Sindang-dong izakaya for aged sashimi: Bada Yakbang

I visited Bada Yakbang Sindang Branch (바다약방 신당점), an izakaya in Sindang-dong that is perfect for enjoying a drink with delicious aged sashimi. It is easy to get to from Sindang Station, and there are all kinds of seafood dishes to enjoy, including a seasonal aged sashimi platter. Best of all, corkage is free, so you can bring your favorite bottle and enjoy it with the sashimi—definitely a place I want to recommend. Let me introduce Bada Yakbang Sindang Branch, a Sindang-dong izakaya with a great atmosphere too 🐟🐠

Bada Yakbang Sindang Branch, close to Sindang Station

The izakaya Bada Yakbang, which I recommend as a good Sindang-dong restaurant, is about a five-minute walk from Exit 6 of Sindang Station. Being so close to the station makes it perfect for a get-together too 👏🏻

🚘 Parking is unavailable, so you will need to use a public parking lot near Sindang Station.

• Hours: Daily, 11:30 AM–11:00 PM
• Break time: 3:00–5:00 PM

Since it is a "pharmacy," the menu was labeled a “prescription.” It made me feel like I would eat well and get healthier, haha. With a name like Bada Yakbang, I expected an antique atmosphere, but once inside, it was actually hip and stylish 🫢

✔️ You can reserve through Catch Table or Naver Booking, and since there may be a wait, I recommend booking ahead. From checking the menu to ordering, everything can be done on the tablet at the table, which was convenient.

Bada Yakbang Sindang Branch menu and corkage

BADA YAKBANG SINDANG BRANCH MENU

There was a wide variety of menu items, including lunch specials, so perhaps that is why there were quite a few people even when we visited at lunchtime. We ordered the signature seasonal aged sashimi platter, monkfish liver salt gimbap, and abalone innards cream pasta.

One reason I recommend Bada Yakbang is that corkage is free!! 👍🏻 It was so nice to be able to bring the drink you want with delicious aged sashimi as your anju (food served with drinks). ✔️ They also sell traditional Korean alcohol that pairs nicely with aged sashimi, so it would be nice to choose a bottle there too.

They brought out some basic side dishes that were great to pick at with drinks, and I heard they even make their soy sauce themselves.

Seaweed soup also comes as a basic side. It had perilla seeds in it, so it was nutty yet clean-tasting and went well with the aged sashimi 🙂

How was the monkfish liver salt gimbap?

Monkfish Liver Salt Gimbap ₩25,000

This salt gimbap (seaweed rice roll) is topped with ankimo, monkfish liver often called the foie gras of the sea. It is a must-order if you visit 👍🏻

The soft, creamy texture of the monkfish liver combined with the special sesame sauce, making it nutty with a rich depth of flavor.

It was even tastier with a little wasabi on top. I cannot believe you can have such luxurious gimbap!! 🫢 The monkfish liver and sauce worked especially well together, and everyone in our group enjoyed this dish.

Seasonal aged sashimi platter and gimbap pairing

We also ordered the signature aged sashimi, a can’t-miss dish at Bada Yakbang. It is available from two portions onward, and since there were four of us, we ordered the three-person serving.

The platter came with a varied selection of seasonal aged sashimi. They say mackerel sashimi is only available at places that serve it fresh, and its distinctly nutty flavor came through beautifully. Dipping it in the sesame sauce made it even nuttier and more delicious. There was barely any fishiness, so I think anyone who likes mackerel sashimi would really enjoy it ☺️

There were so many tasty kinds of sashimi, including sweet shrimp and salmon. Perhaps because it had been aged so well, the fish was chewy yet tender, with a subtle savoriness that emerged the more I chewed. The seasonal aged sashimi at Bada Yakbang was truly delicious, just as you would expect from a place known for it 🐟🩵

If you go, I totally recommend this pairing 👏🏻 It went so well with the white wine we brought too. (Free corkage, so good!)

There was gimbap underneath the seasonal aged sashimi platter. It was my first time ordering aged sashimi and having it come with gimbap, and eating the fish and gimbap together felt so different and fun.

With a little wasabi and a piece of sashimi on top of the gimbap, it felt like eating freshly made sushi. The sashimi and gimbap together were filling too, so I think it would make a good meal 🙂

Sheets of gim (roasted seaweed) came with it too, so I wrapped a piece of sashimi in seaweed. At Bada Yakbang Sindang Branch, it was nice to enjoy the seasonal aged sashimi in different ways—wrapped in gim or placed on the gimbap 🩵 I also saw that there are branches in Yongsan, Jamsil, and Yeonnam besides this Sindang location. How great to have such a hot spot near home, haha.

An extra order of abalone innards cream pasta

Abalone Innards Cream Pasta ₩21,000

This abalone innards cream pasta has abalone innards sauce and a thick garlic cream sauce. The aged sashimi and monkfish liver salt gimbap were so delicious that we added another dish, and this was one we were glad we ordered.

The cream sauce was seriously thick and rich, with quite a lot of abalone, and the mushrooms were a total highlight in this pasta. Even though I was full, it was so good that I kept reaching for more.

From the seasonal aged sashimi platter, which features different fish according to the season, to the monkfish liver salt gimbap and pasta, every dish was delicious and left me very satisfied 🩵 Above all, it was wonderful that free corkage lets you bring your favorite drink to enjoy with tasty aged sashimi. If you are looking for an izakaya in Sindang-dong where you can have a drink with delicious aged sashimi, I recommend Bada Yakbang Sindang Branch.