Gwanak sushi omakase couple's dinner with smoked hairtail: Sushi Ryeo

Sushi Ryeo (廬) is a Seoul sushi omakase spot where you can enjoy high-level sushi in a relaxed setting 🍣 It offers a reasonably priced lunch omakase and a premium dinner omakase built around seasonal fish and seafood. The veteran chef's excellent sushi and the warm, attentive service left a strong impression — this place has been on the Blue Ribbon Survey list for 10 straight years.

Where is Sushi Ryeo, and is there parking and counter seating?

Sushi Ryeo (廬) is close to Seoul National Univ. Station, and free parking was available in the building.

A space with a calm, composed atmosphere.

Seating is split between a bar table for 1–2 and tables for groups of 4 or more.

I booked through Naver Reservations, and the seat in the back felt intimate and was neatly set up when we arrived.

Sushi Ryeo menu and prices

Omakase

• Lunch omakase (₩50,000)
• Dinner omakase (₩100,000)
• À la carte sushi: sea bream / flounder / lean tuna / cuttlefish / squid / conger eel / otoro / chutoro / sea urchin roe / steamed abalone / sweet shrimp / mackerel / gizzard shad / herring / uni + sweet shrimp, ₩4,000–9,000
• Sushi-ryo BOX ₩45,000

They also serve a range of nihonshu, sake, wine, beer, and other drinks, with corkage allowed (fee applies).

Order: dinner omakase (₩200,000 for two)

Dinner omakase at Sushi Ryeo: tsumami to steamed abalone

Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard) The omakase started with a soft chawanmushi carrying a pleasant hint of truffle.

Sea bass Sea bass finished with ponzu sauce — the cold texture was perfect for summer, and this was a tsumami course of wild sea bass.

Tuna otoro sashimi A fatty cut — one piece with wasabi, one with a touch of salt! You could taste each one's distinct charm.

Amberjack sashimi Thick-cut amberjack enjoyed with a garlic soy sauce, full of savory flavor.

Mozuku Mozuku, a type of seaweed from Okinawa, served with a pleasantly tangy sauce, tomato tsukemono, and seafood — a lovely appetizer.

Steamed abalone A great harmony of clean, tender wild abalone and rich gaejang (abalone liver) sauce.

Suimono (clear soup) served before the sushi course proper A warm, clean clear soup with shrimp, meatballs, and wild chervil, adding depth of aroma and texture.

The sushi course: red sea bream to conger eel

Wild red sea bream The sushi course proper began with red sea bream ♪

Striped jack Striped jack sushi with the distinct umami that this fish is known for.

Tuna akami (lean cut) Tuna akami marinated in soy sauce paired perfectly with Sushi Ryeo's rice — its flavor and temperature.

Tuna belly Delicately scored tuna belly finished with a touch of salt to bring out its rich, deep flavor even more!

Sweet shrimp and sea urchin The plump sweet shrimp and sea urchin were wrapped in seaweed and handed to us directly — another special bite. Apparently couples clink these pieces together like a toast and take photos, but as a married couple of 11 years, we just focused on the sushi haha 😅

Herring Herring sushi topped with a touch of yakumi made from scallion and ginger — the best herring sushi I've had so far.

Grilled black cod Grilled with the finest Kyoto miso, this moist, clean black cod had a memorable sweet finish.

Butterfish Smoked on the surface and served for an extra-special smoky flavor.

Hairtail Also smoked — sushi with none of the fishiness you might expect, letting the true flavor of hairtail shine through.

Tempura Clean, crispy wild tiger prawn and shishito pepper tempura in a very thin batter.

Kaisendon Fresh tuna, salmon roe, and sea urchin served over a small portion of rice.

Gizzard shad Served as a special sushi item, this was my first time ever trying gizzard shad — the best of the best. They mentioned the distinct tanginess of gizzard shad sushi can be divisive, but sushi this good was impossible not to love 😋

Conger eel The last sushi piece was warm conger eel, wrapping up the sushi course.

Tamagoyaki (egg omelet) White fish and egg grilled into a fluffy, sweet tamagoyaki.

Cold soba and gelato to finish the course

Cold soba The closing dish was high-buckwheat-content soba in a clear, clean broth, cooked to an al dente-like texture.

For dessert, you could choose ice cream in lemon, green tea, or mango — we picked lemon and green tea. It had a rich flavor closer to gelato, a perfect ending to the omakase ♥️

Every dish in Sushi Ryeo's dinner omakase, including the outstanding sushi, felt made with care. Above all, every piece of sushi in the course was excellent — the warm-temperature rice that maximizes each fish's natural flavor was truly special, and the soy sauce and wasabi were adjusted just right for the rice and fish, making every piece of the course memorable. With such a graceful flow to the course and such attentive, warm service, this would also be a wonderful spot for a special date or an anniversary dinner.

Sushi Ryeo hours, address and reservations

• Address: 456 Bongcheon-ro, 202-ho, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (874-1 Bongcheon-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul), South Korea
• Hours: Daily 12:00–22:00 / Break time 15:00–17:30
• Reservations available via Naver Reservations
• Getting there: 3-min walk from Exit 5, Seoul National Univ. Station, Line 2