can be made through Naver Map. ![Sakai in an alley near Seolleung](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-02-4ykbn-857.webp) Sakai is about a 10-minute walk from Seolleung Station. It is tucked away in an alley, so parking is not available. ## Sakai's Interior and Seating ![Sakai interior in warm wood tones](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-03-1sgbf-900.webp) Inside Sakai, warm wood tones and yellow lighting create a calm atmosphere. It has the feel of a Japanese sushi restaurant, but without being too heavy or formal, so it is easy to drop in comfortably. ![Sakai counter seats in front of the open kitchen](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-04-1ldi6-900.webp) A long line of counter seats runs along the open kitchen. From the counter, you can watch the chef make sushi right in front of you, so this seems like the best spot for soaking up the sushi-bar atmosphere. It also looked great for coming alone and having a drink with a few pieces of whatever sushi you want. ![Table for two at Sakai](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-05-y7gcl-900.webp) We took this little table for two! ## Okonomi Sushi Chosen From the Day's Available Toppings ![Sakai sushi menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-06-ix2l7-900.webp) Before coming to Sakai, I had looked at a photo of the menu and decided I absolutely had to try sweet shrimp. But it turns out not every neta (sushi topping) on the menu is always available; the fish that comes in changes from day to day! ㅠㅠ ![Notice of sushi available to order that day](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-07-1fjm8-900.webp) ![Notepad listing the day's available sushi toppings](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-08-f9u0w-900.webp) The sushi available to order that day was written on this notepad. I was sad there was no filefish or sweet shrimp that I had wanted to try, but thankfully they had my beloved benizari. I ordered two pieces each of scallop, striped squid, horse mackerel, sea bream, and benizari, then added negitoro hosomaki (thin tuna roll)! ![Sakai drinks and side menu](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-09-s20sz-900.webp) ![Sakai drinks and side-menu list](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-10-11ncy-900.webp) Here are the drinks and side-menu lists. I chose seseri tangsuyuk (crispy fried chicken neck with sauce) as a side. Just a heads-up: Sakai requires each person to order one alcoholic drink! ![Cass non-alcoholic beer and Suntory draft beer](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-11-1gapd-900.webp) We started with a Cass non-alcoholic beer and a Suntory draft beer each. Wow... the draft beer was seriously smooth and delicious. I was like, why does beer taste sweet? Hahaha. ![Okonomi sushi served on one plate](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-12-1u9m2-900.webp) All the sushi pieces arrived at once! The colorful presentation was so pretty. Since okonomi sushi takes a little time to come out, you can just relax with your beer while you wait. ## How the Okonomi Sushi Tasted ![A sushi plate filled with favorite pieces](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-13-1rb6l-900.webp) A plate of sushi packed entirely with pieces I love. ![Sushi including scallop and striped squid](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-14-1rylr-966.webp) ### Scallop and Striped Squid The scallop was plump and tender. As I chewed, a gentle sweetness came through, then a bright citrus aroma—maybe yuzu?—popped in halfway through. I loved its soft, melting texture. The striped squid had both a delicate chew and a melt-in-your-mouth softness. Its clean, naturally sweet squid flavor came through beautifully too! ![Horse mackerel and sea bream sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-15-1kcf7-900.webp) ![Horse mackerel and sea bream okonomi sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-16-1yee7-900.webp) ### Horse Mackerel and Sea Bream The more I chewed the horse mackerel, the more its distinctive nutty richness spread through my mouth. An easy recommendation. The sea bream is a hard-to-miss piece for anyone who likes clean-tasting white fish. It was soft and fresh. ![Torch-seared benizari sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-17-13egj-900.webp) ![Nutty benizari okonomi sushi](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-18-dtdsc-900.webp) ### The Best Piece: Torch-Seared Benizari And, as expected, the benizari was the best thing I had that day. The top was lightly torched, maximizing benizari's signature nutty fattiness. It was one of those pieces that tasted instantly, obviously delicious the moment it hit my mouth. Absolutely recommend this one! ![Negitoro hosomaki](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-19-fa3la-900.webp) ![Negitoro hosomaki filled with tuna](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-20-hce7f-900.webp) ### Negitoro Hosomaki Finely chopped tuna was packed inside the seaweed, so the tuna's soft, nutty flavor really came through. It was nice to pick up one piece here and there between the sushi! ## Seseri Tangsuyuk You Have to Have With Beer ![Seseri tangsuyuk side dish](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-21-1yrqn-900.webp) And the seseri tangsuyuk was the real hit that day. Honestly, I first ordered it just because sushi alone felt a little incomplete and we wanted to add a side, but one bite was enough to make my eyes fly open. It was insanely delicious!!!! ![Crispy seseri tangsuyuk](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-22-1uvr3-900.webp) ![Seseri tangsuyuk with soy sauce](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-23-11rb5-900.webp) The chicken neck meat had seseri's signature springy, juicy texture, while its coating was fried so crisp it could rival Daegabang's tangsuyuk. The sweet-and-salty soy sauce clung perfectly too. It comes with shredded cabbage on the side, which is just right for cutting through the richness between bites. ![Seseri tangsuyuk served with cabbage](https://img.superchart.com/images/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri-24-fwhno-900.webp) You really have to eat this with beer. One bite of crispy seseri followed by a sip of cold draft beer is just pure happiness. Even if you come for sushi, I really want to tell you to order the seseri tangsuyuk as a side—no question. ## Final Thoughts After Choosing Exactly What I Wanted For two women, ordering this much left us stuffed to bursting. We initially chose about five pieces of sushi plus hosomaki and thought we would order more later, but the seseri portion was larger than expected, so it was more than enough! I especially recommend Sakai for anyone who wants sushi as high-quality as omakase but would rather choose according to their own taste than follow a set course. Next time, I definitely want to try the filefish and sweet shrimp I missed that day, haha. And I am absolutely ordering the seseri tangsuyuk again! ## Where it is - Sakai (사카이) - 15 Yeoksam-ro 67-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea (서울특별시 강남구 역삼로67길 15 1층 101호) - 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/@seoul-noon-bowl/seolleung-sakai-okonomi-sushi-seseri/ · https://superchart.com/llms.txt